As the gaming world moves into the next generation of consoles, the Switch finds itself in a strange position where it doesn’t necessarily compete with the PS5 and Xbox Series X. It is younger than thePS4 and Xbox One, after all, and there’s no indication that a “Switch 2” is currently part of Nintendo’s plans. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean the Switch is impervious to changing times, but some changes don’t fit in games likeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s sequel.
To note, it’s not specifically changes definitively coming with the next-generation of consoles that’s the concern, but changes that have been taking place for years in gaming. Many of gaming’s initial icons were portrayed as silent protagonists due to hardware limitations, but as gaming moves forward, the silent protagonist has faded into the background. Franchises likeFallout, for example, moved from the deadly silent protagonist to a voiced character, but doing so to Link inThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2or beyond would be a disastrous move.
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Link: The Iconic Silent Protagonist
There are some games who’ve maintained asilent protagonist, and it’s not been a problem. There’s been franchises that simply would not work with a silent protagonist, and games that have included one to its own detriment. At the same time, moving from a silent protagonist to a voiced character typically loses a level of nuance, such as in the aforementionedFalloutseries. And sure, Link has occasionally made battle cries and his iconic “ayaa,” and players have to suspend their disbelief when Link is talking in dialog options but goes silent in a cutscene. But that works perfectly for Link.
Voicing Link in a future game, such asBreath of the Wild 2, would indubitably color in that voice for all games. Link wouldn’t be the player’s Link anymore, but a defined character. Such a change to an established franchise and character would not mull over with a significant portion of the fanbase. There are those who think it’s time for Link to be finally voiced, and there’s comments out there asking for Link to have a gender option, but these changes would indubitably alter the character forever.
Of course, these comments belong to a very small portion of the fanbase, and Nintendo has given no indication that it intends to start voicing otherwise silent characters. Paper Mario is still silent, for example, inThe Origami King. And that’s likely because it realizes this very fact. As big-profile AAA RPGs move toward voiced characters, it’s important to realize that the silent protagonist is a staple for a reason. New games likeThe Elder Scrolls 6andAvowedcan have a voiced character, and in that way, it’s a realization of next-gen hardware. But silent protagonists in video games aren’t likely to disappear onPS5 and Xbox Series X, and it’s far less likely that it does on Nintendo hardware. And that’s a good thing.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2is in development.
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