Of course, we’re deep into Zelda voice acting territory now, and Link still remains voiceless. As far as we can tell, Link still doesn’t have voice dialogue in Tears of the Kingdom (though the whole game might be hiding a surprise), but how much longer can he be this silent? Will Link be voiced in the next Zelda game? We have our own opinion about it, and we want to hear yours…
Ollie Reynolds, staff writer
I’m really, really happy that Link is speechless, to be honest. After all, most of the characters in Breath of the Wild (and probably in Tears of the Kingdom) are only voiced in certain scenes, so it’s not like Nintendo suddenly went all out on the voice acting.
That said, if Nintendo did if I decide to give Link a voice at some point in the future, I wouldn’t be entirely opposed to it, as long as it’s done in a meaningful way and serves the story well. Thinking about instances where the voice acting was poorly done always comes to mind Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain immediately. Hideo Kojima hired the talented Kiefer Sutherland instead of David Hayter, but to what end? Sutherland had so few lines in that game (apart from optional cartridges, maybe), that it just didn’t seem worth the investment.
I believe that if Nintendo gave Link a voice, he should play a significant role in the story, aside from simply acting as a vessel for the player. Give the character some freedom and some motivation, and I’ll be on board. Otherwise, no, don’t bother.
Jim Norman, staff writer
There’s a part of me that would absolutely love it if, after 35 years of silence, Link would finally open his mouth and greet us in the faintest of voices, which would instantly turn him from the Hero of Hyrule to the Zero of Hyrule.
But then rational Jim appears out of the blue and, just like that, I go back to my opinion that Link should never conversation. He’s a nervous, quiet guy and I like that. But more importantly, once you start giving Link a voice, he would stop being Link to me.
Yes, he would cease to be an ordinary figure that we all love so much and a vessel for us, the players, to feel like me are the ones saving Hyrule, but it would also change my perception of the games that came before it a lot. If Link is talking now, then why wasn’t he chatting (audibly anyway) in Ocarina of Time or even Breath of the Wild? I’m sure there would be some in-universe explanation for how the character could suddenly speak with the best of them, but why do we need to add something as basic as speech when silence has worked so well up to this point?
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Alana Hagues, staff writer
You know, I honestly I can not imagine Link with voice. I’m pretty used to silent protagonists at this point and don’t mind them, but I’m not sure I can see Link with a personality other than a determined hero. And, honestly, it’s a role that anyone it can be, without voice and everything.
That’s kind of the whole point of Link to me. It could be your neighbor, your best friend or a stranger you met one day. He was meant to be a character you could throw yourself into and pretend to be. You were meant to be feel like the hero when you control Link, you don’t necessarily see the archetype or personality behind the eyes. Link is whoever you want him to be. And as kids, my friends and I all wanted to be Link, and that’s without a voice.
But then again, I never imagined Zelda with actual voice dialogue before Breath of the Wild. And I think it suits her well. But there aren’t many scenes where voice acting is used. I think the series will always stay like this, even if it uses a bit more VO in the future. As long as there are dialogue options, I’m perfectly fine with Link being silent, aside from grunting and moaning.
Gavin Lane, editor
I think for most veteran Zelda fans, like us on the NL team, there’s a real fear that Nintendo will somehow get Link’s voice ‘wrong’ — and that could taint our memories of the previous games.
Back when you could still call Link ‘Gertie’ or ‘Arnult420’ or ‘Rearend’ or whatever, it seemed more appropriate to keep the player avatar silent. In a world where he’s the link to everyone and every other main character is babbling, his silence becomes a comedic trait that you might say is getting old.
However, the main argument for me to keep it quiet is that I don’t really care much about the stories in Zelda games. Other than Ocarina (my first Zelda game) and Majora’s Mask (my favorite Zelda game…probably), I’ve never really paid much attention to plot twists. I’m struggling to remember the names of the characters. I only remember the names of the champions because you hear them every time you activate Revali’s Gale or Daruk’s Protections, and so on. The broad strokes are always the same; darkness falls upon the land and it is up to our brave hero to venture on a journey of exploration, testing his brains and strength in his quest to banish evil from the kingdom and save the kingdom. The pluses and minuses of the narrative and timeline aren’t why I’ve played every game in the series.
Adding voice acting for Link would suggest more story. Which is fine, but it’s not what excites me about the series.
Well, that’s us announcing through Link’s own vocal cords. But we want to know what you think. Be sure to vote in our polls below and let us know in the comments if you think Link will have voice acting in the future.
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