The Silent Protagonist

[Koby]

How do you feel about the games where your Main Character does not actually talk? Are you a fan of the mute-side of hero's? I can't say that I really am, as if this person is the driving force of the game, the person who you control for the bulk of your play-time, then shouldn't he do a fair bit of talking? Indeed he should. Yet, even if we are the types to dread this sort of thing, it certainly does not stop us from playing and thoroughly enjoying these games (most of the time.) In Chrono Trigger, for instance, the protagonist does not talk at all. I think that on rare occasion, you get to make a decision of some kind, but those scenes are few and far between and don't really count.

Then why do some game designers like to go this route, and present us with a quiet hero? Is it just them being lazy, or are they trying to make the person seem more mysterious, and leave a few things to our creative imagination? I can think that it would actually be really hard for the script writers to factor this into their story. Saying it is a lazy thing for them to do might not actually be true, quite the contrary. I have written out segments for stories of mine where a main character does not talk, and it really is a challenge! Imagine doing this for an 80-hour long text-heavy game! It's quite a thought.

So how do you view this situation? Do you personally prefer it when you play a game like Secret of Mana where you main character barely utters a word throughout the entire game, or would you rather get to watch the humor of Zidane as he makes constant fun of Steiner at many points in Final Fantasy IX? I know that a silent protagonist would be useless in games where there is a lot of Strategy meetings in a War Room, where you are supposed to be the man in charge. Well, it's been done many-a-time in the Suikoden series, but I digress.

[† Nutz]

You know what? The silent protagonist fit the Suikoden series like a glove. It may not work that well on other series, but on the particular case of Genso Suikoden, it works. At least that's what I think, being a die hard fan of the series and having a reasonable knowledge about it.

Why? Well, here's where I base my opinion on. The protagonists of the Suikoden games are always the Tenkai Star (SIII excluded), which is the Chief Star of Heaven. The tenkai star is a born leader and a charismatic person. However the Tenkai Star is not the usual kind of leader (note that this is speculation of my own, based on my suikoden knowledge). In all the games (SIII excluded) the Tenkai Star is always thrown in the middle of the mess, and in some cases even are against the war at first. It's not like he stands out to be a leader, but he is rather chosen by the people around him. I think that under these circunstances, making the Tenkai Star actually talk, could make him sound cliche'd, and make him sound like he chose to be there, leading the army. The silent hero only emphasize the idea that the Tenkai Star is chosen to be a leader instead of choosing to be one.

[Koby]

The original Drakengard featured a Silent Protagonist for the simple fact he lost his ability to talk when he made the pact with Angela (the red dragon). However in some rare occasions the dragon spoke his thoughts though not usually. The game was still a great game though. So for me it goes both ways I like the silent type, and those who make jokes, etc.. like Zidane.

[VincentsLucrecia]

I actually like the silent type heroes. All their stories might sound like the same, but in this case, I'm talking about Squall. He had a reason to hide his feelings from everyone. Ellone had to leave him when he was at the orphanage, and he was afraid others that he loved would disappeared like her. He starts talking a lot after the third disc begins, but for the most part, he's my favorite Silent Protagonist.

[-PHXN- New001]

What drives me crazy in Dark Messiah, I never hear my character talk nor do I ever see him... And i'm assuming that I'm a him because get hit on by girls.

So no, I am not a fan >.<

[† Emotional Outlet]

I don't mind it. But I'm a fangirl, so I fill in all the missing pieces, like the ohsobloodyobvious relationship between two characters because of that one time they looked at each other!

But yeah, I tend to personify characters in my head as I play games (like in FFT with the generics--I got so attached...), so if they don't give a character personality or actual speaking roles, my brain will fill it in.

[Slayer]

i hated grand theft auto III

that stupid little guy keeps getting orders from everyone and doesnt even say FUCK YOU to Salvatore when he backstabs him and i realize that was a spoiler but if you havnt played gta3 then your not missing out on anything

[hotspot]

I like silent protaganists, i don't have a problem with them at all. Silent protaganists give the player to put his/her shoes into the silent hero's.

[Linoud]

I like both types. But there are always party members or allies to be the wise-cracking people in a game. People like Link or Isaac from GS are always welcome.