Zelda Skyward Sword Producer: Link Shouldn't Talk

John Funk

U.N. Owen Was Him?
Dec 20, 2005
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Zelda Skyward Sword Producer: Link Shouldn't Talk



Should The Legend of Zelda's Link finally join the rest of the voice-acted videogame world? Producer Eiji Aonuma doesn't think so.

Once upon a time, the closest thing videogames had to voice acting was Sinistar [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-XEINagmaU]. The only dialogue was in text bubbles, and fully voice-acted games were the exception rather than the rule. Sometime around the turn of the century, this began to change. Now, it's rarer to find a full-production non-handheld game that doesn't have voice acting than one that does.

Several series, however, ardently remain standouts - and The Legend of Zelda is one of them. Sure, Link started yelling stuff like "Hya! Orya! Huuuhngh!" in Ocarina of Time, but we've never actually heard the green-clad hero say anything beyond his grunts and yelps. Does that bother some people who think that Zelda needs to get with the times? Perhaps, but one of those people isn't Skyward Sword producer Eiji Aonuma.

"Personally, I don't want to have Link speak in the game," said Aonuma in Nintendo Power. "We haven't had him talk at all up to this point. It's part of the series history. It would just, to me, break the image of Link to have him speak."

"In terms of other characters, if Link never talks and everybody else in the game is chatting and whatnot I also think that's sort of an off mixture, so it's not something that, to be honest, I've really thought I want to be superactive about or I've really pressed for it. It just hasn't come up to me personally."

You know, perhaps after all [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibK0Nj0sjyU&feature=related].

(Via Destructoid [http://www.destructoid.com/zelda-skyward-sword-producer-doesn-t-want-link-to-talk-181232.phtml])

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uppitycracker

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Oct 9, 2008
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Honestly, I think it adds a certain level of charm when you have characters that don't talk. GTA3 was a fine example of this, as is Zelda. It's a wise decision to keep Link silent, in my opinion.
 

fix-the-spade

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Feb 25, 2008
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Not such a bad thing?

Well excuuuuse me Funk.

Didn't know you were a voice-ist. Maybe it was triggered by something, like a traumatic experience in your past. Although I can't imagine what...
 

Gigaguy64

Special Zero Unit
Apr 22, 2009
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Agreed.
Link shouldn't Speak.
His "Voice", yelling, grunting, ETC is fine but, i thing actual Speaking would mess it up.
 

Averant

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Jul 6, 2010
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Nah, Link definitely shouldn't talk. It would ruin the image, and it would ruin the game for me, I think. He never spoke, he never will.

I mean, he doesn't have any parents, right? Maybe he saw them die horribly when he was younger, and he's been traumatized into silence ever since. At least, that's how I prefer to look at it. :p (I'm horrible, I know...)
 

StriderShinryu

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Dec 8, 2009
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I don't mind seeing as how Link generally isn't really a defined character, he's just sort of there as a vessel to experience the story and the world. I'm rarely a fan of a silent hero but Link works fairly well as one.

In other cases where the hero obviously is supposed to have a defined character, and is actually being directly talked at, yet stays mute for no real reason it just doesn't work.
 

Macgyvercas

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Feb 19, 2009
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As the resident Zelda Fanatic (check my title), I feel obliged to chip in.

Should Link speak?

*ahem*

HELL...NO! I pissed enough they're retconing him to be right handed, but if they cave and listen to the people who think Link should talk, I will kill something. Besides, if Link speaks, then it will be akin to (I cannot believe I am saying this actually exists) the Zelda TV series, and we all know what a piece of crap that was.

*hits self in head with hammer*

Oh, yeah. The TV series doesn't exist. It was all a bad dream.

EDIT: Good for Nintendo for saying he should remain silent.

DOUBLE EDIT:

robinkom said:
IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT!?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPxY8lpYAUM
No! Just no! That does not exist! It's a foul creation that some evil demon planted into our heads to sully our view of LoZ! (Why yes I am adament about that not existing)
 

robinkom

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Jan 8, 2009
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Link is voiceless so anyone can insert themselves into the role. A personality asserts a style and mannerisms into the character that not everyone can relate to.

Like Mario, he's the humble hero that does what's right without any personal inflection of if he should care or not about certain goals.
 

twcblaze

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Jun 18, 2009
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Link is probably the only silent protagonist I can stand... mostly because he doesn't ALWAYS have people telling him what to do every 30 seconds, unless you count that fairy from OOT or any other "hint" system that I think you should have the option of manually disabling.

so yeah, this is a win on my scorecard.
 

robinkom

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Jan 8, 2009
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Macgyvercas said:
As the resident Zelda Fanatic (check my title), I feel obliged to chip in.

Should Link speak?

*ahem*

HELL...NO! I pissed enough they're retconing him to be right handed, but if they cave and listen to the people who think Link should talk, I will kill something. Besides, if Link speaks, then it will be akin to (I cannot believe I am saying this actually exists) the Zelda TV series, and we all know what a piece of crap that was.

*hits self in head with hammer*

Oh, yeah. The TV series doesn't exist. It was all a bad dream.
Link is only right-handed because of the Wii controller scheme. Don't forget that Twilight Princess on Gamecube was the proper version (with Left Handed Link) since it was ported to Wii as almost an afterthought.

If there's no motion controls for Nintendo's console after Wii and it's back to normal controls, Link will definitely be Left Handed again.
 

Firia

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Sep 17, 2007
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I don't mind if Link speaks or not. I'm leaning towards not. It's the REST of the world that I'd prefer to see voice acting integrated into. :) I mean, voice acting doesn't need to be the rule, but the midi tracks that have been the mainstay of verbal communication with Hyrule citizens is... a little archaic. I'd rather have all or none. Not some middle ground that was introduced on the N64 because of hardware limitations.

Link needs a lot of things done, in my opinion. The Legend of Zelda is being rehashed over and over with gimics in place of actual gameplay innovation. I for one will not be buying Skyward sword for this reason... and, well, yaknow... no Wii. But whatev. :)
 

tomtom94

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May 11, 2009
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Tenmar said:
It's amazing enough that Link even has a name but please no talking. Leave that to the fan fictions and machinima but please no actual link talking...or singing.
Link's name comes from his purpose: to provide a link into the game world. That's what they say anyway.

It's like Gordan Freeman, it's traditional, he should never talk.
If a movie was ever made though Hollywood would completely ignore it.
 

Macgyvercas

Spice & Wolf Restored!
Feb 19, 2009
6,103
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robinkom said:
Macgyvercas said:
As the resident Zelda Fanatic (check my title), I feel obliged to chip in.

Should Link speak?

*ahem*

HELL...NO! I pissed enough they're retconing him to be right handed, but if they cave and listen to the people who think Link should talk, I will kill something. Besides, if Link speaks, then it will be akin to (I cannot believe I am saying this actually exists) the Zelda TV series, and we all know what a piece of crap that was.

*hits self in head with hammer*

Oh, yeah. The TV series doesn't exist. It was all a bad dream.
Link is only right-handed because of the Wii controller scheme. Don't forget that Twilight Princess on Gamecube was the proper version (with Left Handed Link) since it was ported to Wii as almost an afterthought.

If there's no motion controls for Nintendo's console after Wii and it's back to normal controls, Link will definitely be Left Handed again.
I know that. I'm still bugging them to include a left handed control scheme. They did one for Wii Sport and Wii Sports Resort, so they have no excuse to back out of doing one for Zelda.

I'm also pushing for a classic controller option, but i don't see that happening.