I know that, I'm just making a point about how NoA is generally cheap when it comes to voice acting. Silent protagonists come from the developer's end.
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i am sick and fucking tired of silent protagonists in Nintendo titles
- Thread starter Mezati99
- Start date
That's how I approach it. It's also kinda funny sometimes.
The main problem with Fire Emblem though (and Persona), is that you're given tons of dialogue options to progress the conversation, but none of them are voiced. The protagonist actively speaks in battle, but off the battlefield, the very least he can do is speak the lines the player gives him instead of making awkward hand gestures. For me, it's less about not speaking and more about speaking when the player has the opportunity to give the input.
This is why I hate a good majority of games today. I really don't wnt to be the character as it is unrealistic IMO. Would rather experience their story
Hated it in Metro.
I don't need the "immersion" and prefer following the main character's story with a voice instead of "being" him and having none.
I don't need the "immersion" and prefer following the main character's story with a voice instead of "being" him and having none.
All three examples are not cutting corners - Fire Emblem is not cutting corners anywhere when it comes to voice acting and Astral Chain also has a heavy amount of needless voice acting in places where text boxes would have been enough. Link has always been silent and is very deliberate.
It's just a simple design decision.
As I said...
But yeah, it's a design decision. And for Link & Byleth, it just so happened to allow them to dodge various bullets afterwards.
Alyx Vance always bothered me because the entire character felt specifically designed to massage the PLAYER'S ego. "YOU'RE SO COOL, PLAYER. I CAN'T BELIEVE I GET TO WORK WITH YOU, PLAYER. I'M A GIRL AND I'M PAYING ATTENTION TO YOU, PLAYER."
There is no relationship between her and Gordon because Gordon is not a character, and the endless attempts by the game to pretend there was one really just made me uncomfortable.
Its OK bud, Im pretty tired of every other game having a chatterbox for an avatar.
Because the player can give them agency and personality, increasing immersion? It can be immersion-breaking when a protagonist doesn't fit your own personality.
I'm totally fine with silent protagonists, and even prefer them in some cases.
I don't understand how watching a named character not responding to anyone, as if they were a robot, increases immersion.
I doubt this has anything to do with NoA being cheap either way. It's not like Nintendo games have more voice acting in other regions.
I don't want to be rude, but are we going to have this thread every week now? Most AAA games have voiced protagonists already, why can't we have games with silent ones too?
I actually like silent protagonists (and I wish Nintendo would stop putting voice acting in their recent games too, I hate it).
I actually like silent protagonists (and I wish Nintendo would stop putting voice acting in their recent games too, I hate it).
The assumption is that you are projecting your own reactions, voice, dialogue, whatever onto the character.
It's terrible, and not just a Nintendo thing. I don't care for it across the board.
But with Zelda it's gotten more and more jarring over the years, because they've given Link a personality and made him a full-blown character. He's no longer a silent protagonist, he just doesn't have a voice because...reasons.
But with Zelda it's gotten more and more jarring over the years, because they've given Link a personality and made him a full-blown character. He's no longer a silent protagonist, he just doesn't have a voice because...reasons.
Dragon Quest is basically a low budget indie game, you heard it here first folks.
Also Persona and Shin Megami Tensei and Tokyo Mirage Sessions.
Also Half-Life.
Also South Park: Stick of Truth.
Also Skyrim.
(I don't think "a few exceptions" is cutting it.)
It is maybe a little overdone. I get the immersion argument, but I also think they do it to avoid any controversy or backlash -- look what happened when they tried to delve too deep into Samus' backstory.
As usual, people are confusing "no voice acting" with "silent protagonist". "Silent" means the character never says anything, not even in text. No voice acting is a perfectly fair choice if you don't have a big budget or want to put a ton of text into the game. Silent protagonist is just an old awful trope. Can't think of a single game in which the silent protagonist worked.
Byleth should speak.
I've never played Astral Chain but I'm guessing they should speak.
No Zelda character should speak, text only.
Samus should not speak or even have text. In fact I don't want any type of face to face communication in Metroid.
DK characters should speak as much as possible.
I've never played Astral Chain but I'm guessing they should speak.
No Zelda character should speak, text only.
Samus should not speak or even have text. In fact I don't want any type of face to face communication in Metroid.
DK characters should speak as much as possible.
Immersion is a pretty BS thing anyway and yes i do like this.
Silent Protagonist are a good thing. If anything i'm sick of the completely vague "Muh immersion" criticism against some games.
Not to say that i dislike VA but its not a requirement nor does it always add to anything meaningful.
Silent Protagonist are a good thing. If anything i'm sick of the completely vague "Muh immersion" criticism against some games.
Not to say that i dislike VA but its not a requirement nor does it always add to anything meaningful.
completely agree with you op and im baffled how that can be seen as a positive aspect
Playing Zelda and DQ 11 it addet nothing to the story or the character but just broke the immersion or lead to some cringe cutscenes
You have a emtional cutscene with other characters showing emotions and then there is the protagonist just beeing silent. if atleast the narrative presented the character as someone mute, it would've been much better
Silent Protagonist are ok imo if you actually controll the decisions, choices or words of a character like in Skyrim.
Playing Zelda and DQ 11 it addet nothing to the story or the character but just broke the immersion or lead to some cringe cutscenes
You have a emtional cutscene with other characters showing emotions and then there is the protagonist just beeing silent. if atleast the narrative presented the character as someone mute, it would've been much better
Silent Protagonist are ok imo if you actually controll the decisions, choices or words of a character like in Skyrim.
But in games like Astral Chain and Fire Emblem the player really can't give them agency and personality. In Fire Emblem's case the game treats your character like they have a set personality but you never hear any of the dialogue. They just stand there like a dead-eyed mannequin while people talk at them.
Same. I can't stand it. Takes me completely out of so many scenes when the protagonist just stands there like a big dumb asshole. It's 2019, there's no reason to have silent protagonists anymore.
That's this thread, and I wouldn't say more people, the poll results were just about a 50/50 split on the matter.
To repeat what I said in that thread, sure you can have a Silent Protagonist, but it in turn makes them one of the more boring characters of the game in the process.
The only good example I can think of in recent years is the Doom Slayer, and that's solely because he instead shows what he is feeling with his actions instead of his words.
I don't want to hear my character say things I would never say. It breaks the link and disconnects me from the character.
So I don't mind, it's a way for me to engage more in the story. Instead of being spoon-fed dialogue, I immerse myself more by thinking how I would respond.
So I don't mind, it's a way for me to engage more in the story. Instead of being spoon-fed dialogue, I immerse myself more by thinking how I would respond.
By "speaking" I hope you mean constant animal cries back and forth to each other that only they can comprehend.
I mean at least in BOTW, Mario Odyssey and FE 3H the silent guys do show their emotions in cutscenes.
Unless you are making a significant amount of dialog choices, it feels VERY out of places in 2019.
It's a stylistic choice otherwise. And an odd one. Makes conversations feel awkward, and has an overall budget feel.
I look at the Tales Of games because those have a TON of conversation and usually the MC speaks. He didn't in Xilia 2 and it was just... ugh. Nearly the same games, and the one with the silent protagonist, the mc was far far far more forgetable.
Also, it REALLY blows in Astral Chain. I chose the lady and I wanted her to be a cool character and she just isn't a character. Wish I chose the dude so she could have been a character. Oh well.
It's a stylistic choice otherwise. And an odd one. Makes conversations feel awkward, and has an overall budget feel.
I look at the Tales Of games because those have a TON of conversation and usually the MC speaks. He didn't in Xilia 2 and it was just... ugh. Nearly the same games, and the one with the silent protagonist, the mc was far far far more forgetable.
Also, it REALLY blows in Astral Chain. I chose the lady and I wanted her to be a cool character and she just isn't a character. Wish I chose the dude so she could have been a character. Oh well.
Depends on the game but I'm usually for it. I actually wish there were *less* fully voice-acted lines in Three Houses, for example - I liked the characteristic sounds and exclamations in previous games because that is often all of the delivery I actually listen to because I read so much faster than that!
Non voiced protagonist with text dialogues like Fallout 3/New Vegas is great. Non voiced protagonist who occasionally has text dialogues but other wise regularly emotes and reacts like FFXIV is great.
Non voiced protagonist who doesn't have any dialogue at all and just stands there with a blank stare is shit and not immersive at all. I can't pretend to be them because if I was them I wouldn't be standing silent without saying anything. Hybrid protagonists who stay silent most of the time with no dialogue at all despite having a voice actor are the worst of all, examples being MGSV and Metro games. Remember that 5-10 minute "conversation" with Skull face where he just keeps talking and Snake doesn't even open his mouth? Or how Artyom doesn't say a thing to his wife while she's screaming on radio asking if he's alive, or say anything to her while they are hanging out together. Yet they both have a voice actor.
The following are 6 images from one whole event in Metro. This is not immersive in the slightest because if I was him I'd respond:
Non voiced protagonist who doesn't have any dialogue at all and just stands there with a blank stare is shit and not immersive at all. I can't pretend to be them because if I was them I wouldn't be standing silent without saying anything. Hybrid protagonists who stay silent most of the time with no dialogue at all despite having a voice actor are the worst of all, examples being MGSV and Metro games. Remember that 5-10 minute "conversation" with Skull face where he just keeps talking and Snake doesn't even open his mouth? Or how Artyom doesn't say a thing to his wife while she's screaming on radio asking if he's alive, or say anything to her while they are hanging out together. Yet they both have a voice actor.
The following are 6 images from one whole event in Metro. This is not immersive in the slightest because if I was him I'd respond:
Me
I like it, and I would easily take a silent protagonist over an annoying protagonist any day
I like it. I find it's no more immersion breaking than having a voiced character who is clearly "other." You're confusing personal preference with objective quality.