How Silent Protagonists Hinder Great Video Games

Silent protagonists can still work well in video games, however, they just don't work well in Persona 5 and Fire Emblem Three Houses.

[Cernunnos]

While both games were fantastic, I do agree that they would've been even better if there was a strong and well written protagonist instead of the generic silent one.

[leoms]

Yeah I think the same of Link.

[drizzom]

I get what your saying but by having a defined personality would risk some people not liking the type of character. Sometimes that makes or breaks the game for some people and devs wouldn't want to risk it. Im not saying I agree with it. Hell one of my favorite characters are Haseo from .hack//G.U. and hes not a silent protag. I like his personality and think hes pretty cool but others don't. Thats why some devs avoid it.

[Outlawzz]

I wish the silent protagonist tradition would go away. It deprives games of their identity by implying the person behind the remote should be putting themselves in the characters shoes. Sometimes I feel companies use it as a way to cut costs lol

[SterlingSilver]

I much more identify with characters who have their own personality. Having a blank slate character is pretty much the death of character development as well.

[Abcdefeg]

I like it, is immersive

[mezati99]

"immersive"

NPC: YOU NEED TO SAVE THE KINGDOM
silent protagonist: 😑

NPC: OUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON YOU
silent protagonist: 😑

NPC: I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU
silent protagonist: 😑

LITERALLY ANY EMOTIONAL SCENE
silent protagonist: 😑

so immersive..

[CDbiggen]

😆 Exactly this. Just been playing through Fire Emblem on Switch and it is basically that the whole game. It just revolves around how amazing and important this blank slate is.

[SterlingSilver]

This is exactly what I mean lol

[rainslacker]

The Ys games have had a silent protagonist since their inception, and they have great stories and are considered really good games.

It's not the protagonist being silent that hinders the game, or story, it's the story itself. The story in a silent protagonist presentation is assumed to want to do the right thing, and that's what the player is assumed to want to do.

What's it really matter if they talk or not? You're going to go do what the NPC tells you to do anyways, and if the protagonist talks, then they're basically dictating to you how you should feel, instead of making you feel that way on your own.

[Fist4achin]

I think it depends on how it is written and how planned out the interactions are played out with the other characters.

[mezati99]

silent protagonists ruin EVERYTHING

god i can't wait until this stupid ass tradition dies off

[King_Noctis]

I strongly agree with you. The latest one that I have problem with is Astral Chain, which had silent protagonist as well, and it felt really disconnected to the storyline.

[CDbiggen]

Yep totally with you when it comes to Astral Chain. I found it odd for a platinum game to have that kind of protagonist as well.

[atomaweapon]

i absolutely LOATHE silent protags. I hated it in Chrono trigger eons ago and still hate it now.

[leoms]

No trolling here but if you hate silent protags do you still play the game as one?

[gangsta_red]

I seriously agree with this and I have no idea of why this is even a thing. It was extremely annoying in that latest Dragon Quest game where people would ask the protagonist long a deep questions and all you would see is a nod and hear a grunt.

It made zero sense and it always took me out the game because I thought to myself "why this is acceptable? Every other character is voiced but the main character"

Also with every other character talking, making plans, telling you what to do, where to go, and essentially revealing the plot, it makes the protagonist aka the hero, look inept and stupid.

[SterlingSilver]

THANK YOU

[Tross]

While it is an antiquated trope I know why game companies still use it. The player is supposed to both insert his or herself into the role of the protagonist, and imagine the protagonist is responding when other characters speak to him/her. I’m...more or less indifferent towards this trope. It doesn’t make sense from a realism standpoint but it has yet to truly kill my immersion in a game. I’m indifferent both to its continued existence and the notion of it dying off.

[ThunderGod_Cid]

Been saying this for years

[NukeDaHippies]

Silent protagonists are fine, and don't NEED to go away. The video games that "work well" (for you), probably don't do anything groundbreaking to make it more justifiable.

And Persona does it well, don't kid yourself.

[Lilrizky]

Yeah depends on the game. Spmetimes when the writing is bad having a silent protagonist mitigates the damage lol

[Fritzwochel]

Sssh.. Only extraverts complain about such ;)