Summary
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis a bold direction for the longstanding franchise, replacing Link with Zelda as the main protagonist and introducing a new concept of gameplay the series has never seen. For the most part,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomis unlike any game before it, and that includes one of the franchise’s most defining characteristics.
Throughout theLegend of Zeldaseries,Link has been a silent protagonist. That tradition continues inZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, despite Link not taking the lead. However, like one of its predecessors,Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomexplains Link’s silence, and its decision to do so could set a precedent for the series.
The Legend of Zelda Series Could Begin Regularly Explaining Link’s Silence
Link Has Been a Silent Protagonist Throughout the Legend of Zelda Series
Link is one of gaming’s most famous silent protagonists and has remained silent inevery Nintendo-madeZeldagame. This decision began with the release of the firstLegend of Zeldagame in 1987 when Nintendo was more interested in developing engaging gameplay than writing dialogue. When the Nintendo 64 introducedZelda: Ocarina of Time, although the hardware allowed for it, Nintendo doubled down on its original decision and kept Link silent — even though he was given a series of grunts and shouts.
After the release ofZelda: Ocarina of Time, Nintendo made it clear that Link has remained silent in order to allow players to relate as closely as possible to Link. According to producer Eiji Aonuma, “We wanted the player to be able to relate to Link and to play as themselves,” suggesting a voiced protagonist wouldn’t allow that. From that point on, Link remained a silent protagonist, although the reasoning behind his silence went from being a simple game design choice to a significant part ofZelda’s lore in 2017’sBreath of the Wild.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild Explained Link’s Silence and Echoes of Wisdom Followed Suit
For the first time in aLegend of Zeldagame, players were introduced to a lore reason behind whyLink doesn’t speak inZelda: Breath of the Wild. When interacting with Zelda’s diary in the game, players can read, “Bit by bit, I’ve gotten Link to open up to me. When I finally got around to asking why he’s so quiet all the time, I could tell it was difficult for him to say. With so much at stake and so many eyes upon him, he feels it necessary to stay strong and to silently bear any burden — a feeling I know all too well.” So, Link’s silence is simply a heroic decision he made to avoid burdening others.
InZelda: Echoes of Wisdom, players can learn aboutwhy its version of Link doesn’t speaksimilarly. By reading the journal in Lueburry’s house, players learn that Link lost his voice after being “stolen away” by a rift because “all of the kids who were taken by rifts have lost something,” and for Link, it was his voice. This is a stark contrast fromBreath of the Wild’s reasoning behind Link’s silence (and an arguably more believable reason at that), and it suggests something for the series' future that would expound on Link’s character throughout each iteration of theLegend of Zelda.
Each New Installment in The Legend of Zelda Could Provide a Different Reason for Link’s Silence
WithZelda: Breath of the Wildand nowEchoes of Wisdomboth providing a different reason for Link’s persistent silence, future installments would be remiss not to introduce a new explanation for it. Since the big reveal inBreath of the Wild, it has become a popular topic, and just when fans thought they knew the only reason for Link’s silence,Echoes of Wisdomintroduced something new. If subsequent installments were to give a different reason for it, it would make each one all the more exciting.
