If you want Link to be given a voice in The Legend of Zelda, you’re probably not the only one. According to series producer Eiji Aonuma, a lot of fans want that to become a reality. Aonuma, however, isn’t entirely set on the idea because he thinks Link’s silent nature is an integral part of what makes him unique. Here’s what Aonuma had to say on the matter:
“We’ve had a lot of requests from fans to hear [Link’s] voice, and while in some ways I do feel that it could be good to have a game where he speaks, part of me also feels that that air of proud independence he has because he doesn’t speak is a precious part of the individuality of his character. I want to think long and hard about whether changing that would be for the better or not before I make any decision.”
I don’t need Link to speak; but his supporting characters, it’s time for them. Text is great, keep that in, if people want that option too, but give Zelda, Ganon, etc. voices. Link can stay mute, it works. But Zelda having voice acting will make the series seem even more cinematic.
I like the fact that Aonuma is even considering giving Link a voice. However, at this point I say no, he hasn’t had a voice up until now, and his silence is part of what makes his character so unique. Now at the same time, just because Link doesn’t speak, doesn’t mean the rest of the game can’t be voiced acted. I would love to have a Zelda game with voice acting… I could only imagine the type of voices some crazy Zelda characters could have…
See but each game is different link. So they could make a version of link that dues talk. I think a active narrative driven game would be awesome. It’s just a matter of a good voice that fits that link.
He hasn’t had a voice, but we have seen him speak. In Wind Waker he does say “come on!” Same thing in Spirit tracks when he calls Zelda to him. Or in Skyward Sword, there are several cutscenes where you can see links mouth moving as if he is talking with an NPC as it fades to black. Link does talk in the games, and technically you hear his voice when he shouts and swings his sword, but like my point is that he does have a voice, and isn’t silent, it’s just that the developers have kept him silent to keep him “Unique.” I think that more to the point, they don’t want to mess it up with bad voice actors. You could say the same about Mario being unique because he is silent. I think, what they really mean is they want link to be the avatar for you, and want you to act like you are answering for link, therefore your voice is links voice and makes the experience more personal.
Nintendo PLEASE DO NOT use the voice actor who spoke for Samus Aran…I will seriously be SO offended!
To voice Zelda…I mean…😡
Don’t you fucking dare Aonuma. I will hunt you down if you cripple the Zelda franchise. Would Miyamoto ever give the okay to his baby? NO Zelda is his, only he gets to make an insane change like that, the people who want Link to talk are idiots or not fans to begin with.
Let an artist make art
The people who want Link to talk are the worst kind of fucking “muggle” in this planet, no imagination and no capacity to tolerate anything that differs from their gray reality, the retards who love their shitty narrative-driven “games” that feel more like movies with the constant cut scenes and dialogue everywhere.
What the fuck do you people know about art? When all you want is hollywood movies in your consoles, when all you want is lazy exposition and talking because otherwise your world collapses.
Fuck RIGHT off.
[[[If you dislike Xbox and Xbots then you have my respect]]]
is it weird that I read your comments in Darth Vader’s voice? o_0
-||No, but my voice is darker and more cybernetic||-
I wonder how many people thought that same thing when Retro Studios worked on Metroid Prime?
And as we all know, Samus talks a shit ton in Metroid Prime.
[[[Nobody made a petition for her to speak]]]
Seriously? Have we learned nothing from Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon?
Gee, it sure is boring around here.
Mah Boy!!! I’m so hungry, I can eat an Octorock!!!
Or Other M. I’m sure we all remember what happened when Samus was given a voice.
the fault there was in the way she was directed though. if she had good dialoge and a good director it could have been great
That’s what I’m afraid will happen with this though. It’s not just a matter of giving Link a voice. What he actually says and how he says it can shape his entire character and, as a result, the entire game.
And Other M.
Before you consider Aonuma, take a look at the Zelda cd-i games and hear Link’s voice. And everyone else’s.
Yes! He should use that as an example of not how to do voice acting when he’s casting roles. I would be okay with Link talking, just keep it to a minimum for him. In all of his games, he doesn’t seem like a very talkative person.
NAAAAAAAAH! just leave him mute, the rest of the cast could speak tho, like Mario Sunshine.. maybe just maybe he should speak IF* you guys have a great ass Zelda movie in the works…
Speaking of Mario, I’ve always wondered why Nintendo didn’t make Mario speak more in his games? He’s always a mute during cutscenes. That never made sense. We all know what Mario’s voice sounds like. So why do they hold back?
I think it’s just Nintendo being Nintendo, not to mention mario is not really a story driven game, so him speaking doesn’t really add or take away from the game
[[[Who are these imbeciles? They must be cleansed]]]
Actually link need to stay quiet. but everyone else needs a voice. the silent fucking dialogue thing need to change. It can work. Anyone who says otherwise is a dumb bitch who is stuck in the Nostalgia age.
https://youtu.be/MDUy60aPYFU
-||All Nintendites that wants Link to talk should be destroyed||-
Right. But everyone else needs voice acting. Did you watch the video with Ghirahim that included voice acting. Hell it almost reminded me if you.
-||It suits him but it still needs to be modified a bit to sound more demonized instead of just human||-
Yeah just a little bit. But overall you have to fucking admit. That it fits right?
-||It’s not that bad, certainly not as bad as Samus in Other M, but it needs more polish||-
Good. As long as have your approval then no one else’s opinion fucking matters. I needs touch of NINTENDO professionalism. Like the kid icarus voice acting. Holy hell lol. That Damn hades.
-||Yes, Kid Icarus is the best example, I am actually friends with Hades||-
Oh please! Hades would never be friends with a retard such as yourself. He’s far better and funnier than you.
-||I think I know who I’m friends with or not||-
That’s what hades want you to think. He just manipulating your sorry ass. He’ll throw you right into the battlefield and not have a second thought about it.
-||You humans maybe are useless next to him, we the Ing are equal to their “magic”||-
Magic? No please don’t refer a god’s power to fucking “magic”. You Robo bitches would get crushed in one blow by the great Lady Palutena and her peers.
Ugh you get on my last fucking nerves.
YOU. Are you getting the last smash dlc btw?
-||Well I haven’t purchased any DLC in any game yet but maybe one day, DLC doesn’t interest me much when I don’t play often||-
-||But I will probably get Bayonetta and Mewtwo one day||-
You should definitely get them both. So far I have them all. I play often so that’s my fucking excuse. Smash is the only reason u haven’t completed Xenoblade x yet. It’s so fucking addicting.
-||Yes, someday||-
Never! When voice acting comes to Zelda, villains will get the Super Mario Sunshine Bowser treatment where he has a very human, cheesy sounding voice!
Seriously, though. I can sadly see Nintendo’s American Sect doing just that. :/ Better ask Nintendo to do Zelda like Koei Tecmo does the Dynasty/Samurai Warriors franchises: don’t get American dubs & just release the game in the West with the Japanese dub in tact with English subs.
-||Well I don’t want voice acting either but in case they do it anyway, I sure want it to be the best possible||-
-||Still though, it’s an abomination in the Zelda franchise||-
Otherwise, be ready to have your ears bleed if you ever come across an American dubbing of a future Zelda game with full on voice acting.
-||Well I don’t have ears but my sensors are already being distorted because of creatures like this Donald Trump||-
Ugh! Do not mention that guy’s name! But I will give him props for giving the middle finger to Fox News! Now if only he would talk as smart as that action was smart!
-||Creatures like that are beyond salvation and unable to evolve||-
-||Like the Nazi Humans running wild in my territory from time to time||-
A shame, too, because Donald Trump would be much more entertaining if he wasn’t so… ugh! I can’t even think of a word.
-||Its hair is amusing enough, it has a lot of resources and still can’t manage to create something decent enough out of that hairapocalypse||-
I’ve always wished Link would speak. He always seemed a bit dumb due to his silence. But it would probably be some stereotypical British accent even if he did speak. So it might be better if he stays a mute. Or, at least give him text stotylines. To my knowledge, Link never even speaks in text form. And that IS dumb.
storylines*
Please no.
Link talks and the asinine herd praddle that he doesn’t needs to go away. Do people honestly think people who don’t know Link read his mind to learn his name? Did no one pay attention when Malon or Romani asked Link his name? Was everyone’s TV turned down when Link verbally yelled “Come On!” in Wind Waker? Did no one play Skyward Sword when you could actually be a snarky as fuck Link?! There were full sentences people could chose to have Link say and you could woo or break the heart of the check out girl if you so desired or give his friend work out suggestions. Honestly he doesn’t need much more. It’s not like the LoZ games are visual novels, built on the back bone of their unique stories that whiel game play takes a second or third thought.
I don’t care if Link talks, but I think it’s time to have the supporting cast talk.
I’m actually annoyed about ALL of Nintendo’s characters that don’t talk. Like the Subspace Emissary mode in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. That annoyed me SO bad because of none of the characters talking. Heck, even the ones that DO have voices just acted like mutes in that game. That never made sense to me.
My prediction has been, for some time now, that the new Zelda game will be the first with full voice acting for the main characters. Aonuma displayed interest in making it more cinematic after Hyrule Warriors came out, and people said they liked the cutscenes.
I don’t think Link will talk though. And I hope he never does. He’s been silent for so long, it’d be hard to pick the right voice to fit him. Especially a voice that would please most fans. And like he said, it’s part of his character.
Anyway, now I’m hyped again for Zelda U lol.
I really want voice acting in the next game, with the new open world gameplay is a must (IMO) but yes, I like my Link mute ;)
See, even Aonuma, doesn’t want to remember the Cd-i ‘Zelda’ Games
please no
this will not be link anymore
NO NO NO NO NO NO. NO ONE should speak. Voice acting has nothing to do with “getting with the times”. It’s a creative choice and a very very wise one. Link or Zelda or Ganon are not American. Sounding like Americans (Japanese, English or whatever) tears the Zelda world out of its unique universe and throws it right down to regular earth. The Zelda world combines the cinematic visuals of a film with the “up to your own imagination” feel of a book. So many of these characters are loved because they shut the hell up and we are able (in the quietness) to make up our own nuances to their personalities.
I will be incredibly disappointed if they ever change such a distinct feature of the Zelda franchise. That moment in Skyward Sword where Zelda says “I am still your Zelda” or when Midna says “Link I… See you later” or the final speech from the King in Wind Waker… just picture an actress/ actor putting on a sappy performance and saying these words out loud.
People say “but if done well”– stop. It won’t. Staying silent is part of the characters’ voice.
So again: NO NO NO NO NO NO. I know this just a personal opinion and things are subjective but I could not disagree more.
You are absolutely right! I have the same opinion as you. I think that a huge part of the magic of these games is, as you say, everyone can imagine a different and unique voice for each character, I think most of today’s gamers don’t have much imagination and that’s why they demand more voice acting in their games (not saying that’s the case with this Zelda game).
Imagining the voices of each character is, for me, one of the best things of these games, and no, I don’t think that voice acting should be “the next step” just because everyone else is doing it and stuff like that, I think that people that feel annoyed by “mute” characters haven’t realized that, in essence, THEY are the character!!
Of course, it works different for every game, and yes, there are some in which voice acting is a great deal for it, not only because it’s good but because it helps the game. But yeah, I think that it won’ be made right if they do it, there’s no way they’ll satisfy everyone in the fan base of Zelda and every character in the franchise should stay silent.
I think text dialogue is more than fine!!
[[[It’s not an opinion, it’s a fact]]]
[[[–Our logic is undeniable–]]]
There could be an option to mute the voice acting. The world doesn’t revolve you and I know for sure this series doesn’t either. Like I said before. Voice acting can work. Its people like you who ignore that fact that there’s good voice acting going on and highlighting irrelevant shit. Talking about this will ruin the perfect little universe that zelda already has. If language is the fucking argument here. Then simply take out all the hey listen bullshit, hey over here!, and the fucking dialogue aswell. Hell if you like the zelda language that sooooo fucking bad. We might aswell take out the English dialogue and replace it with fucking hylian dialogue.
https://youtu.be/_xE4IPVIQNI
This didn’t ruin shit. Honestly speaking it has actually made the game more magical.
Great voice acting in this video! I can see this becoming the norm, I could live with this!
That’s my favorite thing about Link! He only grunts. Hahahaha. I hope he doesn’t speak at least for the next game.
I think Link can stay mute. That’s perfectly fine, we’re use to it. But everyone else should be voice acted.
I say do it. I’ve had 29 years plus with this grunting and the stupid princess noises.
Do something g different Nintendo. Here is a great example.
Give link a voice
Second. Let’s the princess die.
Put in a great story great narrative might just attract more gamers. The ARKHAM games are a fantastic example of great voice acting
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Anyone who says Link should have a stronger-talking role is not a true Zelda fan. Go away, scrubs.
“Go away, [Deku] scrubs.”
Sorry, but that seems better.
No we don’t.
We should get Danny DeVito to voice Link!
Can Link speak and use physical action in the same way Mad Max used little verbiage and action in Mad Max: Fury Road? If the character finds a balance between action speaking louder than words, and some talking maybe fans can find a middle ground.
No if they want voices give the other characters voices and just make link like do what he usually does if he had a voice it would ruin his scilent protagonist if they did add voices it would moslikly be like xenoblade x where the other characters talk but link would just sit their and nod his head.
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A full voice-acted Zelda would be phenomenal and really give it a more realistic feel to it. It’s sort of implied that he does speak since the NPC’s seem to respond to him. They can always just say “oh, that was a side-game” if it doesn’t work out.
Everyone BUT Link should have a voice, in my opinion. We experience the story through Link, but the characters other than him should have a voice to have them stand out more (not that a lot of Zelda characters don’t already stand out!) and flesh out the world the player is immersed in a bit more.
I would make a joke about Link talking in those god awful CDI games, but I think the internet has already been doing that for me since 2008 XD
It’s funny so many are quick to use things that Nintendo themselves had nothing to do with the development of to say how Link talking would be a bad thing. CD-i Zelda & the Zelda cartoons weren’t even looked over from Nintendo so of course the voice acting was going to be total shit because those people didn’t know anything about Zelda from the little pieces the first 2 games had.
As for the Other M voice acting of Samus, that one is just as obvious: Nintendo could give two shits about giving us an accurate Metroid game with an accurate Samus. Federation Force is a clear example that Nintendo doesn’t give a damn.
Legend of Zelda is highly guarded & protected by Nintendo. You could go so far as to say they care more about Zelda than they even do their poster boy Mario. Just look at how badly Paper Mario Sticker Star bombed not to mention 4 New Mario games where most of the music & gameplay remained unchanged. If they ever give Link a voice, I highly doubt they would take casting a voice actor for granted. Besides, most Links tend to be completely different people. It won’t kill the franchise to try it at least once with one reincarnation of Link. If no one likes the voice, just don’t do it again. Hyrule Warriors would have actually been the perfect opportunity to try a voice for Link out since he wasn’t meant to be an avatar for us to control in that game since we could control other characters besides Link.
That aside, I’m fine either way. If not Link, at least give voices to the rest of the cast. I trust whatever you decide, Aonuma. You haven’t let me down yet.
I am perfectly content w/ TLoZ’s quirky interjections…for ALL of its characters, past, present, & future. (Same goes for DK Country, Banjo-Kazooie/Yooka-Laylee, etc.)
No matter how gritty or cinematic a Zelda game might be, the franchise has always exuded charm. That is partly due to the use of interjections rather than normal speech (of course the visuals, score, & other sound effects play a larger role here). While the interjections are likely vestigial, holdovers from an era of technical “limitations”, that makes them all the more quirky, & thus reinforces their importance.
Regardless, Link should always remain mute, save for his interjections. But should the other characters be fully voiced, then their charm will also diminish, along w/ tge entire game.
& the cinematic approach in TLoZ should never stray too far from being a framing device (that goes for gaming in general, obviously). If anyone @ Nintendo wants to focus on a deeper story for Zelda, I hope they take advantage of the movie medium rather than bastardize gaming (there are a few exceptions, RPGs & interactive novels being 2 of them). But an Adventure video game’s plot should be more about ’emergent gameplay’ or player experience, not narrative, especially w/ in the Open World genre.
please don’t make link speak, I do people already make the point that link being silence is way better. Also Myamoto-san explained that link represent the player hence the name and the silence. furthermore it will add a cost to the game with no guarantee of increase sell.
Personally I don’t want ridiculous US voice over à la Xenoblade chronicle X or Naruto (sorry guy no means to offense but I hate US voice over like some of you dislike/feel weird about British or any other accent outside US).
Wait. XCX got cheesy American voice overs similar to Naruto’s American dubbing!? So no British voice overs again!? :/ Now I really wish Wii U was region lock free. Whenever the next Nintendo console becomes region lock free, I hope I can access the European Nintendo eShop. But knowing those tyrannical Evil Overlords at Nintendo’s American Sect, they’ll try to find some way to screw us Americans out of our freedom.
-||The only one that sounds good is the female leader and I like the villain because of its purpose||-
-||The rest are almost typical Hollywood dialects||-
Great. Another reason to take my time getting XCX. Why oh why didn’t I just import a Wii U from the UK instead of buying a refurbished American Wii U? Since I might have to rebuy all of my digital games & restart on all of my games because I’m becoming increasingly worried Nintendo Account won’t be the cloud service, universal account system I’m hoping for, I probably would have been better off getting a UK Wii U console to replace my American one.
-||Isn’t there just one version of english in this game? Because if there is a british voice version then why would Scandinavia get the American one?||-
But then Link does talk…
“OH MY GOD! SHUT UP, NAVI!” or even better, people would have preferences on who should have been the voice of Link. Most likely a Japanese VA since that’s what all the kids are talking about these days.