Summary

• Silent protagonists can detract from the overall experience, especially in story-heavy games where dialogue and interaction are crucial.
• Some iconic video game characters, like Claude Speed from Grand Theft Auto 3, could have benefited from having a voice or more personality.
• While silent protagonists can work in certain genres, like horror games, it can be immersion-breaking when they don't speak in situations where communication could be helpful.

The silent protagonist is one of the most prominent and widespread tropes in the video game industry. The muted playable character has come in many distinct shapes and forms from the earlier era of Mari✃o and Link to the more recent incarnations seen in Doom: Eternal.

Yet, for every video game where the silent hero suits the narrative, there are just as many instances where it doesn't fit. Whether it be because a silent ✅protagonist doesn't make sense in a story-heavy game or the overall writin🐓g simply doesn't justify it, sometimes the strong silent type isn't the right play.

10 🥃 The Junior Deputy ♎

Far Cry 5

Ubisoft's Fa♛r Cry games are known for many things. One thing it🍨 hasn't usually been associated with is memorable protagonists. While Far Cry 3's Jason Brody remains an outstanding exception, the other entries have somewhat slagged in that regard.

168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Far Cry 5 decided to incorporate character creation for the first time in the seri🐓es. While this makes the game feel more personalized, given the heavy emphasis on story and interaction with the captivating villain, The Father, having a silent protagonist wasn't the right direction.

9 🧜 Claude Speed

Grand Theft Auto 3

The Grand Theft Auto series is brimming with eccentric and controversial personalities, many of whom serve as your vessel to explore the rich cities Rockstar has constructed. But not all of the GTA's protagonists are cut from a sim♛ilar cloth.

168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Grand Theft Auto 3's main character is Claude Speed, and unlike every other Rockstar🃏 protagonist, h🌠e never speaks. Although GTA 3's exceptionally flexible gameplay sandbox takes center stage, in retrospect, it's hard not to wish that Claude had even an ounce of the series' trademark charm.

8 🐻 Gary "Roach" Sanderson

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Despite Call of Duty's modern reputation as a soulless corporatized franchise, the series features many recognizable characters. Alex Mason, Captain Price, and Frank Woods are just some of the series' most iconic figures. Unf꧅ortunately, for as many great characters as they are, they are some stinkers.

It wouldn't be fair to label 2009's 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Modern Warfare 2's co-protagonist Gary "Roach" Sanderson as a st🌄inker; he certainly doesn't showcase much𒀰 identity. In a game with several charismatic and beloved characters, Roach stands out as especially vanilla.

7 Miles Upshu📖r

Outlast

It's easy to forget how huge 2013's Outlast was. Full of disturbing visuals 🍃and a myriad of jump s🦂cares, Outlast certainly left its mark on the horror gaming landscape. But for all its strengths, it does have some weaknesses.

One major weakness is Miles Upshur, who goes through this horrifying ordeal without uttering a single word. A silent protagonist in a horro🐷꧑r game isn't inherently negative. But when it's evident that Miles could potentially resolve situations by just speaking, it's hard not to be taken out of the experience.

6 🐲 The Warden-Commander

Dragon Age: Origins

When 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Mass Effect was released, it completely changed the gaming terrain. Mass Effect's protagonist, Commander Shepard, played a substanti🌠al role in the series' rise to gaming royalty. Between the radical dialogue system and marvelous voice work, Bioware designed an awesome pr꧃otagonist.

2009's 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dragon A🌜g꧒e: Origins was another incredible game by Bioware, but unlike Mass Effect, the protagonist is without a voice. Bioware didn't take the same direction with Origin's central hero as with Commander Shepard, and Dragon Age: Origins' Warden-Commandeꦡr feels 🔜less remarkable.

5 Gordon Freꦿeman ﷽

Half-Life Series

168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Half-Life 1 and its 2004 sequel are often regarded as two of the 168💖澳洲幸运5开奖网:great🅺est video games ever released on PC. Both games are masterpieces in engrossing gameplay, world-building, and level d🍎esigꦯn. However, there is one significant difference between the main Half-Life titles.

Half-Life's hero of the hour is Gordon Freeman, a scientist with a significantly higher kill count than word count. In Half-Life 1, Freeman's silent nature w🍎asn't a huge problem, but with Half-Life 2's increased focus on character interaction, Freeman's tight-lipped disposition just feels too odd.

4 Corvo Attano 𝓀 ♑

Dishonored

It's hard for a weak main character to impact a great game. If the gameplay is satisfying, the graphics are striking, and the writing is above par, it's easy to accept a poorly written or bland protagonist. 2012's 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dishonored is one such great gamꩵe that could've ღbeen even better with a voiced main character.

C൲orvo Attano's silent nature is never properly justified. So not only is it hard to care about him, but Corvo does plenty of terrible things throughout the story. Without a voice or personality to latch onto, Crovo comes across as an awful person without much agency.

3 Artyom

Metro Series

4A Studio's game adaptation of Dmitry Glukhovsky's Metro novels might be one of♒ the most underrated game series in recent decades. The first-person action-horror hybrid expertly brings Glukhovsky's work to visual lif๊e through captivating gameplay and outstanding writing.

However, unlike the books, Metro's main character, Artyom, is mostly mute. He does talk during loading screens but never says a word outside of that. While it doesn't ultimately detract from the experience, in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Metro Exodus in particular, Artyom's lack of dialogue can be a bit immer🐲sion-breaking.

2 😼 Issac Clarke 🏅

Dead Space

168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The 2023 remake of the first 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dead Space was a massive critical and commercial success. The remake not only updates a classic title for a new gener🅘ation of hardware but, in some ways, improves upon the original.

One of those improvements is that protagonist Issac Clarke speaks throughout. While Clarke would subsequently be voiced in Dead Space 2 and 3, in the 2008 sci-fi horror maste✅rpiece, he's weirdly silent even in situations where he should really be talking, if not screaming, at the very least.

1 💛 🌃 The Playable Vault Hunters

Borderlands 2

168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Borderlands 2 is easily one of the best first-person shooters of the 2010s. From its adrenaline-pumping gunplay, endless loot system, amazing writing, and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:one-of-a-kind villain, there are a few thing🐲s that ဣGearbox's magnum opus title doesn't excel in.

As charming, captivating, and well-written as the main narrative is, the fact that you, aka "The Vault Hunter," never exchange a dialogue with another character is disappointing. Sure, you're selected Va🍌ult Hunter will occasionally shout out something in combat, but given how superbly written the story is overall, you almost wish for more.