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| 3 | %% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks! |
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| 7 | %%Image chosen per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1599610312029946400 |
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| 11 | [[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/ForLackOfABetterComic https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/linknod.png]]]] |
| 12 | [[caption-width-right:350: [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Link]] is more of the strong, silent type.]] |
| 13 | ->''"... ..."'' |
| 14 | -->-- '''[[PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo Red]]''', ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' (and every game he's an NPC in thereafter) |
| 15 | |
| 16 | All too often in video games, it seems like designers feel that the best way to get players to relate to the main character is to have said character have absolutely ''no'' dialogue at all. Even though you can't say a word, it seems like every NPC around you instantly understands what you need like you're {{Franchise/Lassie}} or something. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | Heroic Mime is a video game-specific variant of TheVoiceless or TheSpeechless. In many [=RPGs=], the main hero doesn't seem to talk (VisibleSilence might be used). The official explanation for this is that the main character ''is'' the player, and dialogue would either interfere with the player's train of thought or knock them out of the viewpoint of that character (compare the FeaturelessProtagonist). An aversion of this would be to allow the player to actually talk to the characters through a microphone or the AI be able to comprehend any text entered, but this is beyond current technology, except in online games where you're talking to other players instead of [=AIs=] — or through the limited means of a DialogueTree. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | Some characters might be like this when under the player's control, but perfectly normal and talking characters as {{Non Player Character}}s, or even just when they aren't the leader of the group. And some characters '''do''' talk when the player chooses how to answer a question. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Nevertheless, this often results in the fandom discussing [[{{Fanon}} whether or not]] a character is mute. Most of the time when somebody makes a {{Novelization}} or a WebcomicOfTheGame, odds are that it'll have the character speak in Visible Silence and be treated as TheSilentBob. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | This trope can get very frustrating when the character has, for example, undergone a {{Forced|Transformation}} or EmergencyTransformation, and has allies who weren't there to see it. It's also hard to grow too fond of a Heroic Mime since they don't show thoughts or feelings that can't be expressed with grunts, sighs, and body language. This is one thing when they're fighting all alone, without so much as an ExpositionFairy or a VoiceWithAnInternetConnection to listen to, but when there are other characters around it's a different story. Even TheStoic says ''something''. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | One common variation of this is to suggest that the main character actually does speak, we just can't hear them or see their text boxes. [[SilentBob However, the other characters in the game can, and we can sometimes infer what was said from their reactions]]. It helps that such characters, when presented dialogue choices, the choices are full, comprehensible dialogue lines instead of simply "Yes" or "No" answers. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | Another common variation used to compromise between immersion and characterization is to allow the player character to speak, but only during non-interactive cutscenes. |
| 29 | |
| 30 | Another variation of this trope can be when this get [[HandWave Hand-Waved and Justified]] if the player character turns out to be ''actually'' [[HandicappedBadass mute]]. As in, they canonically have a condition or disability that makes them incapable of speech. That way, there’s an actual, logical in-universe reason for why they never talk, because they were never able to speak to begin with. And if the writers want to give the protagonist some characterization, it can be via sign language (with subtitles), thought bubbles, TalkingWithSigns, specific BodyLanguage cues, and so on. |
| 31 | |
| 32 | How well you take this trope can often depend on how you approach video games in general. If you like to imagine you "are" the character, as the developers seem to expect, it could arguably increase immersion. On the other hand, many players prefer to imagine themselves in a role similar to that of a movie director; controlling the action without being a part of it. To them, having a Heroic Mime is like being saddled with a boring, wooden actor in the lead role. |
| 33 | |
| 34 | In more plot-heavy games, they will often be paired with an ExpositionFairy who [[VoiceForTheVoiceless does the talking for them]]. Is not the [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant opposite]] of MonsterClown or EnemyMime. |
| 35 | |
| 36 | This trope occasionally crops up in other media, but it may be more difficult to pull off unless done comedically. |
| 37 | |
| 38 | They may or may not be an AudienceSurrogate. |
| 39 | |
| 40 | See SilentAntagonist, for when the villain is like this. Being a Heroic Mime does not necessarily preclude VoiceGrunting or SpeakingSimlish. This trope is often used in conjunction with an UnbrokenFirstPersonPerspective. |
| 41 | ---- |
| 42 | !!Examples: |
| 43 | |
| 44 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 45 | |
| 46 | [[folder:Action Adventure]] |
| 47 | * The protagonist of ''VideoGame/Alundra2'', Flint, is a mute and he only communicates by [[GoingThroughTheMotions hand gestures]]. |
| 48 | * In ''VideoGame/BillyHatcherAndTheGiantEgg'' Billy is completely speechless (if you exclude his occasional "ok!" and "good morning!"). |
| 49 | * Justified example in ''VideoGame/{{Blasphemous}}''. The protagonist has taken a vow of silence as part of his atonement. |
| 50 | * ''VideoGame/CaveStory'' and its silent robot protagonist, [[spoiler:Quote]]. There are several scenes where [[TheVoiceless he's implied to have spoken, but we weren't allowed to know what he said]]. |
| 51 | ** Inverted in the Platform/WiiWare port: [[spoiler:Curly Story gives Curly Brace several lines where Quote had none previously. Quote is still mostly mute (scenes involving him have Curly speak for him), except for one situation in the Plantation; performing a sidequest required to access the BonusLevelOfHell actually gives Quote a couple of lines.]] |
| 52 | * ''VideoGame/EccoTheDolphin'' uses his voice for just about everything: echolocation, defense, activating ancient technology, and initiating conversations. Of course, the player never hears his half of them beyond the original generic sonar cry. |
| 53 | * Downplayed in the PC adaption of ''Film/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'', Harry primarily uses his vocal cords for spell incantations. You can count the amount of times he participates in conversation with your hands. |
| 54 | * The protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Headlander}}''. Why is explained in the opening cutscene: The player is living head kept alive in a high-tech helmet, and as the VoiceWithAnInternetConnection says, you can't talk without lungs. |
| 55 | * ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': Link never says anything, apart from the player's Yes/No choices, but [[TheSilentBob other characters sometimes react as if he does]]. In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'', for instance, he tells Mayor Bo about the problem with the Gorons and what Renado had said just by ''nodding''. This implies that his dialogue is possibly meant to be imagined by the player, which makes sense seeing how his muteness was intended to allow players to project their personalities onto him. In later games, he often has an ExpositionFairy that speaks in his stead during cutscenes, asking questions and so on. |
| 56 | ** ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'' has three occasions where Link is shown speaking. Link specifically says "I found a mirror under the table," in the town of Saria, "Looks like I can get in the fireplace," when entering a chimney, and "Kasuto. Strange... It is deserted," when reading the signpost at Old Kasuto. And given the way a scene at the fountain in Nabooru is worded, Link is either talking to himself, the fountain is actually talking to Link, or Link is talking to the player: "Want to get some water?" |
| 57 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'' lampshades his silence ("Aren't you going to say anything?") but actually seems to have a fairly talkative Link, as indicated through RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear. In one key instance, Link even appears to be SuddenlySpeaking; [[spoiler:when he reads the relief that reveals the true nature of Koholint Island, his response is "...What? Illusion?"]] |
| 58 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleOfAges'': Link [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOFJBnNCK3w botches a joke]], although we never actually ''see'' the joke he apparently told. |
| 59 | ** This became amusing when Link appeared in ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur II''. Ivy can taunt him with "You're all talk!" ...when he hasn't even said a word. |
| 60 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': Generally, the game's Link seems to be the most "talkative" one, even disregarding his "Come on!" vocalizations, since much of the game's dialogue, as well as that of direct sequel ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'', works by characters asking questions and the player picking an answer for Link from two choices. The choices are never just "Yes" or "No", but tell rather a lot about Link's true feelings regarding the topic. More than often, both answers would even actually mean pretty much the same, giving Link some actual dialogue, in theory. In fact, there's one point in ''Phantom Hourglass'' where you blow into the mic so that Link can shout through a brick wall to check if anyone is on the other side; it shows a dialogue balloon along the lines of "HEY! ANYONE OVER THERE?", so yeah, Toon Link can talk. He's just usually quiet. |
| 61 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'': There are a few cutscenes that show Link and another character chatting, but none of the words are texted or vocalized. However, Link's lips are shown moving during conversations and other characters respond as if he's speaking, including one who comments that his voice carries well. It's also lampshaded near the end when [[spoiler:Midna notes Link's silence at the restoration of her true form by saying "What? Say something! Am I so beautiful you've no words left?"]] |
| 62 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'': Link can be seen "speaking" (with mouth movements) during some cutscenes, but the game displays no text to show exactly what he is saying. Presumably, the developers intended that the player would understand the gist of what he was saying since you would have already seen what he was talking about. Miyamoto and Aonuma have actually stated that the reason the game didn't have voice acting was that they thought having voiced characters would clash with having a Heroic Mime. Occasionally, like in ''Wind Waker'', the player is also given dialogue options other than "Yes" and "No," and the character you're talking to will react accordingly. For example, the very first time Link encounters Groose during the events of the game, the dialogue options are "Give him back!", [[BadassBoast "Bring it on"]], and "Nice hair." |
| 63 | ** ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' features Link once again silent, although he's insinuated to be actually quite talkative if he wasn't so introverted. He instead converses to the rest of the cast through a proxy fairy named ... [[MeaningfulName Proxi]], who telepathically understands all of Link's thoughts and feelings. While Proxi also speaks for [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Young Link]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Toon Link]] has his sister Aryll do his talking. |
| 64 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'': Link remains silent despite the game introducing full voice acting for certain characters. This time, his silence is justified: the burden of being TheChosenOne and all the high expectations for him to succeed has led him to put on a stoic front and hide his emotions; Mipha, who knew him as a child, comments that "he hardly speaks anymore". His general silence is noted in Zelda's and Mipha's diaries, and Teba also brings up what he interprets as Link's nervous silence before the battle against Vah Medoh. However, the dialogue options do make a comeback from ''Skyward Sword'', and it seems that, no matter how heavy his burden is, Link ''will'' take advantage of snarking his way through everything. Sometimes Link can get forced choices with only one dialogue option to choose from, making the trope downplayed. |
| 65 | ** ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'' has ''two'' heroic mimes instead of one: not only does Link never speak, but neither does the diminutive guardian (unless its [=R2-speak=] counts). |
| 66 | ** To this day, the only Link in a game that had his talking restriction lifted was the one from the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames CD-i games]]. And once he started, he did ''not'' stop. |
| 67 | ** Note that this only applies to playable Links; he tends to talk more when you're not playing as him, as in the case of his [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds Lorulean]] counterpart [[spoiler: Ravio]] and [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess the Hero's Shade]], who is the deceased version of the Hero of Time from ''Ocarina of Time'' and ''Majora's Mask''. Gramps, the Streetpass NPC and SecretBoss in ''A Link Between Worlds'', is also subtly implied to be the Link from ''A Link to the Past'']]. |
| 68 | ** The majority of the manga adaptations, including the official manga written by Akira Himekawa, {{Avert|edTrope}} this and give Link a personality somewhat consistent with his in-game portrayal. The few exceptions instead portray him as something of a MascotWithAttitude, similar to his depiction in [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda1989 the cartoon]]. |
| 69 | * ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'': Samus has internal monologues in ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'', ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'', ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'', ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', and ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'', and speaks in ''Fusion'', ''Other M'', and ''Dread''. In the last one, [[spoiler:she speaks in ''Chozo'']]. However, she tends towards being extremely laconic on the rare occasions she does speak, and is otherwise entirely silent apart from grunts of pain or exertion. [[spoiler: ''Dread'' also adds a wordless, enraged roar to her vocabulary.]] |
| 70 | * Amaterasu in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' never says anything, being a wolf. Instead of the sidekick, Issun, [[VoiceForTheVoiceless acts as her mouthpiece]]... at length. Ammy's own emotions generally get expressed in appropriately canine ways, including gnawing on Issun when he gets too rude. A rare justified example: all the Brush Gods that appear to talk in animal form are in fact communicating through telepathy, and Ammy's own dialogue is never shown because it cannot be heard from the outside. |
| 71 | ** Often, and amusingly, Issun will interpret Ammy's intentions even when she shows no outward indication of a response, particularly when accepting a quest when she is usually just panting and looking around nonchalantly. Though this is because Amaterasu is talking telepathically to Issun, and the player, being an "outsider" cannot read her mind. |
| 72 | * Not really a hero (unless you go for the not-so-evil ending), but the new overlord in ''VideoGame/OverlordI'' never says anything either. This continues in the [[VideoGame/OverlordII sequels]] and [[VideoGame/OverlordDarkLegend prequels]], with none of the Overlords ever speaking (Lord Gromgard of ''[[VideoGame/OverlordDarkLegend Dark Legend]]'' yawns in the beginning at least, though this is before he even becomes an Overlord). |
| 73 | * Justified in VideoGame/OwlBoy: Otus was born physically mute. [[spoiler: The ending reveals that he's not a self-insert and has personality: once he dies and turns into a ghost, he is no longer subjected to his physical condition and starts speaking regularly, having a full dialogue before the credits roll]]. |
| 74 | * Downplayed in ''VideoGame/{{Prodigal}}''. Oran doesn't have any visible dialogue when interacting with other characters, and the only dialogue options you get are "Yes" and "No", but he does provide descriptions when examining things, obtaining items, and looking at inventory items. There's also a few instances where he talks to himself or the player, and [[spoiler:his shadow self]] talks quite freely. |
| 75 | * Dane, the protagonist of ''VideoGame/TheQuietMan'' is a downplayed example. He does speak from time to time, but he communicates mostly in sign language since he's deaf. |
| 76 | * In ''VideoGame/ShaunWhiteSkateboarding'', your character doesn't say a word, in cutscenes or in gameplay. |
| 77 | * Tsumuji in "VideoGame/ShounenKinindenTsumuji" is also a Heroic Mime, though he doesn't say a word, in-game cutscenes showing his expressions can easily describe what he might be saying. |
| 78 | * Mike Jones in ''VideoGame/{{Startropics}}'' has an odd variation of the trope, but only in the first game. He manages to carry on numerous conversations without us directly hearing what he says. Instead, the game uses the rather clunky solution of having a narrative box pop up in place of Mike's dialog, explaining what Mike is saying ("You tell her that you are looking for your uncle.") The character will then react in normal dialog, often repeating what was just explained. ("Oh! So you're looking for your uncle!") One wonders why the game didn't just give us Mike's dialog if it was going to explain it all anyway, but then again it ''is'' a Nintendo title, and they've not huge fans of chatty protagonists. In any case, Mike begins talking in ''Startropics 2'', [[BreakingTheFourthWall directly to the player.]] |
| 79 | * Daryl Whitelaw of ''VideoGame/SuperDarylDeluxe'' never speaks, almost never changes his facial expression, and does not use body language. People asking him direct questions and receiving no response at all is a RunningGag. |
| 80 | * Played with in ''VideoGame/YokusIslandExpress'': although [=NPCs=] converse with Yoku as though he is speaking to them, Yoku never says anything that the player can read. |
| 81 | [[/folder]] |
| 82 | |
| 83 | [[folder:Action Games]] |
| 84 | * In ''VideoGame/AstralChain'', there are two playable characters to choose from, a twin brother and sister, and whichever one you choose to play as becomes a customizable silent protagonist. The character you don't choose is given the name "Akira Howard" and becomes the deuteragonist of the story, and speaks normally. The player character does do a voiceover narration during the ending, speaking in the voice they use as Akira when you're playing as the other character. |
| 85 | * ''VideoGame/BlossomTalesTheSleepingKing'' subverts this in that the protagonist ''almost'' never directly speaks, but then she does say a few lines at key points later in the game. |
| 86 | * The Rookie in ''VideoGame/GhostbustersTheVideoGame'' never talks. Clear effort is put into his facial expressions and mannerisms, though; it's obvious what his thoughts on any given matter are, it's just that the others don't really care since he's only there for his willingness to test stuff that might explode, not for scientific input.\ |
| 87 | We don't even get his name. As Venkman explained, he doesn't want to get attached in case something happens, referring to the "last new guy" [[NoodleIncident as if something bad or fatal happened]]. |
| 88 | * Yuu Kajima, the protagonist of the Franchise/{{Gundam}} video game ''Blue Destiny'', is silent in his own games (as well as most of his appearances in the G Generation series) due to his status as a player surrogate; that's also the reason for his [[PunnyName Punny]]-slash-MeaningfulName, a homophone of "You". However, in adaptations like the novelization and manga, or cameos in other manga, he does have a voice and a distinct personality. |
| 89 | * Both of the ''VideoGame/{{Gungrave}}'' games give protagonist Beyond the Grave no lines whatsoever -- he doesn't even let out so much as a grunt when taking damage. Most of the time the only sounds you ever hear from him are either gunfire from his twin pistols or the strange squeaky noise of his coffin weapon when he moves. He's fully capable of speaking, he just chooses not to, making gestures (such as raising a finger or nodding his head) that only his ward Mika seems to understand. The ''only'' time he ever speaks comes [[spoiler: at the end of ''Overdose'', in which he says exactly one line -- to Mika, the one person who has no need for him to speak]].\ |
| 90 | Interestingly, this trait was (mostly) carried over in the anime series - Grave [[spoiler:and by association, Brandon Heat]] rarely speaks, but he does get at least a little use out of his vocal cords, in the very few lines he gets. This was also carried over into his appearance in the MassiveMultiplayerCrossover strategy-RPG ''VideoGame/ChaosWars''; he has no lines of dialog beyond [[VisibleSilence "......"]], and is the only character with no vocals when acting in combat. It is specifically commented on and {{lampshade|Hanging}}d by other characters at several points. Much HilarityEnsues when the protagonist Hyouma (who is not this trope) tries to get a meaningful response (whether it be asking Grave why he doesn't eat to flat out asking him if he's mute or not) out of Grave, only to be shot down by Grave giving Hyouma his "negative" expression and an ellipsis. It's not that Grave is ignoring Hyouma, Grave is just being himself, and Mika usually has to explain to Hyouma why Grave acts the way he does. |
| 91 | * Jacket from ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami'' is one of these (well, if you could consider him a "hero"). He never says a single word in either of the games, however, he does have single line of narration in the first issue of the ''Wrong Number'' prequel comic. He [[VoiceForTheVoiceless "speaks"]] in ''VideoGame/Payday2'' by playing snippets of voice clips from his tape recorder. |
| 92 | * Played with in ''VideoGame/{{Magicka}}'', where multiple times the players are tasked to talk to someone but end up saying nothing, with their silence resulting in needless violence. Vlad points out as much on several occasions, complaining after your visit to [[TheUnderworld Niflheim]] that "you have no social skills whatsoever!", and noting in the between-level narration after fighting Fafnir that the heroes are "still incapable of forming sentences in stressful situations". |
| 93 | * The eponymous ''VideoGame/MrShifty'' never talks, replying to everything with "...". |
| 94 | * The ''VideoGame/PrincessRemedy'' series: Remedy can speak at the end of the games, if certain conditions are met, but is silent otherwise: |
| 95 | ** ''VideoGame/PrincessRemedyInAWorldOfHurt'': If the PlayableEpilogue is ended by choosing [[spoiler:an empty chest]]. |
| 96 | ** ''VideoGame/PrincessRemedyInAHeapOfTrouble'': If the game is ended by [[spoiler:going to the dance alone]]. |
| 97 | * Rookie One in the first ''Star Wars: VideoGame/RebelAssault'' game isn't completely silent, but he says very little, outside some exposition during the introduction to the training course and other things like "yes sir", etc. He gets lines in the sequel, though. |
| 98 | [[/folder]] |
| 99 | |
| 100 | [[folder:Adventure Games]] |
| 101 | * ''VideoGame/TwelveThirteen'' never says anything, but his thoughts are often conveyed to the player in text boxes anyway. Westbury [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade on it]] by yelling at 1213, "WHY DON'T YOU EVER SAY ANYTHING?! I know you can! We taught you! Just a 'yes'! A nod of your head! A grunt! Just tell me you UNDERSTAND!" |
| 102 | * In the case of ''VideoGame/AngelDevoid'', your [[PlayerCharacter PC]] literally [[TheSpeechless CAN'T talk]], since you've been given surgery to make you mute and look like the BigBad before being dumped into the [[ViceCity mean streets]]. Your "dialog" choices consist entirely of two buttons that allow you to act either intimidating or receptive in response to conversation. |
| 103 | * In ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'', Toan gets no dialogue, though he clearly carries on conversations with other characters. It gets ridiculous, with him making hand gestures to indicate he's saying something, but nothing comes out. |
| 104 | * Played with in ''VideoGame/EdnaAndHarveyHarveysNewEyes''; protagonist Lilli isn't mute, but is so meek and unassertive that she never gets out more than a quiet "Ummm..." or "Ahhh..." before being interrupted and talked over by whoever she's speaking to. She finally snaps in one of the three endings; after objecting enough to characters trying to force her to choose between two options, she finally yells "STOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" and goes off on a massive tirade about everyone telling her what to do, [[TakeAThirdOption refuses both options]], and tells everyone to shut up and leave her alone -- including the game's narrator. |
| 105 | * Downplayed in the ''Anime/{{Hamtaro}}'' games where the only time Hamtaro speaks is when you use Ham-Chat commands. |
| 106 | * While the titular protagonist of the ''VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries'' can speak, it is usually in short phrases, and often Henry remains silent. It is downplayed in that Henry often does things that are not considered heroic- such as attempting to break out of jail or steal a priceless diamond- but he is still the main character, so this qualifies. |
| 107 | * ''VideoGame/{{Infested}}'': The player character, thanks to the lack of a talk button and no things that would want to talk to them anyway. They can mumble to themselves, though. |
| 108 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Journey|2012}}'', you are the Red Robe. You travel through the desert, release cloth creatures, [[spoiler:avoid getting caught by the war machines]], and never give up on your goal without a single word coming out of you. |
| 109 | ** The game's most innovative feature is its form of multiplayer. At any level except for the beginning, there are high chances you'll meet a companion in the game online, regardless of his/her appearance or [[AmbiguousGender gender]]. Unlike most other multiplayer games, you can't see the other player's names, so the only way to communicate is singing a note -- there is no text or voice chat in the game, so you must rely entirely on your in-game abilities to work with your partner. He/she may help you over the course of the game if the player wants to. |
| 110 | * In ''VideoGame/TheJourneymanProject'' trilogy, the protagonist Agent 5 never says a word in the first game. In the second game, ''your'' version of Agent 5 (now known as Gage Blackwood) never says anything, but you have several interactions with Gage's future self who talks quite a bit. In the third game, Gage talks in live-action cutscenes and, apparently, talks to other people through the Chameleon time-suit's voice modulator that adjusts his voice to match a projected image. Then again, we don't get to hear that voice. The third game is the first to allow interaction with characters from the past thanks to the Chameleon's suit holo-projection technology. Attempts to interact with characters in the second game in the old-fashioned bulky time-suit result in a NonstandardGameOver (French knights will kill you, while pre-Columbian Mayans will worship you as a god). |
| 111 | * Played with in ''VideoGame/KnyttUnderground''. The main character is mute and has a bit of trouble with it until chapter 3, where she gets two fairies (a nice idealistic one and a cynical snarky one) that talk for her. It's also possible to learn magic in the game, but you can't actually use it because it requires speaking. |
| 112 | * The main character in ''VideoGame/LoneSiren'' never says a word. The exceptions are 'Oh!' and 'Ah!', though they're just sound effects. |
| 113 | * ''VideoGame/MinecraftStoryMode'': When you choose what Jesse says during a conversation, there is a choice named '...' that makes Jesse say nothing when you choose it. If you choose '...' when you're asked to pick a name for your Endercon group, you will be called The No-Names, because the Endercon staff are ComicallyMissingThePoint. |
| 114 | * ''VideoGame/{{Obsidian}}'' does the same thing as the above game. You play as Lilah Kerlins, who doesn't talk in-game but has video logs and audio diaries on her PDA with full speech included. Although she does visually show a little shock when watching the Obsidian structure begin to pull her inside. |
| 115 | * ''VideoGame/PoliceQuestSWAT'''s PlayerCharacter has no dialogue apart from radio commands. |
| 116 | * The nameless protagonist of Creator/{{Sierra}}'s ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' speaks only a handful of times in the span of five games: telling the potion maker about the dryad in the first game, grumbling to himself in the first game, and saying "Right", "Just the facts", and "What's a pomegranate" in the second game. Otherwise, he's your standard Heroic Mime. |
| 117 | ** {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in the FanRemake of ''VideoGame/KingsQuestII'', when King Graham (who was a Heroic Mime himself in the original version) triggers an Easter Egg unleashing the ''Quest for Glory'' hero. "You don't say much, do you? Surely, you might speak to me of your adventures!" |
| 118 | ** The fan remake of the second game has an onscreen image of your character baby talking to Simba. The kid shuts you up with a complex commentary about poltergeists. |
| 119 | * In ''VideoGame/SoFar'', the protagonist is presumably capable of speech, but any other people you meet are either hostile or simply incapable of communicating with you. [[spoiler:You get to speak once, at the very end.]] |
| 120 | * Roger Wilco in ''VideoGame/SpaceQuest'' started out as one; starting with ''VideoGame/{{Space Quest IV|Roger Wilco And The Time Rippers}}'', he has since been given regular dialogue. Incidentally, this is also the first "talkie" game of the series. |
| 121 | * ''VideoGame/SpiritsOfAnglerwoodForest'': Edgar almost never talks. The few times he does, the scene either cuts to after he's finished or we simply just don't hear him. Most of what he says is understood through ParrotExposition. |
| 122 | * The titular princess of ''VideoGame/{{Tsioque}}'' doesn't say a word, having a wide range of expressions, from a determined pout when thrown into the dungeon to a nervous smile waving at an Imp guard after she escapes. She does start to get some bits of unvoiced inner monologue in the second half of the game, though. |
| 123 | * ''VideoGame/WorldsEndClub'': The main player character, Reycho, only ever speaks in ellipses, and the most the player can hear are his thoughts. Kansai lampshades it by describing him as having no personality like a video game protagonist. [[spoiler:Reycho is actually [[RoboticReveal a remote-controlled robot]] with [[TheSpeechless no voice modulator]] or [[BlankSlate even an AI built into him]]. Those inner thoughts the audience reads wasn't coming from Reycho; they were coming from [[NonEntityGeneral the Otherworlder]].]] |
| 124 | [[/folder]] |
| 125 | |
| 126 | [[folder:Beat 'em Up]] |
| 127 | * Rhino the, uh, rhino from ''VideoGame/ExitLimboOpening'' doesn't say a single word throughout the game. Lampshaded when Vivian tries conversing with him. |
| 128 | --> '''Vivian''': [''trying to converse with the awakened Rhino only to get zero response''] Oooooooookay, not the talkative type, I guess. |
| 129 | |
| 130 | [[/folder]] |
| 131 | |
| 132 | |
| 133 | [[folder:Driving Games]] |
| 134 | * ''VideoGame/{{Roundabout}}'' plays the trope for laughs. Georgio, a limo driver, never utters a single word and only makes various facial expressions and adjusting [[AmbiguousGender their]] body language at their passengers. Not only are the passengers are fully able to understand what Georgio is conveying, but the narrator also lampshades Georgio's silence as being their strong point in communication. |
| 135 | * ''VideoGame/ModnationRacers:'' The main character Tag has grunting voices during gameplay but he doesn't say anything in Career Mode's cutscenes. |
| 136 | [[/folder]] |
| 137 | |
| 138 | [[folder:Fighting Games]] |
| 139 | * Def Jam Vendetta has four generic protagonists with the exact same story and cutscenes, and not one speaks a single word except for the occasional "Yeah!" or grunt. ''Very'' awkward, especially considering all the smack talk, threats, and jabbering dished out by everyone around them. |
| 140 | * Mac from ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' actually spoke in the original games but come the Wii reboot, he barely utters a word. |
| 141 | * In the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series, some characters can speak full sentences, while others simply blurt words, are restricted to grunting and growling, or make absolutely no sound at all. |
| 142 | ** Taken to a ridiculous extreme in ''Brawl'''s Subspace Emissary, where ''nearly everyone'' is a Heroic Mime plotwise. Even the villains. Even the characters who do speak in their own games. At times it seems like the characters are communicating telepathically. You had to [[AllThereInTheManual read the official website]] just to find out what was going on. The only exceptions are Snake (who gets one line - [[LampshadeHanging "Kept you waiting, huh?"]]) and a few instances of CallingYourAttacks. |
| 143 | *** In the interest of fairness, the reason for the necessity of AllThereInTheManual is due to two scenes that were removed from the final version. ''Most'' of the plot and character interactions can be inferred from their actions... just not the most important ones. |
| 144 | [[/folder]] |
| 145 | |
| 146 | [[folder:First-Person Shooters]] |
| 147 | * ''VideoGame/CyClones'' from 1994 probably has the first example in FPS, with the main character, the SuperSoldier Havoc, remaining silent either in cutscenes or gameplay. |
| 148 | * ''VideoGame/BioShock'' |
| 149 | ** Jack from ''VideoGame/BioShock1'' has one line of dialogue during the intro movie and then never speaks again, unless you count [[spoiler:the audio recording of the time he, as a child, was forced to kill a puppy]]. He does make sounds of pain, and pants after the plane crash. |
| 150 | ** Subject Delta, protagonist of ''VideoGame/BioShock2'', is completely silent besides occasional shouts of pain. This time, it might be the process that turned him into a Big Daddy also changing his vocal cords; all the other Big Daddies in the game are also silent. |
| 151 | ** Averted with Booker [=DeWitt=] from ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'': while he's still completely first-person and his face is never seen in cutscenes (though the game's cover shows it), he does have dialogue. |
| 152 | * Extremely common in ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty''. |
| 153 | ** The first ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty1'' {{lampshade|Hanging}}s this when the British player character and Captain Price infiltrate the ''Tirpitz''; Price, while discussing the plan to sabotage the ship, asks that "unless your German's improved, let me handle the talking". |
| 154 | ** ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty4ModernWarfare'' has two player-controlled characters, USMC Sergeant Paul Jackson and SAS Sergeant "Soap" [=MacTavish=]. Both are unable to respond verbally, although when you get a choice, you can respond physically (such as, at the end of the tutorial level, choosing either to go back up to redo the course or heading over to the monitors with everyone else to end the level). There's also a pair of flashback missions where you play as then-Lieutenant Price, and he doesn't speak while you have control of him despite talking as an NPC. The only character who talks under the player's control is the thermal-imaging TV operator of the AC-130 from the mission "DeathFromAbove". This gets even weirder in multiplayer, as other players on your team will shout out useful information such as "grenade", "changing mag", or "planting claymore" when they're performing these acts - but when YOU do them, you don't hear yourself say it, but your teammates are able to hear you say it. This can end up getting you killed, as the other team can also hear your chatter, which can give away your position. |
| 155 | ** {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d at least twice in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar''. The first line you hear in the American campaign is one of Miller's Japanese captors taunting him by asking, "you think because you say nothing, you're strong?" Later, while crawling through a burnt-out building in Berlin during Dimitri's campaign, a bunch of soldiers start complaining about the smoke, at which point Sgt. Reznov tells them to shut up, mentions how he and Dimitri "crawled through smoke and rubble in Stalingrad", then asks them "do you hear him complaining?" |
| 156 | ** Soap becomes an NPC character in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2'' and, as such, is SuddenlyVoiced. However, similar to Price in the previous game, when he eventually becomes playable near the end of the game, he goes back to being silent, aside from the intro cutscenes. Other player characters Roach and Ramirez are completely silent. Allen however talks during the briefing cutscenes for "Cliffhanger" and "No Russian", and has a single line in the mission "No Russian" as well. |
| 157 | ** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'' has every protagonist speak during gameplay, allowing them to actually communicate what they see and do to the rest of their group. It also had [[spoiler:Dimitri Petrenko]] return as an NPC with both his face shown and his voice revealed, as well as a semblance of a personality, in the flashback mission "Project Nova." |
| 158 | ** Several missions in ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare3 Modern Warfare 3]]'' have you playing as a character named Yuri. While the player controls Yuri, he is a Heroic Mime, but in cutscenes and one mid-mission flashback, he talks. However, in the last mission of the game, you switch to Captain Price. You then play ''alongside'' Yuri, who is now just a talkative on-mission as Price is. Even more interesting is that, when you're playing as Price, you can clearly hear Price speaking to Yuri. Frost and Harkov are both silent. The thermal-imaging TV operator of the AC-130 however, still talks. |
| 159 | ** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII'' also averts this entirely. Besides Alex Mason (who is a returning player character from the previous game) his son, David "Section" Mason is (until the introduction of Nick Reyes in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyInfiniteWarfare'') the highest-ranked PlayerCharacter in the series at Lieutenant Commander and more than backs it up both in and out of the field. There's also Frank Woods, who was mainly an NPC until the final 80's level of ''BOII''. Even the nameless Strike Force soldiers that you control are still fairly talkative. |
| 160 | ** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyGhosts'' plays this painfully straight. Primary PlayerCharacter Logan Walker remains dead-silent throughout the entire game. The missions where you switch to another character are no different -- even Elias Walker, who is otherwise very talkative, is completely silent during the flashback mission where you play as him. |
| 161 | ** Unlike in the original ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'', this trope is completely averted in the [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019 rebooted]] [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfareII series]], where all of playable characters are quite talkative even when you're playing as them. |
| 162 | * Nomad in ''VideoGame/{{Crysis}}'' has dialogue, but Alcatraz in the sequel doesn't. [[spoiler: He suffered fatal injuries in the ''introduction'' (including his lungs and vocal cords) and only the Nanosuit is keeping him alive. Subverted at the end, when Alcatraz appears to speak... but Prophet has taken over his mind.]] As such, this trope is totally averted in ''Crysis 3'' and [[spoiler:Prophet]] is completely talkative. |
| 163 | * Jericho Cross in ''VideoGame/DarkWatch'' never utters a single word besides grunts and screams. With that said, it's implied that he can speak normally, as there is a dialogue option available during one level (which is completely skippable) where we don't hear his voice, but he seems to communicate normally. |
| 164 | * ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'': |
| 165 | ** ''VideoGame/Doom3''. This is sometimes awkward when the [=NPCs=] are talking to the marine in ways that invite a response. It's especially noticeable in the final cutscene, where a group of marines ask the protagonist if he's okay, and he just stares at them, looking dazed. On top of that, in neither ''Doom 3'' nor its expansion ''Resurrection of Evil'' was the character given a ''name'', as they're both referred to as simply "Marine", which gets used practically ''as'' their names. |
| 166 | ** The original two ''Doom'' games, of course, featured no interaction with anybody at all outside of one mid-level intermission in ''VideoGame/DoomII'', so this trope doesn't even get a chance to apply. Conversely, the ''ComicBook/{{Doom}}'' ComicBookAdaptation made him very talkative... and this version of him is [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} quite]] the [[HeroicComedicSociopath loony]]. |
| 167 | ** ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' plays with this in a rather amusing way. Doomguy is completely silent, but his utter contempt for anything to do with hell or the UAC are made glaringly obvious by his actions; the beginning even has him throwing away a terminal when the person speaking through it tries to give him exposition. You get the sense that Doomguy doesn't speak simply because he feels it's a waste of time when dealing with demons or idiots. In his [[GuestFighter guest appearance]] in ''VideoGame/QuakeChampions'', his lack of talking is even treated as a second passive ability -- since he doesn't say anything, he doesn't give away his position to the other fighters by announcing his presence. The sequel ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'' reveals he ''can'' talk, but he only does in flashbacks. |
| 168 | --->'''[[WebVideo/{{Jimquisition}} Jim Sterling]]:''' The Doom Slayer is more expressive and communicative without uttering a line of dialogue than most fully voiced video game protagonists. |
| 169 | ** The ''VideoGame/BrutalDoom'' mod and especially its offshoot ''Project Brutality'' throw Doomguy's "man of few words" shtick out the window in favor of portraying him as he is in the comic, in all his energetic, bombastic, sadistic glory. |
| 170 | --->''"I'm the man! '''I'M SUPER MAN!'''"'' |
| 171 | * Whichever of the dozen protagonists you choose in ''VideoGame/FarCry2'' doesn't speak in-game. The rest of them do show up as buddies and are capable of speech. ''VideoGame/FarCry3'', ''VideoGame/FarCry4'' and especially ''VideoGame/FarCry3BloodDragon'' avert it with each main character speaking when interacting with [=NPCs=], particularly Rex "Power" Colt, who [[PungeonMaster constantly]] spouts BondOneLiner[=s=]. Played straight in ''VideoGame/FarCry5'' with the Junior Deputy and in ''VideoGame/FarCryNewDawn'' with the Captain. |
| 172 | * In ''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'', the Point Man is both unnamed and never speaks, despite having a radio. The other FEAR operatives respond to this by talking about you in the 3rd person while you are listening in and in the loading screens. |
| 173 | ** In the sequel ''F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin'', main character Michael Becket also never speaks. If he could speak and report his findings to his squad, quite a few of their problems would have probably been avoided. |
| 174 | ** In the DLC ''F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn'', the main character Replica Foxtrot 813 can be heard responding to other Replicas during the first third of the DLC. However, after [[spoiler:his first encounter with Fettel, where he desperately calls for backup while fighting off hallucinations (which turns out to have been him going crazy and slaughtering the rest of his squad)]], he stops talking. Foxtrot 813 speaks in a normal (although slightly deeper) Replica voice, but his last spoken words are [[spoiler:in a voice which strongly resembles Paxton Fettel]]'s. |
| 175 | ** Pointman still doesn't speak in ''F.E.A.R. 3'', he seems to communicate solely with glaring and nondescript facial expressions. Nobody even notices that half the time those expressions are directed at Fettel's ghost, who none of the other [=NPCs=] in cutscenes can even see. [[spoiler:Becket, however, returns from the second game, and he does get to speak this time.]] |
| 176 | ** Paxton Fettel is an {{aver|tedTrope}}sion, even when you get to control him in ''F.E.A.R. 3''. |
| 177 | * All of the protagonists in the ''VideoGame/HistoryCivilWarGames'' are these, including Edward Hogger from ''VideoGame/HistoryCivilWarSecretMissions''. |
| 178 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Geist}}'', player character Raimi, who was separated from his body and ended up on a game-long BodySurf, doesn't speak even when he's trying to convince a friend that he's Raimi. Instead, he gives the friend a secret handshake, and somehow all relevant information is transferred; Bryson knows that the nurse is Raimi, who is a ghost, who is going to get him out of there. Raimi's not actually mute, though - late in the game he makes a parrot say "Die!" and a dog trainer say "It's okay boy!" |
| 179 | * Gordon Freeman from the ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' series is one of the most famous. Being a Creator/{{Valve|Software}} game, there is heavy LampshadeHanging, with characters remarking that Gordon is a man of few words or offering to do the talking for him. He apparently also makes off-camera expressions that the {{Non Player Character}}s will react to (for example, viewing some of the objects in Black Mesa East will prompt different lines from Eli). He does, however, express concern over getting shot, burned, hitting the ground after a long fall and drowning with moans, grunts and other noises that living creatures use to make others know that they are, as a matter of fact, in pain. |
| 180 | ** Barney is an example that speaks when the player isn't controlling them, as he doesn't say anything in ''VideoGame/HalfLifeBlueShift'' yet is quite vocal in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' and ''Episode One''. If [[EnsembleDarkhorse Adrian]] were ever to return to series (please?) it's most probable he would finally be able to speak as well. |
| 181 | *** ''Blue Shift'' goes out of its way to make it clear that Barney is in fact speaking, but that we simply can't hear him. |
| 182 | *** The ''VideoGame/HalfLifeOpposingForce'' tutorial does the same with Adrian: "What is your name, soldier?!... '''[[DrillSergeantNasty SOUND OFF LIKE YOU GOT A PURPOSE!]]'''... Corporal Shephard, eh?" Unique from the others, not only we never hear Adrian speaking but we don't even see his face, as he's wearing a gas mask during all of his screentime and no concept art exists either, except [[http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090628221326/half-life/en/images/e/ef/Shephard_unmasked.jpg this pre-release image]]. |
| 183 | ** Oddly, we ''do'' get to hear the voices of Gina and Colette in ''VideoGame/HalfLifeDecay'', though that might be because there are two of them. |
| 184 | ** Finally {{averted|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'', where Alyx remains as talkative in gameplay as she was as an NPC in ''Half-Life 2'', [[spoiler:though the ending switches back to Gordon's perspective immediately after ''Episode Two'', and he's still totally silent]]. |
| 185 | * ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'': |
| 186 | ** The Master Chief never spoke during missions of the original trilogy, though he did speak in cutscenes. Starting in ''VideoGame/Halo4'', he now talks in missions as well. |
| 187 | ** Noble Six in ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' is same as the Master Chief, silent during missions but using [[TheQuietOne brief sentences]] in cutscenes. Six also lets out a [[ThisIsGonnaSuck dejected "Awww"]] if tagged with a Plasma Grenade. |
| 188 | ** The Rookie from ''VideoGame/Halo3ODST'', to the point where he doesn't even have a credited voice actor. This is lampshaded by Dutch when he hands you the silenced SMG: |
| 189 | -->''Now's one of those times, pays to be the strong silent type.'' |
| 190 | ** This is justified for most of the game, as he's on his own and has no one to talk to. However, it does feel odd when the Rookie [[spoiler:finally finds Dare]], but just gives a little nod in response to her questions about the situation. Nonetheless, [[TheSilentBob she seems satisfied with that]]. He does talk a little in the ''Literature/HaloEvolutions'' short story ''Dirt'' and the novella ''Literature/HaloNewBlood'', though. He's also shown trying to get Dare and Buck's attention in one cutscene, possibly about to speak, but too nervous to interject to their argument. |
| 191 | ** Averted with the other squad members (Buck, Dutch, Mickey, and Romeo), who ''all'' talk during their missions. |
| 192 | ** Fireteam Crimson from ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'''s ''Spartan Ops'' campaign. They never speak, and get no characterization, except for being highly efficient at their job. Indeed, given that they are the players' multiplayer avatars manifest into a canonical setting, the variation of possible Fireteams Crimson is too heavy to be able to give them a set character of any sort. |
| 193 | * Arran Danner from ''VideoGame/{{Killzone}}: Mercenary'' is completely silent throughout the entire game. The four player characters from the first game and Thomas Sevchenko from the second and third games downplay this trope-they do speak during cutscenes, but are totally silent during actual gameplay. |
| 194 | * ''VideoGame/LegendaryTheBox'': Charles Deckard never speaks, aside from grunts of pain. |
| 195 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'', the main character never talks in-game, leading to the conclusion that he is a heroic mime. He doesn't even type anything on the terminals; Durandal just talks for him. However, in the chapter screen from "Simulacrums," we see him talking to a few [=BOBs=], but again, no dialogue is actually heard. |
| 196 | * Speaking of WWII [=FPSes=], this also applies to the ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonor'' games. In fact, the series' first [=PS2=]/Xbox/GC installment, ''[[VideoGame/MedalOfHonorFrontline Frontline]]'', sort of pokes fun at this: During the mission Nijmegen Bridge, a fellow soldier asks you to disarm some charges placed along the bridge, and quips "Good. I'll take your silence for a 'yes'." |
| 197 | ** Joseph Griffin in ''[[VideoGame/MedalOfHonorRisingSun Rising Sun]]'' gets a physical appearance, yet he's still a heroic mime in the cutscenes. |
| 198 | * ''VideoGame/MetalHead'' have your unnamed protagonist, pilot of the titular [[AMechByAnyOtherName Metal Head]] who doesn't utter a single word for the entire game. Meanwhile, your lieutenant, personal mechanic, and assistants can speak perfectly. |
| 199 | * ''VideoGame/Metro2033''[='=]s protagonist, Artyom, says one word and one grunt when he isn't narrating. Since a railcar is about to crush him at the time, it is, of course, a PrecisionFStrike. |
| 200 | ** The only other time you hear him is when the game's starting gun (appropriately called a [[ScrappyWeapon Bastard]]) jams or misfires due to overheating, which is when you'll hear him quietly mutter - [[OhCrap "Shit."]] |
| 201 | ** His silence is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by other characters, especially Khan. |
| 202 | --> '''Khan:''' Not saying much? You're becoming a [[TheStoic true ranger]]. |
| 203 | ** Note that the game is adapted from a book series. The first book has Artyom not silent, while in the second, he never appears (though another, completely different Artyom appears and has full dialogue). In the third book (Metro 2035), the original Artyom returns... and he's now silent like in the games. |
| 204 | * Played with in ''VideoGame/Prey2017''. The protagonist, Morgan, speaks in audio logs and recordings, and their personal Operator January speaks using a replica of their voice. Despite this, during gameplay, Morgan never actually speaks, even when interating with other characters. [[spoiler:This is justified during TheStinger, as the events of the game are revealed to be a simulation being played out by a Typhon, and Typhon are unable to speak.]] |
| 205 | * You spend the entirety of ''VideoGame/{{Putrefaction}}'' voiceless, which makes sense since you're fighting zombies and supernatural forces. The sequel have you SuddenlyVoiced as you suddenly starts dropping quips after killing mooks. |
| 206 | * ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'': |
| 207 | ** The Ranger in ''VideoGame/QuakeI'' is pretty much a straight 3D conversion of the classic Doomguy - he has a nickname given to him after the game came out, he has a set appearance, but that's it. He never says anything beyond grunts from jumping, getting hit or dying. |
| 208 | ** ''VideoGame/QuakeII'' looks to avert this in the opening cinematic, where the player character speaks quite clearly and often during his descent onto Stroggos. He also has an actual name, rather than just a nickname, as turning around at the start of gameplay shows the name "Bitterman" emblazoned on his drop pod. However, after losing contact with HQ during the opening, he never says a word in actual gameplay. He doesn't even really get a physical appearance like the Ranger until his [[TheCameo guest appearance]] in ''VideoGame/QuakeIIIArena''. |
| 209 | ** In ''VideoGame/QuakeIV'', outside of a single cutscene before he's taken by the Strogg, the protagonist, Matthew Kane, never speaks, not even when reacting to other characters. It's possible afterwards that he may not even be ''able'' to talk normally, though it doesn't explain why he talked so little before that even as people talked to or about him every time you find them, and even asked him questions. Probably the only sign of any personality, at all, in the game happened in the cutscene where he saw a new kind of enemy, the ''female'' cyborg zombie and the first on-screen female in the game -- she didn't do anything at first, so he got closer, then lowered his weapon and reached for her face with his free hand. That's it. That's all. Generic SpaceMarine Stoicism all the way. |
| 210 | * John Blade in ''VideoGame/SiNEpisodesEmergence'' is a semi-silent protagonist (apart from a few voice clips and one-liners that don't always make sense in context), rather disconcertingly because in the original game and its ExpansionPack ''Wages of Sin'', he ''never shuts up''. Before future episodes were canceled, the developers mentioned in an interview that they thought John Blade worked better like this but were surprised both by the negative reaction they received and by the fact that opinion seemed literally split down the middle. Had further episodes been released, Blade would've had a much more robust voice track hearkening back to the original game... and an option to turn it off. |
| 211 | * The game ''VideoGame/{{Singularity}}'' has an interesting example: the main character is mute for the majority of the game, with one major exception: [[spoiler:near the beginning of the game, you are saving an unconscious man in a burning building when you hear an NPC yell out, specifically imploring you ''not'' to save the man. Then the NPC gets killed by falling rubble. You later find out that this was ''yourself'', from the future, having gone back in time to try and prevent the mess you're about to create.]] |
| 212 | ** [[spoiler:And to prevent the player from figuring this out early, both that character and your NPC partner Devlin are voiced by Creator/NolanNorth, meaning that when the player hears the shout, he'll likely think it's Devlin shouting.]] |
| 213 | * ''VideoGame/{{Stormland}}'', a game where you play as a robot, have your voicebox damaged in the backstory depriving you ability of speech for the whole game, even though there are other robot NPC who can speak and converse with you. The game has plenty of upgrades and repairs, but there isn't a "Fix Voicebox" available at any point. |
| 214 | * ''VideoGame/{{Timeshift}}'' features a totally silent, FeaturelessProtagonist. To further add to the immersion, the game has an UnbrokenFirstPersonPerspective up until the end of the game. In an interesting case of WhatCouldHaveBeen, earlier builds for the game had a fully voiced protagonist- until the devs got so fed up with the voice actor that they made the Time Traveler mute! |
| 215 | * ''VideoGame/TimeSplittersFuturePerfect'' has wormholes that you can walk through that allow Cortez to interact with his past or future self. While future-Cortez throws out a multitude of one-liners during these segments, when you actually play as the future-Cortez he never talks, but the past-Cortez does instead. It gets especially confusing when [[spoiler:Cortez gets backup while hacking a terminal from ''three'' future Cortezes, requires you to play all four, one after the other, muting the Cortez each time.]] |
| 216 | * ''VideoGame/{{Turok}}'' in the first two games, where the only words he says are "[[PunctuatedForEmphasis I! Am! Turok!]]" |
| 217 | * Present in ''VideoGame/{{Unreal|I}}'' but avoided in ''[[ExpansionPack Return To Na Pali]]'' where you character has audio logs between missions. ''VideoGame/UnrealIITheAwakening'''s main character John Dalton speaks quite frequently. The ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament'' games, being multiplayer-focused, give you the option whether to play this straight or avert this, whether manually through the voice-command menu, or automatically with a menu option to always taunt after a kill or acknowledge a completed objective. |
| 218 | * Nick Mason from ''VideoGame/UrbanChaosRiotResponse'' is not only mute but aside from the second news report and a few photographs that may or may not be him, [[FeaturelessProtagonist you don't even get to see his face in game]]. One gets the feeling that the only reason that he has a name at all is so the enemy characters can shout things like "Eat a bowl of f#@*, Mason!" |
| 219 | * BJ Blazkowicz is depicted this way in ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' and in the PC Version of ''VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein''. The console version of ''[=RtCW=]'' and ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein2009'' give him a voice, but only in cutscenes. Starting with ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'', Blazkowicz speaks freely both in cutscenes and in gameplay. |
| 220 | [[/folder]] |
| 221 | |
| 222 | [[folder:Hack and Slash]] |
| 223 | * Caim from ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'' becomes a heroic mime after the opening stage when FunctionalMagic dissociates him from his voice in return for the allegiance of a powerful red dragon. A fair trade-off, some would say. This carries over to [[VideoGame/Drakengard2 the second game]], where Caim is ''still'' mute -- but the new protagonist, having made no such deal, talks quite frequently. ''VideoGame/NieR'', ''Drakengard'''s other sequel thanks to branching timelines, has no heroic mime either, and likewise neither does ''VideoGame/Drakengard3'' or ''VideoGame/NierAutomata''. |
| 224 | * The Hundred Knight from ''VideoGame/TheWitchAndTheHundredKnight'', due to it not being human. This is a problem for its master Metallia since she can't comprehend any report the Hundred Knight tries to convey. |
| 225 | [[/folder]] |
| 226 | |
| 227 | [[folder:Light Gun Game]] |
| 228 | * ''VideoGame/SilentScope'' played this straight with Falcon in the first game and the player character in ''Silent Scope EX'', but averted it for both Falcon and Jackal in the second game. |
| 229 | * ''VideoGame/TimeCrisis4'' introduces dialogue to gameplay segments, yet during those segments only [=NPCs=] will speak; the main characters will only do so during cutscenes, like the protagonists of ''2'', ''3'', and ''Crisis Zone''. |
| 230 | ** Richard Miller in the first game and ''Project Titan'' plays this trope completely straight, never speaking a single word, cutscene or not. |
| 231 | [[/folder]] |
| 232 | |
| 233 | [[folder:Mobile Games]] |
| 234 | * The protagonist of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX'' downplays this. Since the player decides their name, appearance, and which Union they belong to, the game refers to this character with second-person narration quite often. It's shown that the protagonist is speaking, given that other characters frequently [[RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear repeat what the protagonist apparently said]]. However, the game rarely shows what the protagonist is actually saying. The few times the protagonist is shown speaking include when they introduce themselves to Ephemer ("I'm [name] of [Union]"), a short "Let's go" when pursuing Dark Chirithy, and a NoMoreHoldingBackSpeech to their Foreteller when they're tricked into believing that Ephemer has been killed. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Ephemer when talking to Ava: |
| 235 | -->'''Ephemer:''' You know, I made a friend from another Union today. They don't talk much, but I think they're just shy. |
| 236 | [[/folder]] |
| 237 | |
| 238 | [[folder:[=MMORPGs=]]] |
| 239 | * Very common in the genre, due to the emphasis on character creation. |
| 240 | * ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' has a really [[GameplayAndStorySegregation strange]] version: Communication is vital for players, so everyone is able to chat. Story-wise, however, you're essentially a Heroic Mime, only given dialog choices ''that are never actually spoken in the story, anyway.'' While different [=NPCs=] will infer that you have said something, you never see your character say it in the storylines. [[ButThouMust You normally have no choice in HOW to respond, either.]] |
| 241 | * ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has [[PlayerCharacter the Warrior of Light]] talk a few times, but you never get to hear what they're saying. The only vocals you'll get is VoiceGrunting — emotive cries paired with emotes (like laughing or cheering), [[{{Kiai}} shouts of effort in battle]], and a dying gasp when knocked out. The game is also fairly self-aware of this and has a fair share of [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]], both for comedy and for narrative. |
| 242 | ** In one instance, Thancred is quite exasperated at how unemotive the Warrior of Light is in ''A Realm Reborn''. |
| 243 | --->'''Thancred''': ...You might try to look a ''little'' disappointed! Or do you mean to give me another one of your stoic nods? You do, don't you? *sigh*\ |
| 244 | '''Player''': *nod* |
| 245 | ** However, the ''Heavensward'' storyline has the player character showing more emotion and having more dialogue choices that reflect their own character development, making them a mutable protagonist that's more than just a simple projection of the player. |
| 246 | ** Played with to great effect throughout the Dark Knight job quests in ''Heavensward''. The level 50 quest blows it open by [[spoiler:revealing that your "job tutor" thus far has actually been a manifestation of your inner anger and frustrations, with the final battle of the quest having them transform from "Fray's faceless suit of armour" into [[EnemyWithout a mirror image of yourself]] in the Dark Knight's Lv 60 gear. When the manifestation talks in this form, its nameplate uses your name to show that, in a way, it is you speaking. Of course, your actual character still doesn't talk, but there are strong implications (and the post-''Shadowbringers'' quest confirms) that, from the perspective of the other [=NPCs=] you've interacted with thus far, ''you'' said everything that "Fray" said.]] |
| 247 | ** Then [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded all to hell and back]] when [[spoiler:Lord Hien struggles to find something to say to his victorious subjects]], and the player can say [[{{Irony}} "If you won't say anything, I will."]] |
| 248 | --->[[spoiler:'''Hien:''']] Hearing ''you'' say that, I find my courage somehow renewed. |
| 249 | ** The boss of the base game of ''Shadowbringers'' toys with this. [[spoiler:The Warrior of Light says, out loud: "This world is not yours to end... This is our future. Our story." However, they say that with the voice of Ardbert, the Warrior's reflection from the First, regardless of the player's race or gender. It's unclear if it's Ardbert saying this through the Warrior or if the Warrior is also talking, but it's the only thing they say that has a voiced line.]] |
| 250 | ** A quest in ''Endwalker'' plays with this. [[spoiler:Zenos pulls a GrandTheftMe on the Warrior of Light, stealing their body and teleporting to Camp Broken Glass so that Zenos can kill the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. Despite this, Zenos never talks while in the Warrior's body. Even when giving a HannibalLecture to the Warrior, which switches between Zenos and the Warrior in the camera's view, Zenos only talks when he looks like himself.]] |
| 251 | * [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'', where one character refers to you as "the strong and silent type" and another complains that one of her visitors spoke too much and too loudly, a trait she's glad you don't share. |
| 252 | * ''VideoGame/{{Wynncraft}}'': [[PlayerCharacter The Ragni Soldier]] is very quiet for the most part, which is acknowledged by other [=NPCs=], one of whom even calls the player [[TheStoic Stoic]]. There are a few instances where the player is given a DialogueTree to allow them to speak to other [=NPCs=], but the amount of times the player is presented with this is few, and even then the player is very brief when speaking. |
| 253 | [[/folder]] |
| 254 | |
| 255 | [[folder:Platform Games]] |
| 256 | * Various Nintendo characters, but especially the Mario Bros. and company usually function as heroic mimes during play. The humorous extremes occurs in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' for the SNES and ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' for the GBA. They pantomime ''everything''. Most of them, Mario included, do speak, though it's usually in the form of catchphrases and one-off bits of dialogue. Many games have text that show what the characters are supposed to be saying, while the characters themselves just grunt and say short words or phrases that usually aren't even close to matching the text. Promotional things outside of video games often have Mario speaking at length, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYa7G467_Yo like this tour of the Nintendo 3DS]]. And yes, it ''is'' Creator/CharlesMartinet. |
| 257 | ** Luigi himself is inconsistent, even when he's playable; in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'', he talks. In the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' games, he doesn't. In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', the NPC Luigi talks, and the playable Luigi (who is actually a different character... sort of) doesn't; ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'' only features one playable Luigi, who talks, but only while you're controlling Mario. |
| 258 | * ''VideoGame/BlackTheFall'': The PlayerCharacter is a worker in an [[CommieLand unnamed country rules by the Communist Regime]]. From the beginning of his journey to the end, he never says a word. |
| 259 | * VideoGame/CrashBandicoot never spoke a single word (not counting his "Uh-oh!" in [[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot1996 the first game]]), communicating only by his actions and, in the later games, nonsensical babbling... [[spoiler:however, in the ending of ''VideoGame/CrashOfTheTitans'', he does actually manage to speak one word, "Pancakes". Based on the reactions of the other characters and even his own reaction, it seems very likely that this is the first time he's ever spoken a single word.]] |
| 260 | * Subverted with ''VideoGame/{{Ghostrunner}}''. The first level has him completely silent and only following commands his VoiceWithAnInternetConnection gives him, making it appear like this is another game with a featurless protagonist following someone else's orders throughout the whole story. But on the second level the Architect fixes the Ghostrunner's broken vocal module, and throughout the game we find out that he not only has a voice but also opinions of his own and a free will. |
| 261 | * Zeke from ''VideoGame/TheHauntedMansion'' video game. He doesn't speak during the adventure, but he does narrate the opening and closing scenes. |
| 262 | * The main character of ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'' doesn't speak throughout the game. This is highly relevant to the plot: [[spoiler:like all the vessels, they ''can't'' speak. This gives away their true nature to several characters who are in the know, though the player doesn't discover their true nature until quite late in the game.]] |
| 263 | * Jak doesn't speak during the first ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' game, though he amusingly enough ''does'' periodically open his mouth as if about to say something... only to have Daxter speak for him, as well as make vocalizations during gameplay, such as saying "ouch" when getting hit or whatever that noise is he makes when you do a spin in the air. There is a ''single'' line he says during the fishing mission in the jungle, saying "I'm almost there" when he nears the end of it. He [[SuddenlySpeaking becomes a lot more talkative]] starting from [[VideoGame/JakIIRenegade the second]], after a long and traumatic stint as a live experiment. Just before he speaks his first line, Daxter begs him: "Say something, just this once!" Daxter makes occasional references to Jak's previous silence throughout the games ("Maybe he's mute, like you use to be"). |
| 264 | * While Franchise/{{Kirby}} has been known to make sounds, he's never been heard talking outside of [[VideoGame/KirbysAvalanche one obscure spin-off game]], [[Literature/KirbyLightNovel the light novel series]], and the occasional one word sentence in [[Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa the anime]]. However, much like your average RPG protagonist, he is often implied to speak and we simply don't hear it. |
| 265 | * ''VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet''[='s=] Sackpeople (and other playable characters in the third game) don't speak, only making high-pitched grunting noises when [[PressXToDie popping themselves]]. Whether online voicechat/typing counts is debatable. |
| 266 | ** In the third game, it gets lampshaded: |
| 267 | -->'''Marlon Random:''' We gotta tread carefully, my silent co-star.\ |
| 268 | '''Newton:''' How touching, Bunkum's silent heroes helping their fallen leader. |
| 269 | * ''VideoGame/MOAstray'' has MO, a slime. MO is obviously incapable of speech, so the story is entirely narrated by The Voice, and sometimes other characters like the AI Dylan. [[spoiler:Until the end, when they, in their ascended state, are able to say "You are wrong, this isn't what you wanted".]] |
| 270 | * Although one of the core gameplay mechanics of ''VideoGame/OhJeezOhNoMyRabbitsAreGone'' is calling out instructions to her rabbits, the Rabbit Lady only has one actual dialogue box in the game, which simply says "...". |
| 271 | * In ''VideoGame/OriAndTheBlindForest'', the titular protagonist does not speak, nor does the antagonist Kuro. The former [[VoiceGrunting vocalizes in yelps when injured]], the latter [[ArtisticLicenseBiology shrieks like a hawk despite being an owl]]. The characters that do speak do so in [[SpeakingSimlish Simlish]], with only the Spirit Tree and Sein having English subtitles. Averted in [[VideoGame/OriAndTheWillOfTheWisps the sequel]], [[spoiler: where Ori is the NarratorAllAlong]]. |
| 272 | * Classic Sonic who is reintroduced from ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' onwards, due to the fact he never spoke in the Genesis games.[[note]]Although that was due to said games having no dialogue at all outside of the stories presented in the manuals and comics, in which he ''does'' speak, so everyone's silent in them[[/note]] Modern Sonic never shuts up, which makes seeing them both converse in cutscenes a little weird. Many characters do lampshade hanging with this when trying to get the mime to talk. |
| 273 | [[/folder]] |
| 274 | |
| 275 | [[folder:Puzzle Games]] |
| 276 | * The Rookie from ''VideoGame/LegoDCSuperVillains'' is a {{Villain|Protagonist}}ous Mime [[spoiler:who can later become a hero when given the choice]], and it's {{lampshade|Hanging}}d frequently. The reason for this is actually explained in their character card: they have PowerCopying from the Amazo project and it robbed them of their ability to speak. |
| 277 | * Chell from ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', another Creator/{{Valve|Software}} game. Mind you, she doesn't have anyone to talk to but a [[AIIsACrapshoot mad AI]] trying to kill her and a cube. |
| 278 | ** It's {{lampshade|Hanging}}d by [=GLaDOS=], naturally. Chell's lack of response to her monologues leads her to say [[AC:"Are you even listening to me?"]] |
| 279 | ** The game's co-writer Erik Wolpaw suggested she's just in a sulk: |
| 280 | ---> I always had this feeling of Chell as a character who's just pissed off the entire time at having to do this, and just not giving them the pleasure of saying anything. She probably can talk. |
| 281 | ** ''VideoGame/Portal2'' parodies it in an early scene where Wheatley asks Chell to speak, and a prompt appears telling you to press the button that you usually use to jump, to speak to him. Obviously, once you press the button, Chell just jumps instead. This is PlayedForLaughs starting when Wheatley suggests that Chell has suffered brain damage from her long sleep, and then continues to hint at it throughout the rest of the game. After completing a small puzzle: "It just goes to show, that people with brain damage are the real heroes." Also, both he and [=GLaDOS=] say that she's a mute. |
| 282 | ** At one point, [=GLaDOS=] calls Chell a "dangerous, mute lunatic" to her face. |
| 283 | ** At another point, early in the game, [=GLaDOS=] delivers a thinly disguised insult, and then a few minutes later decides to [[DontExplainTheJoke spell it out for her]], because "You didn't react, so I was afraid it sailed right over your head". |
| 284 | ** A [[WhatCouldHaveBeen cut scene]] has [=GLaDOS=] stop the elevator halfway down and ask Chell if there's anything she feels like [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} apologising for.]] The player (presumably) can't respond. [=GLaDOS=] gives up after a few tries and say she'll "ask again in a few decades." |
| 285 | ** ''Lab Rat'', a comic tying together ''Portal'' and ''Portal 2'', goes slightly out of its way to preserve this: the page of her personnel file where she's asked a question reports "Subject refused to answer." |
| 286 | ** Only in the first game, although this example might be a developer oversight, if Chell is ever hit by physics objects, she'll utter a grunting sound, which is a few recycled soundbites from female [[NonPlayerCharacter Non-Player Characters]] from ''VideoGame/HalfLife2''. |
| 287 | ** At one point during the development of ''Portal 2'' (when the developers were still working out how they were going to end the game), the game ended [[spoiler: with Chell resolving the stalemate during the final battle, not by pressing the stalemate button, but by overriding the stalemate]] with a verbal affirmation from Chell. The idea was great on paper: the only time Chell has ever spoken! But the ending greatly confused playtesters, because it subverted their expectations of the controls (pressing jump instead actually had Chell say "Yes", instead of jumping like in the apple scene above) and it introduced a voice they had never heard before and had no idea it was Chell's. That, combined with the final effect being extremely underwhelming, caused the developers to scrap the idea entirely. |
| 288 | * ''VideoGame/ApertureTagThePaintGunTestingInitiative'': [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} Once again]], Aperture Science manages to find a mute test subject. Nigel {{lampshade|Hanging}}s this and comments that the test subject's file notes they don't talk much. |
| 289 | * The protagonist's silence is justified at the ''very'' end of ''Sequester'' -- [[spoiler:he hasn't spoken a single word since his sister died. Even when he has nightmares (like the one the whole game may have been), he doesn't scream in his sleep.]] |
| 290 | * ''VideoGame/{{QUBE}}'' features a protagonist who is alone and who has a damaged radio that can only receive, so there wouldn't be any point in replying to other characters anyway. |
| 291 | * In ''VideoGame/TheSpectrumRetreat'', the player character's only "line" of dialogue is a sharp intake of breath when [[spoiler:he wakes up from the simulation, and even that will happen only in one of the endings.]] |
| 292 | [[/folder]] |
| 293 | |
| 294 | [[folder:Real Time Strategy]] |
| 295 | * [[NonEntityGeneral The Commanders]] from {{VideoGame/Command and Conquer}}. The live-action cutscenes are shot from their POV, and most of them have the player-characters standing in the same room as the other characters. But they never say a word or react to anything that happens around them, despite the other characters' constant interactions with the Commanders. |
| 296 | * ''VideoGame/JohnWickHex'': John. While [[BigBad Hex]], [[BattleButler Charon]] and [[NobleDemon Winston]] are fully voiced (the latter by [[Creator/LanceReddick the origi]][[Creator/IanMcshane nal actors]]), John never says a word. [[TheQuietOne Fittingly.]] |
| 297 | * ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' went back and forth with this. In the first game, Captain Olimar provides exposition and comments on the Pikmin and their properties. In ''VideoGame/Pikmin2'', this role was taken over by the Hocotate Ship's AI, leaving Olimar (and his new sidekick Louie) silent. [[spoiler: Rescuing Louie at the end of the game]], though, lets the player read Louie's logs on every creature in the game ([[BigEater and how to properly cook and eat them.]]) By ''VideoGame/Pikmin3'', he's back to speaking again, and the new player characters speak as well. In ''VideoGame/Pikmin4'', your main character has no dialogue (outside some player-chosen lines), but Olimar speaks even in [[spoiler:the side mode where you play as him, reliving his first crash landing in this game.]] |
| 298 | * The original commanders in ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' are all silent and nameless ([[NonEntityGeneral only referred to by their title]]: Magistrate/Commander, Cerebrate and Executor), and hence don't really have much say in their comrades' actions. [[spoiler:The Protoss Executor was retconned to be Artanis while the Terran and Zerg commanders appear to have been removed from continuity entirely, replaced by Raynor and Kerrigan acting independently.]] |
| 299 | ** For clarification. Both the Zerg Commanders were Cerebrates, the one in the main game was killed by Zeratul, the one during ''Brood War'' would have been likely killed off by Kerrigan after the events of the Brood War. The Terran Commander of the main game was the Magistrate of Mar Sara, in a novel s/he was stated to have left Raynor's Raiders after escaping from Mengsk. The Terran Commander in ''Brood War'' was a UED Captain who either died to Kerrigan's Swarm or managed to be one of the few survivors. The Protoss Commander of ''Brood War'' has yet to be elaborated upon (as Artanis only returned to an executor position during the last mission of the game), though there's a theory in the fandom that it could have been Selendis (who is introduced in VideoGame/StarCraftII as Artanis's protege). |
| 300 | * The Blood Ravens Force Commander in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000: VideoGame/DawnOfWar II'' is both voiceless ''and'' [[NonEntityGeneral nameless]], referred to only as "Commander" by the other {{Space Marine}}s. |
| 301 | ** While the first campaign was ambiguous on the matter, ''Chaos Rising'' made certain that he was a "talks but isn't heard by the player" variation, as he makes frequent inquiries during the mission briefings. ''Retribution'' moved away completely from the trope, however, as every character except The Ancient speaks and this is due to a vow of silence he made. |
| 302 | ** The Force Commander does speak in the intro, although it's hardly canonic. |
| 303 | * In the single-player component of ''World in Conflict'', the player takes on the role of [[NonEntityGeneral Lieutenant Parker]], who never speaks and in cutscenes is seen mostly from behind, hiding his face. Or something else prevents a clear view of his face. |
| 304 | ** It's actually strongly implied that it is Parker who provides the [[{{Narrator}} Narration]] between missions, but as far as gameplay itself is concerned, he's a Mime through and through. |
| 305 | ** Taken slightly further with the ''Soviet Assault'' counterpart Lieutenant Romanov, who never even is present for the cutscenes. |
| 306 | [[/folder]] |
| 307 | |
| 308 | [[folder:Roguelike]] |
| 309 | * ''VideoGame/AbsentedAgeSquarebound'': After becoming a amnesiac pseudo-ghost, Satsuki/Karen doesn't talk directly in the dialogue box, though she still gets dialogue choices. Subverted [[spoiler:in the ending, where she has proper dialogue when participating in the Super Live, indicating that she's regaining her identity as Karen.]] |
| 310 | * The Protagonist in ''VideoGame/{{Baroque}}'' is... confusing. He initially starts off without talking and is even established as being unable to speak in an early cutscene and NPC dialogue. Then, later in the game, he starts talking in cutscenes. This is [[MindScrew about normal for the game.]] |
| 311 | * Justified example in ''VideoGame/DeadCells''. The protagonist is a sentient clump of cells possessing a headless body. Since he has no mouth, he's unable to speak. His thoughts are visible to the player, but when communicating with others, he uses gestures. |
| 312 | * In the first two ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'' games, the only time your character actually gets proper lines is in the ending ([[spoiler:When they say goodbye to their partner]]), as they resort to implied speech and inner monologues otherwise. Attempting to speak to them while they're in a dungeon in Explorers only gets you some VisibleSilence, while in Rescue Team, they use the same generic quotes any other Pokemon of their species would. |
| 313 | ** There's another minor exception in Explorers' "Sentry Duty" minigame, where the PC is the one who shouts "The footprint is [Pokémon]'s! The footprint is [Pokémon]'s!" |
| 314 | ** The protagonist in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonGatesToInfinity Gates to Infinity]]'' is largely a heroic mime, communicating through gestures or [[InnerMonologue internal monologuing]]. However, the protagonist in this game has a larger speaking role throughout the entirety of the plot, including a few times where they carry on conversations! |
| 315 | ** In ''[[VideoGame/PokemonSuperMysteryDungeon Super]]'', the player’s internal monologue more than likely seems to pop up while characters are conversing with the player when the player responds to the characters or when the player asks the characters questions that they respond to, even in the postgame, examples including the player’s conversation with Ampharos, the conversation the player has with [[spoiler:Xatu from the Rescue Team games]], and the first conversation the player has with [[spoiler:Mew.]] Eventually, [[spoiler:[[SuddenlySpeaking the player gets a line of dialogue (complete with a unique nametag that is exclusive to that one particular scene).]]]] |
| 316 | * Lampshaded in [[VideoGame/ZettaiHeroProject Zettai Hero Project: Unlosing Ranger vs Darkdeath Evilman]] during the ending when the main character is asked for an interview after saving the world. The AntiHero asks the question 'Can he even talk?' to which the supporting characters take a moment of confused silence followed by the credits. |
| 317 | [[/folder]] |
| 318 | |
| 319 | [[folder:Role-Playing Games]] |
| 320 | * Solar Boy Django is almost silent in the first ''VideoGame/{{Boktai}}'' game. (This gets a bit strained in the longer cutscenes -- Otenko or Sabata has to do all the talking for him.) He has a few lines in the sequel, and in ''Lunar Knights'', where he and Sabata are on a more even keel as protagonists, he has plenty to say. |
| 321 | * ''Brave Story: New Traveler's'' protagonist, Tatsuya, only utters brief one-liners in battle, and otherwise has no dialogue throughout the game. |
| 322 | * Ryu, from the many ''VideoGame/BreathOfFire'' {{RPG}}s. In ''Dragon Quarter'' Ryu talks, and this time, Nina is silent for plot-related reasons. |
| 323 | ** In ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireI'', Ryu has two lines. When you briefly gain control of Nina, you can talk to the sleeping Ryu who will mumble a few words about his sister. He also says, "Well, there is one thing..." when asked by the King of Winlan what he wants as a reward for saving the King and Nina. |
| 324 | ** Breath of Fire II has Ryu speak in a flashback where you control his mother. |
| 325 | ** Ryu actually does talk in ''[[VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV IV]]''[='=]s ending, when [[spoiler:he reunites with Fou-Lu and becomes a full dragon.]] He's also quite verbose, with a sprite that actually ''shows him talking''...but not actually letting you see what he says. Other characters react as if he just explained something quite complicated, and you get the impression of what he said, but really, Capcom? Averted in the manga adaptation [[spoiler: even before the fusion]]. |
| 326 | * ''VideoGame/BreathOfDeathVII'' ruthlessly parodies the concept with the mute skeleton hero Dem. Other characters constantly go against his desires and suggestions since he can't express them, and the one character who can understand him, a mind reader, ignores his opinions anyway. |
| 327 | * Crono from ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' is the big one -- so big, in fact, that this is lampshaded in one of the endings (his first and only line of dialogue is met with a surprised "Crono talked!"), though a ghostly version of him in ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' did speak. |
| 328 | * The main character in ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' has the title "Silent Protagonist" in his status window. His dialogue choices do suggest that he's talkative enough, with answers that form full sentences instead of simple "Yes" or "No". [[spoiler:When the he switches bodies with the false antagonist Lynx, Lynx begins talking through Serge, with Serge's mugshot accompanying. A few party members will point out that Serge had, up to that point, never said a word, but still remain entirely fooled. Of course, Serge never says a word as Lynx.]] |
| 329 | ** The only times Serge is seen even possibly talking are threefold: twice, it fades to black as he supposedly is explaining something, and once just before he passes out, though all that's displayed in Serge's text box is a question mark. |
| 330 | * The protagonist of ''VideoGame/CodeVein'', like the ''VideoGame/GodEater'' protagonists, is a silent player avatar [[spoiler: until the ending]]. |
| 331 | * ''VideoGame/CrossCode'' explores the idea, playing it for both drama and comedy. Lea, the protagonist, can't speak due to a malfunction in [[MyselfMyAvatar her avatar]]'s speech module. Her MissionControl hard-codes several basic words into the avatar, and Lea makes good use of them during her journey. However, she still can't communicate properly on more complex themes, which often becomes a problem. To compensate for her effective muteness and emphasize that she's an actual character, rather than just the player's vessel, she is given an extra large range of {{Character Portrait}}s, more than anyone else in the game. |
| 332 | * The main protagonist in ''VideoGame/DarkCloud''. Although the game is text based he is never seen speaking more than an occasional Ellipsis or two. The other playable main characters do speak during cutscenes and other times, while playing as them in a dungeon they are silent save for a few attack noises. Averted in the sequel. |
| 333 | * The ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' series has a completely customizable player avatar. Though there's far less dialogue in those games than in most [=JRPGs=], and the emphasis is more on exploration and lore than on the main plot. |
| 334 | ** The trope continues in ''Dark Souls II'', ''III'' and ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}''. For ''VideoGame/EldenRing'', however, the player character can speak a few words from certain emotes. |
| 335 | * Played with (and possibly [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructed]]) in the [[NoExportForYou Japan-only]] ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' video games for the Wonderswan. Ryo Akiyama starts off talking normally, but Taichi notices that he stopped responding to people once he reveals that the D-1 Tournament was actually just an elaborate TrainingFromHell so that Ryo could go defeat Milleniummon for the umpteenth time. In ''VideoGame/DigimonTamersBraveTamer'', he says his name and "card slash", but that's about it. It's implied to be voluntary, as he's been pretty traumatized in these games. |
| 336 | ** Meanwhile both of the ''VideoGame/DigimonStoryCyberSleuth'' games give us an odd example in that, while the protagonist's spoken dialog is never explicitly written outside of dialog choices, they're ''shown'' speaking during cutscenes, and their inner thoughts are laid bare for the player to read. |
| 337 | * ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'': |
| 338 | ** The heroes of every game, aside from the ''VideoGame/DragonQuestHeroes'' games, are heroic mimes, which is quite ironic since they often get to [[spoiler:become kings and rule fairly large countries in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'', ''VideoGame/DragonQuestII'', ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'', ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' and ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' (the "State of the Kingdom" speeches must be quite short)]] and also often become role models for characters who happen to speak A LOT. |
| 339 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'': Played straight in the original Famicon version, averted in the English Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem, where Erdrick yells for a kidnapped couple to run away from Robbin' 'Ood. Also, your party members, although there's one clear aversion: after returning from Gaia's Navel, the party member in the second position will have a comment/question about your experience, dependent on their class/gender. If you sent a party member to the dungeon and put the Hero in the second position, he/she will have Visible Silence instead. |
| 340 | ** The main character of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'' is not only a mute, he falls in love with a princess who spends most of the game whinnying due to being turned into a horse. Though, you do see him chatter with other characters during cutscenes. He actually pantomimes a lot, making one think he is actually mute rather than just a silent hero. Which is sort of odd, because there is a (voiceless) scream ability in combat. |
| 341 | ** In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'', each chapter has a different main character - the main character for that chapter doesn't speak, but if you meet main characters from other chapters (e.g. Torneko can meet Ragnar in the Endor casino) then they talk like normal. The only exception is Chapter 4, where Maya and Meena, the two main characters for the chapter, speak freely between themselves. The DS port also had the "party talk" option that greatly expanded the main cast, but this was cut from the English release to keep the localization budget low. The game even {{lampshades}} this when the hero is asked by a master merchant what the secret to success is. |
| 342 | --->'''Conrad 'Ilton''': "Wot's the single most important thing when it comes to business?"\ |
| 343 | '''Hero''': "...?"\ |
| 344 | '''Conrad 'Ilton''': "I couldn't 'ave said it better, meself. You're right! Silence is golden, as they say."\ |
| 345 | '''Hero''': "???" |
| 346 | ** Played with somewhat in the ending of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestSwords''. After the heroic mime defeats the villain the City of Avalonia is in celebration. Anlace and Fleurette encourage the hero to say something inspirational to the assembled masses. The hero's father Claymore then puts in his own opinion, "Take no notice of them, lad. Now's not the time for words." |
| 347 | ** The Hero's real world counterpart in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' is able to speak normally when you meet him. |
| 348 | ** Interestly, in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' there's a point where [[spoiler:due to TimeTravel, you meet your older self as a child, and your younger self as an adult. In both cases, the "other" you speaks freely.]] |
| 349 | ** In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'' the main character never speaks and there's even an option to turn off his VoiceGrunting -- though not much is made about it during the game. It is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] however in the short character bios that appear in the loading screens. Cole, a young boy who idolizes the main character, is said to have attempted the "strong and silent type" act. [[spoiler:Similar to ''Dragon Quest V'', you also meet the hero's younger self thanks to time travel, and he talks to you and his father in the brief moment you see him.]] |
| 350 | * The Arisen from ''VideoGame/DragonsDogma'', being completely player-created. The Pawns are aversions but they're still customized by the player. The Arisen in the 2020 Dragon's Dogma anime is named Ethan and, for some reason, averts this trope. |
| 351 | * Russel, the protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Dubloon}}'', also [[SilentBob speaks inexplicitly]]. [[AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent When you take control of Riley and Ricky]], you can talk to Russel to get the [[VisibleSilence "..."]] response. |
| 352 | * In ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'', whoever is the current party leader (which varies between chapters) won't utter a peep, but will promptly start speaking once the leader role changes. However, NPC's do imply your character saying things, such as a Cultist saying to Ness "What? You're saying I can only stand in one spot? That's not true, see?" |
| 353 | %%** Ness's inability to speak is {{Deconstructed}} in the Japanese version, as after Ness defeated the Carpainter, Porky ([[DubNameChange Pokey]]) was willing to be his friend again, but because Ness saids nothing, Porky thought that Ness is spiting him and, as a result, Porky decided to cut ties with him and runs off. NiceJobBreakingItHero. |
| 354 | ** Also done in ''VideoGame/Mother3'' where the character the player controls never talks, but will once the player is controlling someone else. The one exception to this rule is Salsa, who never talks regardless. He's a monkey, sure, but your human main characters seem to have no trouble understanding any other animal. (Boney, Lucas's dog, is a playable character who actually gets a surprising amount of "dialogue", translated for the player's benefit.) |
| 355 | *** In one scene, which takes place at the start of Duster's chapter, is a repeat of a scene from Flint's chapter, with Flint actually saying something this time around, to symbolize the role of player character moving to Duster, who doesn't speak for the rest of his chapter. |
| 356 | *** Lucas, as the main character, actually does have a single line of dialogue during the time you play as him; however, it's easy to miss as he's repeating a line an NPC said. Most players won't check the name of the person saying it and dismiss it as WelcomeToCorneria. |
| 357 | * In all of the ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' games, the main character is supposed to be silent, yet talkative, with answers that goes well beyond the simple "Yes" or "No". |
| 358 | ** In ''Videogame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' and ''Videogame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', should the player join [[ProfessionalKiller The Dark Brotherhood]], or even interact with the members, clients, and marks, the player can choose to be silent, with the appropriate response by the one that's spoken to. |
| 359 | ** One of the dragon power in ''Skyrim'' allows you to "Throw Voice" to distract people. It features audible mocking sounds. |
| 360 | * ''VideoGame/{{Fable|I}}'': The hero has no dialogue, but he says single words (such as "Follow" or "Shit") when you use certain commands, and [[spoiler:mouths "Mum!" when his mother is killed right in front of him.]] |
| 361 | ** The Hero of ''VideoGame/FableII'' has no speaking lines aside from grunts and screams and the occasional "Yeah!". These mostly appear when performing expressions. The Hero of ''VideoGame/FableIII'' however has several lines of dialogue though they are few and far between. |
| 362 | * ''Videogame/{{Fallout}}'' plays this in the exact same manner as ''The Elder Scrolls'' above, even before the franchise is in Bethesda (the developers of ''The Elder Scrolls''). Averted in ''Videogame/Fallout4''. |
| 363 | * ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'': |
| 364 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'': For the most part, your entire party has no lines, and given that they are clearly not meant to be characters in their own right, you won't really notice or care. However, reading the description for the Rat's Tail yields a pretty funny conversation between them, where they almost consider throwing it away. "No!! Don't do that!!" |
| 365 | ** Gogo in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' is a '''literal''' heroic mime, who talks to you a couple times. He ([[AmbiguousGender or she]]) can imitate anything the other characters can do right after it is done. Also, in the prologue of [=FF6=], the protagonist is called ????????? and doesn't speak because she's manipulated by Kefka through a device called a Slave Crown, making the player think she would be a heroic mime. Subverted in both cases: Gogo is one of the least important party members in the game (alongside Umaro and Mog), and the player can decide not to have him in the party at all, while Terra, despite being the closest the game has to a protagonist, is only silent in the prologue. Once her Slave Crown is removed, after the prologue chapter, her name is revealed and she becomes a fully speaking character. |
| 366 | ** With the obvious exception of the MMO games, however, the series has averted this trope. Even Firion from 2 and Luneth[=/=]the Onion Knights from 3 were speaking characters from their first appearance. |
| 367 | * The custom character, AKA the Glaive, from VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV. In a strange inversion, however, while being the main character in the special episode Comrades (which is multiplayer-based), the Glaive is by far the latest and least plot-relevant party member to join the actual main character Noctis Lucis Caelum in the main game, being only available in a part of Chapter 14. The Glaive even stops appearing in cutscenes in the final dungeon. [[spoiler: He/she doesn't even take part in the final boss fight against Ardyn Izunia, who is dueled by Noctis alone, and the ending revolves around Noctis, Ignis, Gladiolus and Prompto rather than him/her]]. |
| 368 | ** Noctis himself has dialogue options, but he's an aversion. |
| 369 | * Walter Feng from ''VideoGame/FrontMission5'' is a downplayed example, with some voiced lines in animated cutscenes but really few, and mostly talking through dialogue trees. Previous [=MCs=] in the Front Mission series have consistently averted it. |
| 370 | * ''VideoGame/GloryOfHeracles'' series downplays it. Main characters are silent in the story, but will shout battle cries and [[CallingYourAttacks spell names]] in descriptions for their actions. The [[VideoGame/GloryOfHeraclesDS fifth game]] has the hero speaking complete sentences in battles and playing a flute in the story, but still doesn't let him utter anything beyond VisibleSilence in normal dialogue. |
| 371 | * In the GBA ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' games, Isaac and Felix are Heroic Mimes when you play as them, but have a number of speaking roles when you're playing the other. Both have speaking roles in the ending, where you're not playing as either, Felix also says "why" once when you are in control of him in one particular scene (which might have been a translation goof since he originally just said "?"). |
| 372 | ** One scene in ''The Lost Age'' has Jenna and Sheba demanding Piers to tell them his age and they tease him over it when he refuses. Piers begs Felix to stop the girls from teasing him but Felix says nothing, causing Piers to think Felix is in on the girls' shenanigans. |
| 373 | ** Isaac's first speaking appearance in ''The Lost Age'' shattered quite a lot of notions fans had about him from the first game -- up until that point he'd been presumed to be a total NiceGuy from his actions, so it was a little startling for him to start ''snapping'' at people. |
| 374 | ** Subverted: in The Lost Age's ending scene, Felix is SuddenlySpeaking and has 2-3 lines. |
| 375 | ** In ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'', Matthew is as silent as his father and uncle, with ''lots'' of LampshadeHanging. Also like his uncle, the American version makes [[PrecisionFStrike one noticable exception]] late in the game. Though we're not told exactly [[SymbolSwearing what he said]]. Additionally, the game has a unique take on {{Dialogue Tree}}s where instead of picking a response the player chooses what emotion they want Matthew to express. While it's not clear what exactly is said, he's apparently very vocal in these moments with [[TeamMom Karis]] referring to one of his "angry" responses as "graphic". |
| 376 | * ''VideoGame/{{Growlanser}} I'', ''III'', ''IV'', ''V'', and ''VI'' feature a silent protagonist. The player can select many dialogue options, but there is no voice acting for them nor do they speak in cutscenes. |
| 377 | * ''VideoGame/HerosRealm'' has sixteen heroes… with not one line between them. |
| 378 | * Endir from ''VideoGame/IAmSetsuna'' doesn't speak at all, but most of his choices are ButThouMust. He can be considered a SupportingProtagonist, as the story, as the title implies, focuses more on Setsuna herself. |
| 379 | * ''VideoGame/JourneyOn'': While Selena and Shirley get dialogue choices and occasionally use the stock MV emoticons, they don't get fully spoken lines like the [=NPCs=]. |
| 380 | * Kevin in ''Kakurenbo Battle Monster Tactics''; Toppy is his NinjaButterfly. |
| 381 | * The Fateless One in ''VideoGame/KingdomsOfAmalurReckoning'' is able to hold entire conversations without actually saying a word aloud. |
| 382 | * The same thing happens in ''VideoGame/LegendOfLegaia''. Noa, the second of three main characters, is a Heroic Mime when you play her alone, but when she joins full-time mime Vahn, she immediately becomes a NoSocialSkills GenkiGirl. |
| 383 | ** ''Legaia 2'' is a subversion similar to Mass Effect: Lang never speaks without a dialogue choice, though he says a longer version of the dialogue prompt after selecting it and continues the dialogue scene on his own. |
| 384 | * The main character in ''VideoGame/LegendOfMana'', who is given a yes or no option (although some of the variations have quite the attitude in them). It is even parodied in the quest ''Gilbert: School Amour'', where the hero/heroine tries to convince the kids to return to school. One states that "Adults are boring and they only answer questions with a yes or no. I bet you're no different, aren't you?" Your only responses are "Yes" and "No". |
| 385 | ** They do get a single line of dialogue at the end of the Jumi quest line. [[spoiler: After being cured of their petrification, they return home and tell Bud and Lisa "I'm back!"]] |
| 386 | * ''VideoGame/LiveALive'': |
| 387 | ** Pogo, as he's a caveman who predates human language. [[spoiler:He does get to blurt out the word "love" at the end of his chapter, though.]] |
| 388 | ** Oersted is a Heroic Mime for most of the game. [[spoiler:Until [[StartOfDarkness just before he turns into the main villain, Odio]], and is fully talkative from that point onward.]] |
| 389 | * In ''VideoGame/LufiaTheRuinsOfLore'', Eldin reacts a lot, and vocalizes a lot of "..." and "?" and the like, but only gets one speaking line: "I'm [[HelloInsertNameHere Eldin]]." |
| 390 | * The ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series plays with it in that Mario and Luigi are plenty talkative, and fully voiced, [[SpeakingSimlish the player just isn't privy to what they're actually saying]] outside of token catchphrases and names, though they can infer based on NPC reactions. |
| 391 | * Despite no one having any voiced lines in the game ''VideoGame/MetalSaga'' (All dialogue is in text form) the player character gets special mention because he says ABSOLUTELY NOTHING the entire game. His normal line is "...." If he sees something curious he goes "...?" Something startling? "...!" [[ItMakesSenseInContext A giant peach emerges from the sand wielding a knife?]] "..?!" Of course, he has answer choices with plenty of "dialogue," but it is unknown if these are merely his thoughts, or if he is communicating them some other way, like writing it down. |
| 392 | * The protagonist from VideoGame/MortalShell. Justified, as, like in most SoulslikeRPG, he has few people to talk to. |
| 393 | * Ari, the protagonist in ''VideoGame/OkageShadowKing'' is perfectly capable of speaking, but is so unimpressive that no one pays any attention to what he says anyway, overshadowed by his own shadow. Also every dialogue choice aways offer a choice of "......" or a line in that's only spoken in his head. |
| 394 | * ''VideoGame/{{Omori}}'' isn't much of a talker, even if he is capable of writing down his thoughts. [[spoiler:However, he begins speaking once he stops being the protagonist and becomes the TrueFinalBoss.]] |
| 395 | ** [[spoiler: Sunny, the protagonist of the Faraway segments, also does not say a word until the very end of the game where he utters one single line that marks the beginning of his confession.]] |
| 396 | * ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' parodies the trope in Chapter 4 where Mario and the fake Mario, aka [[spoiler:Doopliss]], [[GrandTheftMe swap bodies]] and Mario has to find a way to get his name and body back. When you find the fake Mario and [[PartyInMyPocket the real Mario's allies]], one of the allies mention how weird it is for Mario (the fake) to be suddenly chatty when he's been quiet all this time. |
| 397 | * The hero in ''VideoGame/PhantomDust'' isn't shown speaking at any point in the game. |
| 398 | * The player character Trainers in the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' series don't talk a lot, although there's a short and very confusing conversation with a mimic in ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' in which the player character does say a couple of lines, asking the mimic girl if she likes imitating people. It's also lampshaded in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Gold and Silver]]'', which ends with fighting Red, the protagonist of the last game, who only speaks in [[VisibleSilence ellipses]]. |
| 399 | ** In ''[=HeartGold=]'' and ''[=SoulSilver=]'', the mimic girl returns, "imitates" the main character saying that s/he will help her find her doll, and then adds that she ''knows'' that's not what you said, but wants you to help all the same. |
| 400 | ** Was also {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Ruby and Sapphire]]'' when a character asks where the player came from, but the only options are [[MathematiciansAnswer "Yes" or "No"]], leading to some awkward responses. |
| 401 | ** Also in ''Red'' and ''Blue'': If you talk to one of the chefs on S.S. Anne, he'll ask you what you want to eat, and when you don't respond he'll announce that you are "the strong silent type". |
| 402 | ** The player characters do speak occasionally, as gathered from NPC's responses. Based on the RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear nature of the responses, though, the [=PCs=] are TheUnintelligible when they speak at all. |
| 403 | ** Lampshaded again in ''[=HeartGold=]'' and ''[=SoulSilver=]'' - you can talk to your Pokémon and one of the responses is "[Pokémon name] seems nervous. Want to say something?" If you say "Yes" it responds, "Whoa! Your Pokémon seemed surprised!" |
| 404 | ** In ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Black and White]]'', there are two instances of what ''might'' be Hilda/Hilbert speaking aloud to themselves, in which they express curiosity as to the source of the sounds coming from the top of Dragonspiral Tower. The messages are expressed in an unusually personal-sounding tone, and appear in unique text boxes at the top of the screen rather than the bottom. Their true nature, though, is ambiguous, as no other characters are around to "hear" them. |
| 405 | *** Also, while you are silent, there's a lot more implied talking than in other games. |
| 406 | ** In ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 Black 2 and White 2]]'', the player character still keeps their traditional silence throughout the main course of the game. As an actor at Pokéstar Studios however, the character is able to recite full lines of dialogue during the movie. |
| 407 | ** In ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'', this is usually the case. Wes doesn't speak, ''except'' during Pokémon Battles when the player uses the Call command, a game mechanic unique for this game, most often used to make a Shadow Pokémon snap out of the rage it tends to fly into due to the [[TheCorruption dark corruption]] that Shadow Pokémon are cursed with. When this happens, Wes simply shouts its name. |
| 408 | ** The protagonist in ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' is the most vocal yet. You still have no real pre-created dialogue but several times throughout the game you're given options with dialogue. It also plays with the usual nondescript Yes/No options when the non-selected player character asks you a question. |
| 409 | --->'''Serena/Calem''': Was someone from Team Flare here just now?\ |
| 410 | -Yes\ |
| 411 | -[[BadLiar No...]] |
| 412 | ** Lampshaded again in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Sun and Moon]]'' when the protagonist encounters [[LegendaryInTheSequel Final Bosses]] and VitriolicBestBuds, Red and Blue. Any question posed towards Red is answered with [[VisibleSilence "..."]] and eventually results in the much more chatty and outgoing Blue saying "As silent as ever, eh?" It's also revealed to be a [[TheVoiceless character trait]] since Blue's the only in-game person who can understand him, and barring exceptions like ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'', the franchise has acknowledged that Red's Heroic Mime trait to be his actual personality rather than a gameplay mechanic. |
| 413 | ** Red is similarly quiet in ''VideoGame/PokemonMasters'', while all other trainers you meet, including other past protagonists like Rosa from ''Black 2''/''White 2'', are fully voiced. Even his female counterpart Leaf is fully voiced and distinct from him, reinforcing that being silent is Red's actual character. On one occasion, another character complains about Red's refusal to talk during a trainer battle, resulting in a rare instance of actual dialogue from Red... in which he says his Pokémon can already understand him perfectly, so talking is completely pointless. |
| 414 | ** Red's silence is so distinct to him that Bulbapedia, which keeps a script of everything that any major character has said, [[OverlyLongGag filled his Quotes page with ellipses]], as seen [[https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_(game)/Quotes here]]. |
| 415 | ** The ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'' games are generally aversions; although your characters don't ''speak'' (except for the endings, which are usually {{Tear Jerker}}s), they are [[FirstPersonSmartass rather talkative in their heads]]. In ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonGatesToInfinity'', the protagonist has rare dialogue but asks questions at various points). |
| 416 | ** Pikachu in ''VideoGame/PokeparkWii'' remains completely mute throughout the game despite it averting PokemonSpeak similar to Mystery Dungeon. This becomes more apparent in PokéPark 2, where the Unova starters, the other three playable protagonists, do have dialogue. |
| 417 | ** Your Hero/Heroine in ''VideoGame/PokemonConquest'' is a little more on the talkative side during gameplay, but all of his/her lines are rather generic. During the storyline, they play this trope straight. |
| 418 | * Both the main ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series and its various sub-series (''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'', ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'', etc.) use this. |
| 419 | ** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 2}}'' has a variation of the trope. The main characters of ''Innocent Sin'' and ''Eternal Punishment'' (Tatsuya and Maya, respectively) are party members in the other's game. Each one is mute in the game where he/she is the protagonist, while being able to talk in the other game. Anyone who played both versions can confirm the strangeness of hearing a previously mute character talk, which is quite interesting. This is stranger with Maya, who in ''Innocent Sin'' is established as being chatty and scatterbrained, but doesn't utter a peep in ''Eternal Punishment'' (other than the occasional player-selected responses). At least Tatsuya always maintains his calm, cold personality, even when he starts talking. |
| 420 | ** The protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' is a borderline example who seems to be TheQuietOne in-universe more than a straight-up Heroic Mime, rather befitting his EmoTeen design. He'll call out the names of [[FightingSpirit Personas]] and has a few lines when using items in battle, and the player must make him respond to other people's dialogue, but he never speaks more than one sentence at a time and his dialogue options are usually laconic and blunt. Around SEES, he's generally rather quiet, sticking to one-on-one conversations with the rest of the cast; he ''can'' be seen engaging in small talk every now and then, but his actual dialogue is never heard. The alternate female protagonist's dialogue prompts paint her as significantly less quiet and more cheery, but her conversations with characters aside from player-chosen prompts are similarly glossed over. The use of battle tactics would suggest that the protagonists are commanding the rest of the party in real time, but the player never hears them. Meanwhile, Aigis in ''The Answer'' averts this completely and talks freely with visible text boxes, making her the first ''Megami Tensei'' protagonist to talk like this. |
| 421 | ** The protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' similarly only has voice acted lines in battle when summoning his Persona, though some personality can also be gleaned from the dialogue options; he's a bit less curt in his dialogue options than the ''P3'' hero, and the option of telling people to 'calm down' comes up repeatedly, almost to the point of it being a bit of a running joke. In a number of group situations and meetups, the protagonist is seen talking among the group quite casually and easily, although, again, this dialogue is simply glossed over. While spoken dialogue is almost non-existent, in-universe he's reasonably chatty. |
| 422 | ** Downplayed even more with the protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'', who has a tiny amount of voice-acted dialogue in major story cutscenes and interjects some brief lines when navigating menus, in battles, and exploring the world. The game's narration, while written with very little personality, is also presented [[InternalMonologue in first person as his thoughts]], rather than previous games that used second person (though narration is used far less often than ''Persona 3'' and ''4'', with [[ExpositionFairy Morgana usually pointing things out instead]]). However, he still never voices his DialogueTree lines, never speaks with full text boxes like other characters, and has the fewest spoken lines of any named character in the game, despite being the one the audience spends 95% of the story with. In spite of that, he does have a clear personality: he's surprisingly HotBlooded, has some shades of being a BloodKnight, and even is a bit [[LargeHam hammy]]. It's implied the reason he's rather quiet is from feigning meekness after the MiscarriageOfJustice that got him landed in probation, in an attempt to keep his head down and avoid more trouble. Interestingly, he has far more frequent dialogue options in the new Confidant scenes added in ''Persona 5 [[UpdatedRerelease Royal]]'' compared to the vanilla game. So far, he's the only protagonist that's remained silent in spinoff games; even in ''P5'''s anime adaptation, he's rather quiet. |
| 423 | ** Adaptations and spinoffs tend to zigzag this. The ''P4'' protagonist speaks freely and rather frequently in the anime, manga, and spinoff games, while the ''P3'' and ''5'' heroes tend to be more quiet. In ''[[VideoGame/PersonaQShadowOfTheLabyrinth Persona Q]]'', the protagonist that is not chosen as the player character speaks freely, while the player-controlled one remains silent. In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', the ''P5'' hero is, ironically, one of the talkiest members of the cast (though the [[FightingGame nature of the game]] restricts most of his dialogue to general TrashTalk). In ''[[VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth Q2]]'', the female protagonist of ''3'' is presented as ''very'' chatty. |
| 424 | ** Serph, the main character of ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'', does not make so much as a noise in the first game. He gets a sort of confused grunt near the beginning of the second, which may not be enough to prepare the player for the flashback sequence in which he is downright chatty. [[spoiler:The talkative Serph in the flashback is not actually the player character, but the man (now dead) your Heroic Mime was based on. ''Your'' Serph is always silent. And it is actually a plot point, hammering the point the two are ''nothing'' alike.]] That said, Serph does have a few text options that are more than Yes or No. One of them even prompts hilarity from Heat. Subverted however, as Serph is just a silent DecoyProtagonist.[[spoiler: He falls in the EGG and dies, then Gale and Sera take the spotlight and they talk with visible text boxes even as protagonists. And before the final dungeon, Serph fuses with Sera to become Seraph, who is a fully voiced character.]] |
| 425 | *** Unlike many Megaten protagonists, however, Serph completely averts this trope in the novel adaptation Literature/QuantumDevilSagaAvatarTuner, where he has full dialogues and even his thoughts shown to the reader from the start. Most lines spoken by Gale in the game are spoken by Serph in the book, as the author Yu Godai herself said Gale was created just to speak the dialogue that was meant for Serph, and didn't want to include him in the book as Serph is not silent there. Unlike most protagonists from Persona adaptations, Serph is not DemotedToExtra, and not even TheQuietOne in the book: Heat has less overall lines than him. This has the side effect of turning Gale into TheArtifact in the novels, only there because he existed in the game [[spoiler: as shown by the fact that Gale's real self does not even exist at all in the book continuity]]. |
| 426 | ** The Protagonist of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'' downplays this trope. While he never has non-player-chosen dialogue in cutscenes, he's actually quite talkative, and in fact this is a major gameplay aspect for recruiting demons. While out in the field, with few people to talk to, all his lines occur in Demon Negotiation unless he's receiving instructions from other Strike Team members in the area; during plot scenes, he will restrict himself to choosing from several [[CharacterAlignment alignment-defining]] options, but is otherwise TheStoic as far as the crew is concerned. He has no voiced lines during dialogue sections and cutsecnes however, but in ''Redux'' has all of his lines in combat voiced where he is ''very'' talkative, yelling multiple orders and attacks to his demons as is instructed of military officers to do so. He does far more than just CallingYourAttacks. |
| 427 | ** Flynn's voice lines from ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' are limited to just saying ''Burroughs'' when he opens the menu and very rare bits of combat based dialogue. He does however have several bits of dialogue the player can choose that are important in driving the story. He is fully voiced in the sequel ''Apocalypse'' while Nanashi takes over as the heroic mime. |
| 428 | ** VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiV continues with this trope with the Nahobino, with Aogami serving as a VoiceForTheVoiceless and sometimes talking through his body. The Demi-Fiend is still this trope when you ifght him as a boss. |
| 429 | ** The Protagonist of ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' is this as well; however, he has many [[DialogueTree dialogue options]], some that can even influence events that take place. His default characterization seems to be [[TheStoic stoicism,]] however, although with a hidden DeadpanSnarker tendency and a degree of MediumAwareness as he gives an AsideGlance to the player whenever they choose certain dialogue options. |
| 430 | ** The Protagonist of Devil Survivor 2 is this as well, but his dialogue options are often expressive. He's more silent in the anime adaptation, where he's named Hibiki Kuze, than he is in the game! |
| 431 | ** In the ''VideoGame/{{Raidou|KuzunohaVSTheSoullessArmy}} [[VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsKingAbaddon Kuzunoha]]'' games, Raidou only grunts when in battle. During conversations, his dialog tends to go like this: |
| 432 | --->"Raidou explained the circumstances of the investigation to * insert name here* " |
| 433 | *** Raidou is SuddenlyVoiced talks when met as a superboss in the secret dungeon of ''Soul Hackers''. The actual protagonist of ''VideoGame/SoulHackers'' doesn't speak however audibly, and is limited to choosing dialogue as is standard. |
| 434 | *** Raidou is also SuddenlyVoiced in the HD Remaster of ''Nocturne'', but still lets Gotou do all the talking for him as opposed to ''Soul Hackers'' where he's chatty to that game's protagonists. His voiced lines come into play when he's summoning various demons, and in one cutscene, he's audibly chanting before being stopped by Gotou. For whatever reason however, he still Gotou do all the talking to the Demi-Fiend. |
| 435 | ** ''VideoGame/TokyoMirageSessionsFE'' averts it with Itsuki Aoi, who speaks and has a fixed name despite mostly being a SupportingProtagonist. It's probably the consequence of the game being a crossover with ''Franchise/FireEmblem'', which usually averts this trope. |
| 436 | ** ''VideoGame/SoulHackers2'' also averts this trope with Ringo, who is as chatty as other party members. |
| 437 | * The New Kid is this in ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'', and the other characters all treat him as if he ''can'' speak but is merely choosing not to, usually out of some misplaced sense of entitlement. Even his own father gets irked at his silence. The only time he speaks is in the ending, where [[spoiler:when the guys ask him what he wants to play next, he tells them "[[ScrewThisImOuttaHere Screw you guys, I'm going home]]".]] The New Kid's muteness continues in ''Videogame/SouthParkTheFracturedButWhole'', with the rest of the kids having gotten mostly used to it by now and having to follow along with his physical gestures to get what he wants to do. The adults still treat him like he can, but won't speak, however. At some point he ''does'' need to pray to Jesus Christ, but even if his lips move, not a sound comes out. The New Kid, however, makes up for it with social media hashtags and by emoting more often than the last game, [[WhenSheSmiles and even smiles a bit more too!]] |
| 438 | * The main heroes in the ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' series tend to be mute. Kinda weird given they command large armies in their games. It's clear that they actually do talk because whenever your character is given a decision to make (even answering a simple yes-or-no question), you're given specific dialogue options what the hero will say in response. Sometimes you're even given only one dialogue "option" to choose. Though even after voice acting was implemented in the series, you won't hear them speak the lines you pick. Since outside of these situations they pretty much [[VoiceForTheVoiceless have other characters speak in their place]], apparently the heroes of the "main" games are each TheQuietOne. Except for ''VideoGame/SuikodenIII'', which has ''three'' main heroes, all of whom have plenty to say in-game. In the adaptations, most Suikoden main characters are still silent, but Tir [=McDohl=] in the ''Suikoden 1'' manga isn't. |
| 439 | ** The Prince in ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'' has a lot of personality for a Heroic Mime, though. Like the other characters, he has a very detailed character model, so while he never says a word, his body language and facial expressions speak volumes. |
| 440 | ** The player character in ''VideoGame/SuikodenTierkreis'' talks A LOT, and has a very hyper, gung-ho, HotBlooded and almost-[[{{Keet}} keetish]] personality. "We won't know until we try!!" |
| 441 | ** [[VideoGame/SuikodenTactics Kyril]] also talks. In Kyril's game, if certain conditions are fulfilled, [[spoiler:''VideoGame/SuikodenIV''[='=]s protagonist Lazlo appears, and suddenly talks.]] |
| 442 | ** [[spoiler:Tir [=McDohl=] (the hero from ''VideoGame/SuikodenI'') also talks in ''VideoGame/SuikodenII''.]] |
| 443 | * ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' set the stage for future Mario [=RPGs=] by giving the title character no in-game dialogue, communicating primarily through mime, player choices, and (in a few memorable instances) transforming into other characters. This is lampshaded in the second battle against Belome, where he gets the ability to create clones of your party members. While using Psychopath on the other clones gives dialogue loosely related to their personalities and goals, the Mario clone will just yield "......" |
| 444 | * For the ''VideoGame/TalesOf'' series: |
| 445 | ** The Descender in the ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheWorld'' Radiant Mythology Series as well as the first in the series in general. Like Ludger he/she may do some [[CallingYourAttacks calling of attacks]] in battle and their Mystic Artes. The Descender also has various dialogue choices to choose during story dialogue and skits. |
| 446 | ** Ludger, the protagonist of ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia2'' is completely silent, save for some grunts, [[{{Kiai}} yells]], and the usual [[CallingYourAttacks calling of attacks]] in battle (though even in that case, he only ever says the attack's name, leaving out the usual BadassCreed from his solo [[LimitBreak Mystic Artes]], and letting his partner say it for the dual Mystic Artes). The only actual lines you can hear from him are for the dialogue choices you pick in skits and cutscenes, and they aren't actually voiced until you enable the option in a NewGamePlus. On the few instances where Ludger runs into an AlternateSelf, however, they ''do'' talk. No other mothership title uses this trope. |
| 447 | ** The Savior [[spoiler: Allen]] from VideoGame/TalesOfLink doesn't speak [[spoiler: until Chapter 5]]. |
| 448 | * Red from ''VideoGame/{{Transistor}}'' is ironically a ''professional singer'' who never says a word, though at least there's an in-universe explanation of her having her voice stolen at the start of the game. Tracks featuring her voice actress singing still feature prominently throughout the game, though, and she's still capable of humming along to the BGM when prompted. [[spoiler: She also gets her voice back just in time to say exactly ''one word'' at the end of the game.]] |
| 449 | * Played with in ''VideoGame/{{Underhero}}''. The playable Masked Kid only speaks with punctuation, and several characters even say they're very quiet. However, they do write in a journal, and towards the end of the game they speak twice; first when [[spoiler:they refuse to kill Mr. Stitches, saying "No"]], and they later say [[spoiler:"Good-bye" when they're trapped outside of their own world and about to leave through a portal that leads somewhere else]]. |
| 450 | * Rudy Roughknight, from ''[[VideoGame/WildArms1 Wild ARMs]]'' for the Playstation. This becomes even more apparent in the remake ''Wild Arms: Alter Code F'' for [=PS2=], where Rudy never speaks, but his two companions never shut up, even when they're all by themselves and are the sole party member controlled by the player. He has one whole line in the original if you skip Cecilia's intro and keep playing as Jack, allowing you to talk to him. |
| 451 | ** He does have one other line, where he apologizes to Calamity Jane for [[spoiler: saving her life.]] |
| 452 | ** Downplayed in VideoGame/WildArmsMillionMemories for Rudy, who is still silent, though he does have dialogue options (which were absent in the first game). |
| 453 | * VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX has a completely customizable avatar who has a selection of seven voices per gender. In battle, the avatar speaks normally, [[CallingYourAttacks saying attack names]] and issuing tactical commands just like everybody else does. In cutscenes, however, they become silent, save for the occasional unvoiced dialogue option. A few times, other characters awkwardly [[RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear repeat what the avatar just said to them just for the player's benefit]]. They, however, are just a SupportingProtagonist, as the story's actual main character is Elma. Their actual role in the plot is so little that it's Elma who appears in a Xenoblade 2 DLC as the cameo boss that represents of this game, rather than them. |
| 454 | * ''VideoGame/YIIKAPostModernRPG'' added the ''option'' to turn the protagonist into one. One of the game's biggest criticisms was the extreme amounts of [[PurpleProse prose-filled]] [[InnerMonologue Inner Monologues]] the main character gives throughout the entire game. A major update added the option to reduce the amount of monologues or make him ''completely'' silent. |
| 455 | * Adol from the ''VideoGame/{{Ys}}'' RPG series always has his dialogue summed up in the third person; for example, "Adol explains what he saw at the shrine". |
| 456 | ** He also speaks once in ''VideoGame/YsIIAncientYsVanishedTheFinalChapter'': "Wait! I WasOnceAMan, Dalles turned me into a monster." |
| 457 | ** ''Ys III: Wanderers From Ys'' gives Adol many lines of his own in the original version. The new age remake ''VideoGame/YsTheOathInFelghana'' changed that to bring it more in line with the rest of the series. In the Platform/PCEngine CD version, where most characters are voiced, he only speaks in text. |
| 458 | ** He has one speaking line in ''VideoGame/YsSeven'', when he's switched in as the active character he will say "All right!" This game even gives you an option to turn even that off, so he's completely silent, adhering to tradition. |
| 459 | ** It’s downplayed in ''VideoGame/YsVIIILacrimosaOfDana''. During gameplay, Adol does have some voiced lines, but during cutscenes, what little dialog he has is almost always either shown in third person narration, or dialog options. There are two occasions where he does speak normally, once when he gives a speech to the party right before a boss battle, then again at a climactic moment near the end, though you still get to choose his dialog. The game has sections of you temporarily controlling Dana, who averts this trope. |
| 460 | ** Even the ''Ys'' anime has Adol silent and a third-person narration explain what he says. |
| 461 | ** Yunica Tovah and Hugo [[spoiler:and Toal]] Fact from ''VideoGame/YsOrigin'' avert this trope. |
| 462 | ** In ''VideoGame/YsIXMonstrumNox'' both Adol and [[spoiler:the second Adol in the prison]] are silent, VoiceGrunting aside. However, when they meet, [[spoiler:the fake one speaks, while the real one doesn't. The fake one then gets absorbed,]] and then Adol proceeds to remain silent for the rest of the game. Averted completely by [[spoiler:Atra Nox Philius, Adol's godlike evil clone]]. |
| 463 | [[/folder]] |
| 464 | |
| 465 | [[folder:Simulation Game]] |
| 466 | * ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' in general is populated by a parade of extremely heroic and extremely silent {{Ace Pilot}}s as in the last five games in the universe the leads have yet to utter so much as a grunt... |
| 467 | ** Blaze in ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' is apparently only capable of saying yes, no, and giving basic orders to his wingmen. This becomes especially noticeable in missions where the flight leader must speak; in those cases, another character takes over as lead. He apparently speaks enough for one character to be able to recognize his voice. |
| 468 | * Protagonists in ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' rarely speak aside from "Yes" or "No" answers. They do appear to speak at times, but no dialogue boxes are shown. Some later games give InnerMonologue. |
| 469 | * Mei, the protagonist of ''JETT: The Far Shore'', never speaks, and radio queries to her vessel are always answered by her chatty copilot Isao. This is justified because she is a religious mystic who has taken a vow of silence, which in the eyes of her society makes her especially suited to the holy task of space exploration. |
| 470 | * Justified in ''VideoGame/LakeviewValley'', where the protagonist never speaks because they have no tongue. |
| 471 | * In ''VideoGame/LonesomeVillage'', the player character Wes never speaks, much like in the ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' and ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series which both inspired the game. |
| 472 | * While all the characters in ''VideoGame/PotionPermit'' [[PictorialSpeechBubble speak in emoticons]] when expressing their feelings, [[PlayerCharacter The Chemist]] exclusively does this because they don't have written dialogue like the others. |
| 473 | * ''VideoGame/TheStanleyParable'' has a weird example. Stanley lacks a voice, similar to the ''Half-Life'' and ''Portal'' examples above, and [[FeaturelessProtagonist is only seen from behind during cutscenes]]. However, the narrator will sometimes recite dialogue that he claims is being spoken by Stanley in response to things happening in the game. Of course, given the nature of this game and the fact that we never actually hear it from Stanley himself, [[UnreliableNarrator it's hard to say how much he actually talks, if at all]]. |
| 474 | * While Stella does VoiceGrunting in ''VideoGame/{{Spiritfarer}}'', most of her dialogue is only implied in her conversations with the spirits. For example, Giovanni parrots her refusal to pick the roses at Ambertown Park because it's "vandalism", despite this never being spoken onscreen by her. |
| 475 | * ''VideoGame/StyleSavvy'': The girl used to represent you doesn't talk in any of the games aside from text choices (ie. "yes" and "no" responses); this is obvious in the first game when Godfrey appears at Strata and while Renee says hi to him, your character greets him silently. |
| 476 | [[/folder]] |
| 477 | |
| 478 | [[folder:Stealth-Based Games]] |
| 479 | * The modern-day protagonist of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' is a newly-hired Abstergo Entertainment employee whose task is to go through the extracted ancestral memories of Desmond Miles and find good footage for a video game. In this case, the life of pirate/Assassin Edward Kenway. Unlike the games before this one, the protagonist is a FirstPersonGhost who exhibits this trope, and most of the game's focus is centered on the memories being explored (in this case, pirate-turned-Assassin Edward Kenway). ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRogue'' repeats the setup (albeit with a ''different'' Abstergo employee), while ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity Unity]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate Syndicate]]'' have '''no''' modern-day protagonist (arguably, you - the real-world player - are the modern-day protagonist); ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins Origins]]'' averts it by introducing a full, vocal character as the modern-day protagonist in the form of Layla Hassan, who continues to serve the role in ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey Odyssey]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla Valhalla]]''. |
| 480 | * ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'' has Corvo, though ironically most game critics and reviews state that his lack of speaking is a detriment to this game, as he pretty much has no personality beyond how much of a taste for bloodshed the player plays him to have. He becomes SuddenlyVoiced in ''VideoGame/Dishonored2''. |
| 481 | * The Player in ''VideoGame/HelloNeighbor'' never vocalizes anything. The Neighbor, on the other hand, is a SilentAntagonist but does vocalize a few gasps (when he sees the player) [[spoiler: and crying (in the ending of Alpha 3)]]. |
| 482 | * Even the iconic, richly-characterized Solid Snake of ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' fame used to be one of these, back in [[VideoGame/MetalGear1 the original game]]. While not entirely mute, he spoke a single line, which served more as proof the computer was responding, whenever he attempted to contact an ally via his radio communicator - ''"This is Solid Snake. Your reply, please..."''. Oddly, even this little line is [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness so at odds with]] his later characterization (he was {{retool}}ed from a refined, cynical [[Franchise/JamesBond Bond-type]] into a bitter, [[GeniusBruiser highly-intelligent]] WarriorPoet, although easily for the better) it's difficult to imagine him saying it, even knowing what his voice sounds like. |
| 483 | ** Downplayed with Big Boss/"Venom" Snake from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain''-while he has plenty of lines in the [[StoryBreadcrumbs intel tapes]], he only speaks a handful of times during the actual campaign. |
| 484 | * In ''VideoGame/SheepDogNWolf'', we have Ralph, although he's more of an anti-hero. Curiously, he ''does'' speak in some of the shorts from the [[WesternAnimation/RalphWolfAndSamSheepdog original cartoon series]], it's just the game that renders him mute. All we ever hear from him in the game is some grunts and heavy breathing. |
| 485 | [[/folder]] |
| 486 | |
| 487 | [[folder:Survival Horror]] |
| 488 | * None of the protagonists of the ''Franchise/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' series speak during gameplay, though [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2 Jeremy]] and [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3 the Fazbear's Fright Guard]] will have audible heavy breathing at times. It's averted with [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys4 The Child]] and [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation "Eggs Benedict"]], as the Child has text boxes in the between-nights cutscenes and Eggs gets a short voiced monologue at the end of the game, [[spoiler:swearing to come after [[BigBad his father]] for what he'd done]]. |
| 489 | * Twist from ''VideoGame/GoosebumpsNightOfScares'' doesn't say a single word throughout the game, not even when spoken to. |
| 490 | * ''VideoGame/{{Ib}}'': [[TheStoic Ib herself]]. The only speech we get from her is when the player answers a question, and implied speech (for example, when she first meets Garry, he asks her name, pauses and then says "Ib... Ib you say"). |
| 491 | * ''VideoGame/NekomewsPottyTrouble'': Nekomew himself never says anything, possibly justified by both experiences and young age. |
| 492 | * ''VideoGame/{{Outlast}}'': Besides grunting, heavy breathing, and the occasional screaming, Miles doesn't speak, even when directly spoken to. The same goes for Waylon in the Whistleblower DLC. However, they both take detailed notes about what they're experiencing as they progress through the asylum, which is how their personalities show themselves. |
| 493 | * Jennifer in ''VideoGame/RuleOfRose'' isn't entirely mute, but she never takes part in any conversations, just passively listening to the other characters, probably to show how detached she is from the rest of them. She only speaks to call for her dog...until near the end of the game when she's finally had enough, and tells exactly what she thinks about the "Aristocrats". |
| 494 | * Torque of ''VideoGame/TheSuffering'' is one of these. It even gets lampshaded by a pot-smoking corrections officer: |
| 495 | -->'''Sergei:''' What? Did you say something? No, I only think you did, hehehehehe... you're a quiet man. |
| 496 | ** Interestingly, they give him several lines of dialog in the sequel. |
| 497 | * ''VideoGame/TheWitchsHouse'': Viola never says a word throughout the game, even to the Cat, choosing to walk away as an answer when he gets too abrasive. She doesn't even speak when reunited with her father. [[spoiler:Subverted in the True Ending, when [[KickTheDog she gloats over the real Viola's efforts to try and get her body back]]]]. |
| 498 | [[/folder]] |
| 499 | |
| 500 | [[folder:Third-Person Shooter]] |
| 501 | * The Silencer of ''VideoGame/{{Crusader}}'' doesn't even shout a warning to his fellow Silencers before they're gunned down, he's such a Heroic Mime. He does grunt when he gets hurt. |
| 502 | * Isaac Clarke in the original ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'' speaks little except in anguished screams of pain or grunts/yells of exertion while using melee attacks. He does, however, take notes on his mission objectives in the main menu. According to the dev team, the debate between this approach and having Isaac speak continued right up to the game's launch. The only time he speaks proper is when [[spoiler:he yells a distorted "''Come on!''" at the end when the door to the shuttle's bridge is locked.]] |
| 503 | ** According to the aforementioned notes, Isaac has the expected reaction when trapped on a space station that's crawling with mutated undead. ''He's scared out of his mind.'' |
| 504 | ** Isaac drops this in all subsequent games in the franchise, the dev team having apparently decided that the Heroic Mime trope wasn't working out very well. The 2023 remake of the first game also has Isaac fully voiced. |
| 505 | * The ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' series regularly [[LampshadeHanging brings up the protagonist being silent]] during their respective single player campaigns. At the start of each, the character recruiting you for assistance will say something and expect a response, but receive none, so they take the silence as a affirmation (or, in one case, simply too groggy to register what's even happening at the moment). In the case of [[PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo Agent 3/Captain]] and Eight, ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'' gives the reason for their lack of speech as them just being naturally shy around new people. |
| 506 | * Cobra, the main player character in ''VideoGame/SyphonFilter: The Omega Strain'', is completely silent, without even so much as {{voice grunting}}. Gabriel Logan, the protagonist of most Syphon Filter games, is almost never this trope. |
| 507 | * In ''Videogame/{{Warframe}}'', the Warframes never speak. At best, they can roar as is the case with the Draco, Rhino and [[PlayingWithSyringes flayed-alive]] Valkyr warframes; all others are completely silent. [[MadScientist Alad V]] lampshades this in the 'The Profit' trailer, calling the players 'mute peasants'. Eventually subverted in 'The Second Dream' WhamEpisode, where while [[spoiler: the Warframes never speak, their Tenno operators ''do'']]. |
| 508 | [[/folder]] |
| 509 | |
| 510 | [[folder:Turn-Based Strategy]] |
| 511 | * In ''Age of Empires: The Age of Kings'' for the Nintendo DS, all of the campaign heroes are this, at least in their own campaigns. (Saladin and Richard have dialogue in each other's campaigns, and the heroes for which Minamoto and Genghis are stand-ins (Takezaki and Kublai respectively) have dialogue in the last level of each other's campaigns.) |
| 512 | * The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' games have done this on three occasions: |
| 513 | ** The Tactician in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'' is a straight example of TheSilentBob (but is more of a NPC Mime than a Heroic Mime, since he's not directly playable and Eliwood, Hector and Lyn all have more story presence than him). |
| 514 | ** The original Japanese release of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' plays this strangely; when creating your customizable Avatar, AKA Robin, you're given several voice options, one of which is 'silent', which causes them to become a Heroic Mime. This didn't make it into the localization, and is actually non-canon (as Robin is shown speaking in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'' and other games, e.g. ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''). |
| 515 | ** The protagonist of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', Byleth, is a Heroic Mime, as they're never voiced during cutscenes. They do have dialogue options, they have voiced lines during battle, and a few times their inner monologue is shown but not voiced. When you combine all that with what other characters say about the protagonist during the storyline, it's clear that they do have a canon personality. They're a seemingly emotionless character who cares about others more than they let on. Like Robin, Byleth speaks in ''Heroes'' and ''Smash''. |
| 516 | * Most of the main characters of the ''VideoGame/ShiningSeries'' are heroic mimes. |
| 517 | ** It's taken to the point of absurdity in ''VideoGame/ShiningForceIII'', which rotates the viewpoint through three main characters. Each one has scenes where he's implied to be saying something, but all that displays is [[VisibleSilence "..."]], and the other characters get RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear lines to show the player what the main just said. And then there are the scenes where two main characters talk to each other - despite the fact that there's a script for both characters, and everyone in the scene reacts as if both of them are talking, the main character's dialogue just displays ellipses, meaning you have to play through the same scene twice just to hear what ''everyone in the game'' can understand fine both times. |
| 518 | ** Max actually does speak in VideoGame/ShiningForce'' (at least, in the GBA Remake)? He only becomes mute because of plot circumstances. |
| 519 | ** Bowie, the Hero in ''Shining Force 2'', is not ''entirely'' mute, either. His lines are few and far between (sometimes hours of gameplay apart) and mostly gratuitous, though. |
| 520 | ** The playable character Arthur from ''VideoGame/ShiningTheHolyArk'' is for the most part completely silent. The player does get the choice of some Yes/No answers but regardless of what answer you give the same thing will happen, just with a slightly different conversation. |
| 521 | ** ''VideoGame/ShiningWisdom'' has yet another mute hero, Mars. What's particularly annoying is the princess is turned into a swan and replaced by a fake and the fake pretends you recused her. You can't say anything so the fake steals a special object that almost certainly dooms the kingdom. |
| 522 | ** VideoGame/ShiningTears features a rare aversion with Xion. |
| 523 | ** Yuma Ilvern from VideoGame/ShiningResonance is a rare aversion. |
| 524 | * Revya, the main character from ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters''. SociopathicHero Gig usually speaks for the both of them, often to the great disadvantage of the player and usually followed by some rather sharp, pointed and violent disadvantages to any offended parties resulting from Gig's verbal lambastings. |
| 525 | ** The protagonist does, however, have a fairly clearly defined personality; it's just that his/her lines have no voiceovers, probably due to the fact that he/she [[PurelyAestheticGender can be either male or female]], which would effectively double the amount of dialogue to be voiced. |
| 526 | ** Revya [[spoiler:makes a cameo in ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 3|AbsenceOfJustice}}'', however, in which her lines are nothing ''but'' VisibleSilence. This drives Mao utterly nuts to the point of fighting her for it. Almaz comments that Revya's role as SilentProtagonist on her original game is most likely the reason why she can't speak. Mao then thinks why a game company would do that.]] |
| 527 | * Commander Agress from ''VideoGame/VandalHearts 2''. Playing with the trope, she is not the main protagonist. In fact, you get her rather late. It seems she's just [[TheQuietOne very softspoken]]; [[{{Tsundere}} one party member]] actually gets angry when another tells her to speak louder. The main protagonist of Vandal Hearts 2, Joshua, is an aversion. |
| 528 | * Played completely straight for the Commander of ''VideoGame/XCOM2''. They're present in almost every cutscene, the player witnesses everything they do from their first-person perspective, and they get directly addressed by the other characters countless times, but they don't utter a single word in the whole game. Since they never actually take to the field in person, there's also not even the occasional grunt of pain or exertion. |
| 529 | [[/folder]] |
| 530 | |
| 531 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 532 | * While ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'' starts out as an ordinary RomanceGame where the PlayerCharacter speaks as you'd expect him to, this, like many other tropes, comes into play in a complicated and spoilery way after the GenreShift in the middle. [[spoiler: Firstly, the Player Character becomes more and more mute during the second act. He stops reacting to the insanity going on around him, and eventually just stops speaking and having internal monologue at all. Secondly, a character with MediumAwareness starts interacting with the ''player'' instead, except that the interaction is rather one-sided and the player can't really say anything, although there are a few times they click to select an option that doesn't make any difference. Of course, when you start thinking about the player as separate from the Player Character, it highlights the player was like a Heroic Mime all along -- they could make choices for their character, but he was the one who chose what to say.]] |
| 533 | [[/folder]] |
| 534 | |
| 535 | [[folder:Wide Open Sandbox]] |
| 536 | * "Claude," the main character in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'', does not say anything throughout the game, in contrast to the later Tommy Vercetti of ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity Vice City]]'' and Carl Johnson of ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas San Andreas]]''. Interestingly, he has [[PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo a cameo appearance]] around a third of the way through ''San Andreas'', where he ''still'' says absolutely nothing, causing CJ to call him a "mute asshole". |
| 537 | ** Later on, the same goes for the Online Protagonist of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV''. Now, while you can see their mouth moving in case you speak through your microphone during the game, every character refers to them as a mute, often calling them creepy and weird for it. |
| 538 | * The protagonist of ''VideoGame/SaintsRow1'' does not speak for the majority of the game; various friends and the occasional enemy [[LampshadeHanging lampshade it]] repeatedly during the storylines. You get one sentence in the cutscenes at the end of each gang storyline, and it's startlingly satisfying whenever he opens his mouth (including [[ShutUpHannibal interrupting]] a MotiveRant - which includes a threat on his life -- to ask if the ranter can speed things up so he can go get something to eat). [[spoiler:Turns out he was just being a good henchman, and got very tired of being walked all over because of his good henchmanness]] -- in the [[VideoGame/SaintsRow2 second]], [[VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird third]], and [[VideoGame/SaintsRowIV fourth]] games, s/he's much more vocal, as befitting being the new leader of the Saints. |
| 539 | ** For the first mission of the fourth game, the Boss can’t speak because of a broken microphone. S/He is speaking and responding to the others, but their radios can’t hear him/her. After the first mission, the player is allowed to customize the character and give them a voice. |
| 540 | * The protagonist of ''Videogame/{{Subnautica}}'', Ryley Robinson, never says a word beyond occasional inarticulate grunting and yelps of pain. As the only living human on Planet 4546B, he doesn't really have anyone to talk with. [[spoiler:Even the Sea Emperor Leviathan, who can speak telepathically, prefers to let his actions speak for themselves.]] |
| 541 | [[/folder]] |
| 542 | |
| 543 | [[folder:Non-Video Game Examples]] |
| 544 | * In ''Webcomic/{{Blitzcrafter}}'', which is inspired by classic SNES [=RPGs=], Hikaru appears to be completely mute, although others seem to understand them just fine. |
| 545 | * ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'': Dexter's lab monkey moonlights as a superhero and stars in his own spinoff short series ''Dial M For Monkey''. He still isn't able to communicate with anything but grunts and shrieks, though. |
| 546 | * Many ''WebAnimation/DorklyOriginals'' like to poke fun at this trope in video games. One particular video in which [[VideoGame/HalfLife Gordon Freeman]] speaks with a video game agent even provides a reason for Freeman's lack of dialog: he speaks with an ''irritatingly'' shrill voice, prompting the agent to suggest he should never speak at all. |
| 547 | * ''Webcomic/{{Erma}}'': The titular StringyHairedGhostGirl is never seen talking on panel. It's implied that she can talk but prefers acting things out or drawing pictures, and any time she's about to talk she's conveniently interrupted. |
| 548 | * The titular protagonist of ''Literature/CreatureOfHavoc'' is a hulking monster [[spoiler:created via ForcedTransformation]] who's incapable of speech, which causes several surreal "ItCanThink?" moments when people realize that it can understand them and is trying to communicate. |
| 549 | * ''WebAnimation/TheGmodIdiotBox'' shows what happens [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52wmUklTPlk&t=6m5s when two Heroic Mimes get in an argument]]. |
| 550 | * The titular character from ''Manga/{{Heroman}}'' is a robot who never speaks in any single moment from that series. |
| 551 | * ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'' has the protagonist Kirby unable to speak like in the games. Another justified example, as Kirby is a child and hasn't developed a complete personality. |
| 552 | * In ''Music/GoodKidMAADCity'', Music/KendrickLamar (K-Dot) is present during all of the album's many skits but doesn't ever speak. |
| 553 | * In ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfIchabodAndMrToad'', Ichabod Crane never actually ''speaks'' beyond a few screams and some warm-up chords. His thoughts are explained via the narration. |
| 554 | * Gromit from WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit doesn't say a word in any if the shorts and usually gets Wallace out of whatever situation they're in. |
| 555 | * ''Webcomic/ATaleOfTwoRulers'' gives a FridgeHorror explanation for [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]]'s muteness: when his memories of his past incarnations awaken, the experience is so traumatizing that the current incarnation never speaks again. This has horrifying implications for the current incarnation, the rather cheerful and chatty [[spoiler:Rinku, Zelda's daughter]]. |
| 556 | * While he was a talking character in ''Literature/Metro2033'', Artyom from ''Literature/Metro2035'' has been {{retcon}}ned as this, similar to his portrayal in the games. {{Averted|Trope}} in ''Literature/Metro2034'' [[spoiler:because the Artyom of the book is Artyom ''Popov'', not Artyom Chyornyj]]. |
| 557 | * ''Film/MohammadMessengerOfGod'' treats [[UsefulNotes/TheProphetMuhammad its main character]] this way, as any depiction of the prophet Mohammed is considered offensive in UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}. Rumors that Mohammed would be depicted on-screen[[note]]He isn't -- the movie was shot in first-person view, as if from Mohammed's perspective[[/note]] led to its being a TroubledProduction and even a threat from an extremist group during the film's US premiere. |
| 558 | * As ''Webcomic/LatchkeyKingdom'' is a {{parody}} of ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''-type games, this trope is naturally {{parodied|Trope}} as well. In the first chapter, heroine Willa Dragonfly doesn't say a word until the last page, where it turns out that she wasn't speaking due to jinx (as in "jinx you owe me an elixir!"). Though in the next chapter a few supporting characters seem to have the impression that she is mute, and truth be told she doesn't say much. |
| 559 | * Seki, the titular character from ''Manga/MyNeighborSeki'', is this because [[SeriousBusiness his games]] do not allow the leisure of speaking. He's shown talking when his friends are around, but the readers never get to see him talk. As the series progresses, the same holds true of his mother and younger sister. |
| 560 | * Perry the Platypus from ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', but he's actually a hyper-competent secret agent. This does not mean that he can talk, however. He makes up for this with expressions of pure gold. |
| 561 | * Sandman from ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'' remains completely silent during the whole movie, playing an heroic role. |
| 562 | * The central gimmick of ''Secret Girlfriend'', a [[ShortRunners short-running]] Creator/ComedyCentral series, was that "you" were the main character: the camera would routinely switch to a first-person viewpoint and characters would address "you" to move the plot along, leaving the viewer to figure out what the response was by their reactions. |
| 563 | * PlayedForDrama in ''Film/TheShapeOfWater'': both main characters are mute, and their mutism is what caused them to empathize with each other. Unlike most examples, the two have a justification to be this trope and are never implied to talk normally. |
| 564 | * Taylor from ''Fanfic/{{Silencio}}'' is an incredibly literal example. Her trigger event left her mute (the damage to her vocal cords is later fixed by Panacea, but she still projects a sound-dampening field) and gave her YourMimeMakesItReal powers. She takes the cape name Marceau and dresses as a mime for her heroics. |
| 565 | * In ''WesternAnimation/SilverHawks'', the Copper Kid has mime-like facial markings and is said to come from the Planet of Mimes. Really. |
| 566 | * Maggie in ''VideoGame/TheSimpsons'' can't talk since she's a baby. In scenes where the future is shown, it's a RunningGag to have adult/future Maggie either being interrupted when she tries to speak or there's a reason for why she can't speak. Her adult self can still emote and grunt. |
| 567 | * Pay close attention to Prince Phillip in ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'', and you'll notice that he has absolutely no dialogue for the entire second half of the film, which focuses mostly on him. |
| 568 | * The original version of ''WesternAnimation/TheThiefAndTheCobbler'' has both of the title characters as mutes. ExecutiveMeddling infamously changed this. |
| 569 | * ''Webcomic/HeroInLove'' uses a lot of video game tropes. One of them is that the protagonist's dialogue is never shown. Other characters acknowledge her as speaking, but you have to infer what she said from their replies. |
| 570 | * [[AffectionateParody Naturally]], this is mercilessly {{parodied|Trope}} in ''Webcomic/{{Concerned}}'', which states that [[VideoGame/HalfLife Gordon]] can command squads of LaResistance soldiers by ''staring hard enough in a certain direction''. When Frohman tries this, however, it's just creepy. |
| 571 | -->'''Rebel:''' He has the gift. I've got the urge to run.\ |
| 572 | '''Another Rebel:''' I'd like to back away slowly. Does that count? |
| 573 | * Played around with in ''WebVideo/FreemansMind'', in which we get to hear what [[VideoGame/HalfLife Freeman]] is thinking, if not saying. It shows, as per the show's {{tagline}}, that it's perhaps for the best that he kept his thoughts to himself. Season 2 does confirm that Freeman is actually speaking; when Alyx says her "Man of few words, huh?" line, Freeman gets confused, but then states that yes, he ''does'' talk a lot, out loud. It turns out that the people around Freeman either are too stupid to respond to Freeman's words or ignoring his ranting. |
| 574 | * In the Series/{{Rabtoons}} segment ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger in a Nutshell'', Crono speaks quite a lot... but everyone ignores everything he says in order to move the story forward. Until Robo shows up, reacts to what Crono is saying, and [[BreakingTheFourthWall admits that they ran out of "silent protagonist" jokes]]. |
| 575 | * ''Film/WillysWonderland'' stars Creator/NicolasCage as a character simply credited as [[EveryoneCallsHimBarKeep "The Janitor"]] who never speaks a single line of dialogue throughout the whole film. |
| 576 | [[/folder]] |
| 577 |
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