Echoes Of Wisdom Almost Let Link Speak

Silent protagonists have been commonplace in video games for decades, however, there are fewer who have been quieter than Link. In almost 30 years, Link hasn’t said a single word (kind of, more on that later). That almost changed in The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom as the team behind the latest game in the long-running series revealed they originally intended on having Link speak in the game.

Echoes Of Wisdom already broke the series’ mold by having Zelda lead the way in her attempts to save Link rather than the other way around. Zelda has been able to speak in multiple video games but assumes Link’s usual silent protagonist role in Echoes Of Wisdom. Applying that logic, it would have made a lot of sense for Link to speak while Zelda remained silent, and initially, that was the plan.

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Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma and director Satoshi Terada revealed to Famitsu (thanks, Nintendo Everything), that since Zelda wouldn’t be speaking in Echoes Of Wisdom, having Link remain silent too posed a problem. There would be no main character to move the story forward or help it unfold, and while Link was going to be that person for the first time in nearly three decades, the plan to have him talk was eventually scrapped.

Zelda’s Devs Were Going To Have Link Speak In Echoes Of Wisdom

Plans Changed, And His 28 Year Vow Of Silence Continues

Not before the Nintendo icon spoke, though. Aonuma revealed that early on in Echoes Of Wisdom’s development, he had Link talk a little. There’s no voice acting in the latest Zelda game so it would have all been via on-screen text, but even though it didn’t make it into the final cut of the game, Link has technically talked. What he said will likely remain a mystery, especially since Aonuma and Terada noted that they pivoted away from Link speaking due to the little work they’d put into giving him a voice not feeling right.

With Zelda and Link both silent, Aonuma and Terada needed someone to detail Echoes Of Wisdom’s story as it unfolded – that’s where Tri comes in. Tri is Zelda’s companion in Echoes Of Wisom who stores the hero’s echoes and helps her fix Hyule’s rifts. Turns out Tri’s other purpose is to make sure players know what’s going on and to guide them on their most recent Hylian adventure.

As noted above, outside of his usual grunts and humming tunes while cooking, Link has technically said one thing during 28 years of games. In The Wind Waker, the Hylian hero can be heard yelling “Come on”, although even those who have played the game might have missed it. Since it didn’t happen in Echoes Of Wisdom, the first instance of a fully-voiced Link we ever get might happen in the upcoming live-action adaptation of the series.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom sees you play as the titular princess, searching for Link and saving Hyrule in the process. She uses the Tri Rod to created echoes, duplicates of everything from tables to enemies, to help her on her journey.

Released

September 26, 2024

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty