Summary
Director Satoshi Terada and producer Eiji Aonuma have recently revealed that Link was originally going to be able to speak inThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Since the beginning of the franchise, players have never been able to see Link speaking. However, it seems that Link initially had some written dialogue inThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomhas been a huge successsince its launch, selling over 2.58 million copies worldwide in its first week, and in Japan alone, it sold around 200,000 retail copies.Echoes of Wisdomshifts focus to Princess Zelda, who takes the center stage in a darker Hyrule. Zelda wields a magical staff that allows her to create “echoes” of objects, which players must cleverly use to solve puzzles and battle enemies. Apparently, having Zelda as the main character wasn’t the only innovation the developer initially planned forEchoes of Wisdom.
In a recentinterview with Famitsu, Director Satoshi Terada and Producer Eiji Aonuma shared thatThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdominitially considered giving Link a voice, which would have been a big change fromLink’s usual silent role inZeldagames. Early in development, Link had written dialogue, but the idea was eventually scrapped. Terada explained that no matter how they wrote his lines, “it just didn’t feel right,” and Aonuma said hearing Link speak felt “really strange” given his history as a silent protagonist. This challenge led to a new story element that explains Link’s silence, which better fits the game’s darker tone and themes.
Link Was Initially Going to Have Written Dialogue in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
The following contains spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Since the franchise began in 1986, Link has remained silent, a choice that enhances his role as a vessel for players to immerse themselves in the game’s world. While other characters interact with him, he never speaks.Link’s silence is explained inEchoes of Wisdomthrough his tragic backstory. In the game, it’s explained that a rift took a group of children from Hyrule to the Still World, stealing important parts of who they were. Link was one of these children, taken as a child and returning without his voice.
The fact that the developer even considered the idea of Link speaking and wrote some dialogue for him shows how much the franchise is committed to evolving. While that idea was ultimately scrapped,Echoes of Wisdomstill made a significant innovation by making Zelda a playable characterfor the first time in the series.
