Link Almost Spoke in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, but Nintendo Decided Against It

Link Almost Spoke in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, but Nintendo Decided Against It

In a surprising turn of events, Nintendo’s iconic silent protagonist, Link, was initially going to have lines of dialogue in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. However, the developers ultimately decided against it, despite Zelda taking the lead role in this iteration.

Why Link Stayed Silent

In an interview with Famitsu, directors Satoshi Terada and Tomomi Sano, along with producer Eiji Aonuma, shed light on this decision. They emphasized the long-standing tradition of Link’s silence in the Zelda series, even though Zelda was the one without dialogue in this particular game.

Aonuma admitted that Link was initially intended to speak, but ultimately it “just didn’t feel right.” Terada added, “Link would never speak like that. It felt really strange.”

To explain Link’s silence, the developers incorporated a story element early in the game, where Zelda discovers a journal entry explaining that Link lost his ability to speak after being “stolen away” by rifts that opened across Hyrule.

Link’s Silence in Other Zelda Games

Echoes of Wisdom isn’t the only Zelda game to address Link’s silence. In Breath of the Wild, Zelda’s diary reveals that Link “feels it necessary to stay strong and to silently bear any burden,” leading him to suppress his thoughts and feelings.

This year, Nintendo also provided details on why Zelda was chosen as the protagonist for Echoes of Wisdom, rather than Link.