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It’s fun to speculate about, at least. Would certain games have been ruined if their protagonists spoke? Possibly, but the reverse is also true. Perhaps some games would have benefitted from having their heroes chime in periodically. Naturally, players can only wonder what might have been if these protagonists actually had the power of speech.

10 Miles Upshur – Outlast

Outlast is a series of pulse-pounding chases from beginning to end. The player, taking the role of Miles Upshur, records the horrific events of Mount Massive Asylum as any passionate journalist would do. Oddly, however, Miles does this without nary a word.

It’s true, Miles does scream, grunt, and moan quite a bit. After all, he takes a significant pounding from the crazed inmates running wild in the asylum. It’s a little jarring, though, to never hear him speak. There’s so much horrific imagery on display that it comes off as a tad weird when the protagonist doesn’t comment verbally on it.

9 Artyom – Metro Exodus

This is a bit of a strange one. Artyom does speak in the intro of the game, as well as in between chapters. Nevertheless, he’s completely silent as the events of the game are actually unfolding. It’s a strange design choice to try to have things both ways.

There are instances in Metro Exodus where multiple NPCs are chattering vigorously in Artyom’s direction. But, alas, Artyom says nothing. It would have been nice for him to speak from time to time, particularly in situations involving Anna. Even when the two of them are alone, she does all the talking, with no verbal response from her husband whatsoever.

8 Isaac Clarke – Dead Space

As mentioned before, silent protagonists in horror games can be a bit jarring at times, and this holds true for the original Dead Space. Isaac Clarke’s allies do plenty of talking throughout their explorations of the Ishimura, but never from the protagonist himself.

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This can come across as a little odd, especially when one considers that Isaac has a vested interest in finding out what happened on the Ishimura. He’s looking for his girlfriend, Nicole, a woman that fans know he cares about a great deal. Yet, Isaac stays silent through one macabre event after another.

7 Link – The Legend Of Zelda

Link from The Legend of Zelda series is unquestionably one of the most recognizable video game icons ever. Although there have been different iterations of the character throughout the decades, one aspect of Link’s personality has remained fairly constant: his silence.

It’s only natural for players to wonder how a chattier Link would have affected the character. It’s hard to say for certain, but there have been encounters over the years where a Link who was able to speak may have been for the better.

6 Manon Batiste – Medal Of Honor: Underground

Deep, thematic storytelling isn’t always at the forefront of an FPS set in World War II. It’s a shame, really, because there are nearly endless possibilities when it comes to telling a meaningful story set in WWII. Medal of Honor: Underground was a missed opportunity in that regard.

Manon Batiste, the protagonist of the game, is a French resistance fighter and OSS agent who takes the war to the Nazis. Unfortunately, like most WWII action games of the PS1 era, she doesn’t speak. It’s too bad, considering her backstory would have provided an intriguing foundation for a much richer story had the developers prioritized it.

5 Jack – Bioshock

It’s fun to contemplate what kind of game Bioshock would have been like if Jack, the player character, had the ability to speak. No doubt fans of the franchise have strong opinions on either side of the aisle in this argument. Supporters of keeping Jack mute would likely say that the silence allows players to experience Rapture in a more personal manner than the alternative.

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That argument assuredly has its merits, but it’s also interesting to wonder how the story could have been even more compelling had Jack been able to speak. For example, the decision of whether or not to harvest the Little Sisters may have been more meaningful if it elicited a verbal reaction from the protagonist.

4 Corvo Attano – Dishonored

Corvo Attano is yet another famous protagonist who doesn’t speak a word in his original outing. In the first Dishonored, Corvo is framed for the murder of the Empress and imprisoned. Yet, throughout this ordeal, Corvo keeps his lips sealed. That’s a puzzling tactic for someone who is framed for a murder they didn’t commit.

Dishonored is still a great game, but it feels like it missed an opportunity by not allowing the player inside Corvo’s head. Doing so would have certainly added to the game a completely different dynamic. Interestingly, like Isaac Clarke from Dead Space, Corvo would be fully voiced in the sequel.

3 Claude – Grand Theft Auto III

When veteran gamers think about silent protagonists, it’s hard not to mention Claude from Grand Theft Auto III. As he takes jobs from all sorts of unsavory criminals, Claude executes his tasks with ruthless and silent efficiency.

Claude’s silence does work rather well in the franchise’s first 3D outing. Still, it’s hard not to wonder what Claude would have been like had he been given a personality of any sort instead of a blank slate. Perhaps if he had just been a man of few words, rather than completely silent, the legendary game would have been even better.

2 Gordon Freeman – Half-Life Series

Gordon Freeman is an underdog, an “everyman,” so to speak. He’s a theoretical physicist assigned to the Black Mesa facility to conduct research. Unlike many other sci-fi heroes, Freeman isn’t a trained fighter or grizzled soldier. He’s a normal guy that just so happens to shine under extreme duress.

Gordon Freeman’s silent protagonist status is famous among gamers. For a man who gets dealt an incredibly unfortunate hand, Gordon has nothing to say about it. It’s a choice that, once again, has its fair share of supporters and detractors. It may be interesting to know, however, exactly what Gordon is thinking from time to time.

1 Daniel – Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Daniel is another horror game protagonist with shockingly little to say about his surroundings in Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Yes, the player does witness Daniel’s narration of certain events in the form of flashbacks and notes scattered around Brennenburg Castle. However, this informs the player about Daniel’s past, not his present.

For a man who awakens inside a strange castle suffering from amnesia, Daniel has surprisingly few questions to ask himself. It may have been compelling had Daniel’s frame of mind possessed a voice. Slow, mounting realization could have dawned on him in the present, as the memories of his past were pieced together.

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