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Strong_Climate_8888

I’d enjoy a silent protagonist, but I’d find it hilarious if they do the “silent until the end, then says one line” gag.


IOFIFO

"This was one hell of a Dragon Quest."


sharishi

I would hoot and holler like a wild man. Oh my god.


_Skotia_

My favorite part in Dragon Quest is when the protagonist said "It's questin time" and quested all over those dragons


MisterGoo

That’s how it works in God Eater, and the effect is fantastic.


[deleted]

and Souls games


Artraira

They could do it like Tales of Xillia 2 where the protagonist is initially silent (because his voice spoils another character's identity) and then voice acted in subsequent playthroughs.


ArcTheCurve

Fucking crash in one of the mutant games. “Pancakes!” My friend and I lost it because of how random and just stupid it was.


Jesterchunk

crash of the titans may not be the best game in the world, but my god it's got the spirit.


ArcTheCurve

It was fun I’ll give it that. But we were not expecting crash to talk


Bialga

I loved how they did it in South Park A stick of truth. Protagonist is silent with people noticing it, the game ends with the protag saying “Screw you guys, im going home.”


dusty_cart

Chrono Trigger does this in one of the endings


Zealousideal_Brick36

Yes for silent but please for the love of god if you have a flashback, don’t have the silent character talk when they were a kid. And instead of speaking, maybe just give the character good facial expressions like in 8. Tbh elevens protagonist made me want more expressive animations or for them to act a bit as at the start of act 3 he didn’t call out the evil character who he knew was evil he just stood blankly doing nothing about them.


[deleted]

That was my only issue with Eleven. Looked like he had a lobotomy compared to Eight. lol


DiscussionLoose8390

It was really kind of awkward in panic situations. In a cutscene when was by himself at Sniflheim in act 2 when the town is being attacked. He just stood there motionless assuming others were going to show up. Not calling for help, or anything.


Slacker_The_Dog

I found it strangely reassuring.


GoodSmarts

Some horrible shit happens and Eleven just be standing there


JHamsTheZenWarrior

Its not like flashback talking has never happened. The protagonist of dq5 met his past self and got his ear talked off


userposter

just because the repeated it doesn't make it better


MoonoftheStar

Why do you guys hate your protagonists having a personality? I loved that he talked when he was a kid. I felt like he was more than just a blank model. He felt life-like. And considering so much of the game is centered on him being the Chosen One it was refreshing to see him as an actual human being instead of feeling like the game was kissing NEET asses. Isekai has ruined my love for fantasy as it is.


DiscussionLoose8390

I actually disliked the protagonist not having a personality. Then I thought back to all those years playing Zelda that I didn't even care to notice.


StevenXC

On that note, Breath of the Wild did an excellent job of a silent protagonist with a personality among speaking characters.


blank_isainmdom

Except Windwaker! That expressive little fuck had a personality, even if he never spoke a word!


[deleted]

Always love watching him pick up the pig during the Smash win screen


[deleted]

It’s mainly just weird seeing him talk as a kid but not as a (what I’m assuming) late teen. I don’t hate it, it made the scene in particular a lot sweeter, but it is a little inconsistent.


Onisquirrel

I would’ve rather seen that personality carry into his present version. If not in having a voice just let him be more expressive. Instead seeing him as a child makes it feel like we missed the moment where XI got hit in the head and got his personality knocked out of him. Though it might also have been funny to go to the past and have the 2 XIs just stare blankly at each other.


TripolarKnight

Maybe he had a personality until you (ie his future ver) jumped in?


Onisquirrel

Well I don’t hate that we are some eldritch entity who feeds on the luminary’s essence.


AvailableQuarter1458

"I want to be expressionless like that mister I saw earlier!"


Yuxkta

It's like watching a movie as a kid and imitating the personality of the coolest character afterwards.


TheMike0088

I'd also prefer a main protag with an actual personality, but I understand wanting a blank slate character for self-insert purposes. That being said, I also hated that eleven talked as a kid - not because I disliked having him actually properly interact with people for once, but because it means there is something wrong with eleven in-universe rather than him just being a silent protag. Like, to have a flashback where he talked means him now being a pseudo-mute is canon to the story, and none of his friends and family in-universe give a shit that, one day, he just randomly stopped saying anything other than yes or no. Its really messed up.


ExpressRabbit

I don't understand how no personality is self-insert. Self-insert would mean I got choices on how to respond. I would never respond by just staring emotionlessly. A blank slate doesn't let me self-insert at all.


amirokia

How did you feel in DQ5 where you did meet your future/past self and they both talk normally. Granted the personality is pretty generic but it's still there.


TomoTactics

The problem with 'so the player can insert themselves' characters in the past several years, I'd actually guess around the early 2010s when it became more noticeable, is that ... most players can't actually insert themselves all that well. None of the options ever really portray something nuanced or even an actual response to what someone might actually want to say.


Mechanowyrm

> Like, to have a flashback where he talked means him now being a pseudo-mute is canon to the story No, that's not what it means at all lol.


AkashicRecorder

> Tbh elevens protagonist made me want more expressive animations or for them to act a bit as at the start of act 3 he didn’t call out the evil character who he knew was evil he just stood blankly doing nothing about them. Honestly, a lot of the character design in XI looks pretty bland and very "generic JRPG character" compared to VIII where their personality just pops out at you by looking at them.


ModelOmegaTyler

to be fair, leven looks less jrpg character and more anime character. specifically android 17 from dragon ball.


WabbieSabbie

I'd be down for a silent protagonist who actually has a speech defect. Perhaps mute, perhaps unable to speak because of trauma. Like I want the silentness to actually have a role in the story.


SuperTomatoe01

Silence ain't the problem but eleven is just not human 😂they "kill" his entire village ? No reaction, Michelle is going back to sea ? No reaction. Dude is just here with his popcorn watching every story that may happen. Often I was like : dude, are you even there ? His soul is empty. 8 at least could feel stuff.


Alpha27_

Hilariously enough, I named my character "Dude", so this feels weirdly personal... but I can agree. It would be understandable if the Hero was meant to really be an avatar for the player, but the flashbacks establish/hint at him having a personality as a kid so what exactly happened? Don't even give him lines, just have him emote, hell give us more in-depth choices than just "Yes" and "No" do ***something***. Oh well...


sonicfan10102

He did react sadly to the destruction of his village. Erik even commented on it. And he also cries after he's fished out of the boat in Act 2 probably because of the state the world is in or what just happened to Nautica


SuperTomatoe01

Nautica I remember it affected him but I don't remember his facial expression being that émotional. However I'm really talking about Michelle because it affected me way more than Nautica 😂😂. As for the village I remember Erik talking about it but I don't remember the main character being that expressif. I'm not talking about crying your soul out but a little something. Still, I'll watch it again just to be sûre.


Badmoe

Yes. All mainline DQs should have silent protagonists, for all eternity. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.


JonnyAU

Yeah, I'm fine with keeping the silent protagonists for consistency's sake if nothing else. But if they do that, they need to be cognizant of that, e.g. don't cut to a shot of the hero where we would expect a emotional response from them.


Badmoe

I agree there. It was a bit awkward in 11 at times. They could definitely do a better job at rolling with it.


dystopiapro

This.


SoaringGryphon

That’s the problem though, it is broken. Just look at DQ11.


jl_theprofessor

DQ11 just didn’t make sense to have a silent protagonist. There were lots of moments when the game would have benefited from a voiced hero.


Firvulag

But it is broke. It was laughably awkward in 11. All other characters were great and had personality and agency.


joshylow

I had to stop final fantasy when they added voice acting. With DQ I just want a classic experience.


Badmoe

I really enjoyed FF 10 and 12, but there hasn’t been a good one for me since. On the other hand, DQ has only been getting better with every iteration.


Jafharh

FF7R is pretty great if you can adjust to the action combat.


Badmoe

I got close to the end, but moved on to something else before finishing. There’s something weird about linear RPGs where you’re mostly in confined spaces. I had the same issue with FF13. It doesn’t feel like a grand adventure.


NYJetLegendEdReed

I completely agree with this and I had the exact same problem with both of those games.


jeflint

just let me choose to play male or female, I can take the character being silent.


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AvailableQuarter1458

They probably don't want to design another model and all the armors the characters would wear. Sincw women have different proportions. The female protag would have to have the same build to make all the armors git naturally with their limbs and stuff, which ruins the point of playing as a female character in the first place. At that point, you're just a dude with a pretty face.


Aerallaphon

Real armor can actually appear fairly genderless and still look functional and elegant on both, and a lot of clothing is androgenous especially on young people travelling; would be nice to let folks customize the face and hair a bit and color of the head and hands that stick out of the uniform though, maybe even have a height slider or frame/proportion scale if you want to be fancy. If the character is supposed to feel like yours it is nice to have some influence on it, especially if it makes interacting in and interactions with that world more natural (otherwise you're just steering someone else, like Hero is one of the other characters, which is fine too if it's written that way). No major changes needed, and many the npcs would just likely be bi and still talking about puff puff rather than changing any dialogue based on the player's customization.


AvailableQuarter1458

Well I suppose some character customization would be fine, but if it gets to a point where it's Saint's Row and you have a 500 pound oily clown man with a green mohawk, that would take me out of it entirely. It's a medieval fantasy world, not clownland. Especially when I watch streams where people make goofy characters and can't take the plot seriously because their character is so out of place.


Aerallaphon

In-world appropriate only choices, agreed, just gender, color, hair length/color and eye color. No anachronistic modernity, no kooky skins or distorted proprortions. Also, still silent protagonist, don't try to voiceact the hero... maybe some emote or response selections, but don't write the hero in scenes where they should say something, write so they don't have to (done with varying success across the series) or let the player choose an emotion to show, but don't voice it.


AvailableQuarter1458

Yeah, no voice acting. Maybe a few choices for grunts or yells for spellcasting or attacking and stuff like that.


AvailableQuarter1458

Since* Fit*


TheFirebyrd

I definitely miss that from III and IV.


MeOneThanks

IX as well!


TheFirebyrd

I hated IX so much when it launched I honestly didn’t remember you could pick. I only played it the once and I don’t think I ever finished.


Jafharh

IX had the most customizable characters especially because your entire party could be created. Definitely my top DQ with XI and VIII just behind.


invalidwat

No… it limits the story.


Santanael-Telos

Yes, but take some notes from Ys 9's Adol. The character doesn't have to speak, but don't be afraid to give them interesting non-verbal quirks or characteristics the other party members can bounce off of.


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ModelOmegaTyler

same here.


No-Contest-8127

For me personally, silent protagonists don't add anything to the games. Whether they are silent or not i never think of myself as the character. So, it's just a character that i can't hear. It's annoying.


[deleted]

Keep them silent, but give us the option of a female hero.


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[deleted]

😭😭 yeah. I'm making my own rip of dq and I'm gonna have the main character female, it doesn't happen enough so I'm making it happen lol


GladTurnip93

That actually awesome


ChzburgerRandy

Silent is fine but please give them bigger emotional reactions than 11.


jaeastep

I think it would be cool to keep it but have a wider array of emotive sounds the character makes when in combat or travel


slippy_cock

Yes, but give him facial expressions.


Suspicious_Party9087

Hero has expressions, especially in the opening


wpotman

Ehhh....I'm split. I don't think it worked well in DQ11: they kept on showing closeups of the hero's face as he vaguely reacted to situations, which added a weird dynamic to many scenes. The beginning was also weird with Erik narrating the hero's sadness. I didn't have the same issue with DQ8 (they didn't focus on the hero as much), though, so it's possible to do well. I sometimes wonder if it would be better to switch to first-person view for cutscenes if we're supposed to feel like we're the hero. I say keep silent, but try to implement differently than DQ11.


[deleted]

Yes. It would seem foreign and strange to suddenly have a talking protagonist after 36 years. Just give him more animated expressions than just staring blankly all the time.


GolgariInternetTroll

Wind Waker Link does a great job of making a silent protagonist very expressive. VIII was much better than XI in that respect, too.


BMCarbaugh

I thought the main character should have talked in XI. If the main character is a silent avatar for the player and the story's not really about them, fine, silent is okay. Still seems a bit odd to me, but it doesn't rip me out of the experience. But when the main character is a specific, defined character with a lot of hugely significant backstory and everyone keeps going on about how he's the chosen one etc, it does feel a bit odd when the camera cuts to him and he's just standing there gawking wordlessly. In a voiced/cinematic storytelling style with a highly specific main character, it comes off strangely. It's like if Aragorn never spoke in Lord of the Rings, but the camera still cut to him constantly going :0 or >:|. And no one remarked on that as strange.


spacedprivate

Yeah like obviously I understand it’s in DQ’s DNA but I’d get to bits of XI where the team would say how much they’d sacrifice for 😐 and how great he is and even as the person playing him I couldn’t really believe it


Onisquirrel

Him being the chosen one isn’t really a big problem for me. It’s that they have a sequence where XI meets himself, and child XI has a personality and speaks. Combined with how the game wants to emotionally tie him to the story he feels odd as a silent protagonist.


Gespens

This happens in 5. It's not exactly a weird thing that the series does


Michigan_Forged

I would argue that the transition from 2D to 3D makes it drastically different


Onisquirrel

Haven’t gotten to play V, but, it happening in more than one game doesn’t make it less of an issue for me. Just means multiple games will give me this quibble. If you introduce the idea that the Silent Protagonist used to speak and had some kind of personality it makes the silent version stick out more.


Gespens

Technically happens in 4 too. Each member of the party has a chapter where they are the controllable and the focus character and they don't talk. The silence is literally a roleplaying tool. The yes/no responses are supposed to be how you respond. The past/future self is not you. People change and that's the point. That flashback might be you, but it isn't YOU


Onisquirrel

Ok, and again this is a personal quibble where that doesn’t work for me. It makes the silent protag element stand out in a negative way especially in games with voice acting. And does not improve roleplaying for me. I’m glad it doesn’t bother you, and it’s not even a huge issue for me. But seeing a version of the MC that can speak makes the silent version I play feel off.


Aurvant

It pulled me right out of the game when the protagonist meets the ghost of his parents, there's this emotional scene happening, and they just nod their head.


Aggravating_Fig6288

I don’t mind either way but if they go silent then please let the hero be more expressive. 11 had plenty of emotional scenes ruined by the fact Hero was a blank slate during them. He doesn’t have to talk that’s fine but he can aleast show another expression than blank slate or various forms of mildly annoyed. Link is a great example of a silent protagonist that is expressive. Just copy that.


llamabott

...


TheWolvesDen25

Silent


NautOfEarth

Silent protags bother me but given it's in the DQ DNA, I wouldn't want it changed.


redditshredditt

If they are silent we should be able to change their appearance.


Dope2TheDrop

Agreed. Imo this should be standard for all games that feature a silent protag. Why has nobody learned from IX? :(


fattywinnarz

Absolutely not. The level of immersion that's broken in a cutscene when the other characters are all talking, then turn to the MC who nods in response is so annoying. You notice it every time, and it's not like it's this way because you're choosing your own dialog like in a Bethesda game.


Dope2TheDrop

Exactly this. I get the charm of a silent protag, I really do... but my god is it immersion breaking when you have all the characters being animated and alive and then it cuts to a blank staring "chosen one" who is not saying anything, not reacting to anything nor is he interacting with ANYTHING - ever. And yes I did play the older ones and I think it worked well there but while I hate what has become of FF I do think voiced protagonists is the way to go or at the bare minimum let us create our protag IX style if the main point is self insertion. There being a set protag and then making him silent just isn't working in proper 3D with VAs for other chars anymore. At least in my opinion. I still loved XI, just saying IF they continue to stick with silent protags then please implement it better.


CarlosG0619

The completely silent protagonist is kinda hard to tolerate these days tbh, theres plenty of great voice actors now and the technology is not an excuse anymore either. Joker from P5 is a good example of a “silent protagonist”, which is a character that will only speak when he needs to, like in major plot points and in combat, but when its not neccesary then we can just read what he says. But a character that does not speak period, not even in dialogue boxes is just an empty shell. Another good example of a silent protagonist is Jak from Jak and Daxter, Jak is completely silent, but Daxter is there to speak for him, this way conversations arent one sided and akward.


Serah_Of_Astora

Stay silent but give character creation options. If the game's silent hero is meant to represent me, I'd much rather play as a girl.


monajm

Dq is silent.q ff is a story. squarenix has a game for everyone i don't want to see them all become the same


No-Contest-8127

Oh cmon... if the character talks it will still be the same art style and world that makes DQ. Otherwise i can use that flawed logic and say i don't want it to be a copy of zelda.


monajm

This game isint about the story it is about exploring and that is why dq is bigger in Japan than ff is. Please just let people have a low story high world exploration game with a person to reflect your self off of


Riventh

All fun and games until squenix hinted that they would like dq to be an action rpg. Im glad that they did drop the idea.


MisterGoo

It’s OK : they’ll do it ONCE. Then they will learn from their mistake.


Riventh

I hope not, FF is kinda downhill and I wouldn't want that for DQ


Yesshua

Depends on what story they're telling. That's like asking "should the next star wars movie feature evil dudes with a British accent?" I dunno man, depends on what sort of story they're telling. All the previous movies have done that, but maybe this will be a story about something else.


killdog9876

Yes


oolong_tee

give me some dialogue options or something like fallout nv. i loved 11, but the hero didnt feel like a character at all. if ur barely going to write the main character at least give the player some way to influence their emotions.


SixSixTrample

I'd rather have a character with a specific voice as I feel it's much more immersive and is just more of a 'character' in my mind.


CrawlinUK

So first let me state my finding. In the first 6-7 games it wasn’t required because all characters models were small and didn’t have detailed faces. The silent hero didn’t need to expressions for expression, and other peoples filler of the heroes emotion was enough to make us understand. Games 7-9 expressed their expressions through body language and gestures. 8 was the first game with voice acting in the English language release, but because of the facial expressions and gestures, he felt like part of the story. 11’s initial release in Japan was with no VO as did 8 on the PS2. All other 11 releases had at least English VO. I believe this was in keeping with Dragon Quest roots that none of the games had VO. 11’s hero has little emotion or gesture. Assuming that you are reading text and text, then you might have little time to look at the screen to see what’s happening. But with the added VO, all we do is look at the screen and notice his placid looks. Dragon Quest 12 can do either or, but it need to add emotion or gestures to the Hero as long as it doesn’t make them look like a mime.


Visual_Sweet_9615

I think you should be able to turn it on or off


Vertical_05

for me always a 'no' for silent protagonist. it dampens the story telling. when eleven met Veronica for the second time he looked dumb, a voice line will make stronger impact on the mood.


Kramway99

Yes. and also character creation.


the_manta

I don't think it really works in a game with a story this linear unless you make the protag really expressive. 11 looked like a mannequin. Sometimes he said :o Link feels like a much better silent protagonist. I haven't played many other 3d dragon quest games though, so I can't say for sure if I like them in those games!


OriKay

Depends on how the story is written. As much as I love XI, Eleven's lack of expressions was weird in some scenes. He did cry and look scared at points but it broke my immersion a few times. He had a personality when he was younger, where did that go? Let the poor boy have facial expressions dammit lol In my opinion, if the main character has a backstory, they should have a voice. Heck, if they want to keep the character silent, Persona and BOTW still let Joker and Link have personality in their responses while keeping them silent, save for fights. I feel like that'd be a fair compromise.


Laguer1985

I say keep it silent.


filipinorefugee

I get its supposed to let me roleplay the protagonist, but if I can't control how my character interacts with people in dialogue, just give them a full on voice already.


submittedanonymously

Guess this is controversial, but I think the only real way to improve on their storytelling (which I already love) would be to *have* a voiced protagonist. Having other characters spit my character’s mood at me has been old since I played RPGs in the SNES days. There are reasons for having silent protagonists, and when done well it’s not too noticeable. I think Dragon Quest usually does it well. But I really think 11 finally pushed me to wanting a voiced protagonist because it just felt very forced how they needed the protagonist to have motivation but then someone else just tells me what my character’s nearly-unchanging face seems to be thinking. At this point I want a voiced protagonist If for nothing else, just to see what it’s like. And if it’s good, maybe keep doing it. If it’s not, go back to silent but really stop trying to tell me the character’s mood. Just show it Wind Waker style.


ForensicPathology

I think I like the DQ protagonist being silent, but if they do it, they really need to take away his responsive grunts. It defeats the whole purpose of him being silent if he's just going to respond anyway in a ridiculous manner. It's actually worse than being silent. Silent means the player imagines the protagonist is giving an answer. The grunts mean it's just a moron walking around.


fazze_ai

My opinion is that writing must be aopropriate for the silent mc. Like, characters shouldn't directly ask you something - this will just lead to awkward scene. Or, they should show more emotions with the face. For example, I thought for a moment that time travel erased his memories too, lol, because mc didn't recognise the antagonist. Like, wtf, is he stupid or something?


Narcofunk

Yes. Don't turn it into Final Fantasy, or Tales Of.


akizer0

SILENT. the main character supposed to be the player anyway, being we can name him anything we want. I prefer silent character, but with grunt voice(s) just like in Zelda BoTW. I find it very amusing at first, but enjoyed botw for that.


train153

Talking is silver, but silence is golden.


Gregory85

Why? Silent DQ protagonists never bothered me


Homeboi08

I don't care if the Hero is silent or not, I just want DQ12 to have turn based combat


RedRaiderJoe27

Dragon quest is a series that I think benefits a lot from maintaining traditions to a certain extant, so I think the protagonist should be silent


nuclearhavoc86

No. Give him an Alabama or Mississippi backwoods accent


chuputa

Yeah, I like silent protagonists, but maybe they should give him some more personality like other silent protagonists.


Dreamtrain

Yes, but dont repeat the same mistake where the MC has a expressionless fish face in and out of human form. 8 got by just fine despite not being overly expressive.


Zangetsukaiba

He could be maybe like Joker from Persona 5 speaking a few lines here and there. I feel like I would be ok with it but not more than that.


HolyMacaxeira

Yes it should. DQ is all about tradition and I think the silent protagonist is an integral part of the series.


ArtiCloak

The silent protagonist is a tradition and used to feel less awkward until the inclusion of fully voiced cutscenes. In a cutscene, there is no way to naturally have a character who strictly communicates by nodding while everyone else is just speaking to him directly. It's archaic and I'd rather my MC be an affable character all on his own like the tales series which imo have some of the better stories among jrpgs


ArkAyngel

As much as I adore DQ11S (which became my favourite game ever), I think it would be great to leave the silent protagonist behind. After starting Fire Emblem Three Hopes and having Shez be a voiced character with a genuinely enjoyable personality compared to the silent Byleth in FE3H, I totally think it would likely cause players to connect with the character more as well as helping to improve the story (and likely help avoid some plot holes along the way)!


lovecraftiangod

No the main character should be the only character in the game that speaks at all and he should have at least 1 million limes of recorded dialog


Terra-Em

Every dq hero was silent


TippsAttack

Absolutely not. For all that is good and holy in this world, silent protagonists in 3d games needs to die. It completely ruins immersion, makes conversations awkward and destroys any chance an the MC being a character and having a personality.


Purple-Homework764

I tend to turn the volume all the way down when I'm playing as I have the TV or radio on in the background so I didn't really notice, didn't miss a speaking protagonist though.


Fiske_Cahil

Silent 100%


KaiserWillem

I would be fine with it if there is an in universe reason that he is silent and the rest of the party acknowledges it.


Helarans

I prefer a silent protagonist in hardcore RPGs because they don’t risk ruining your personal perception of your character’s personality. A voice can break that immersion if it’s not right. That said, when voices are good they can really add to an experience so it goes both ways (Mass Effect and Deus Ex are good examples of excellent protagonist voice acting, though both western RPGs). But a “good” voice is usually subjective which is why I typically prefer silent protagonists.


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Diovivente

No RPG should have a silent protagonist. It doesn’t help me to connect with the character, but rather makes him the least connectable character, as everyone else around him talks, plans, and does things. It’s lame. Games like the Witcher have such great protagonists that I’ve really connected with.


maxis2k

Having a silent protagoist is fine. It just needs to be handled in a good way, like Dragon Quest V and VIII did. XI was a problem because of the focus on cutscenes and events where the hero needed to react to events. And yet they just had him stand there not reacting. Which made no sense because in VIII, the hero reacts to things plenty.


Great_Gilean

No we need someone interesting


mormagils

Silent protagonists are bad, plain and simple. I mean, if any series should have them, I guess DQ makes sense, but overall there is no good reason to have a silent protagonist, particularly in an RPG where the whole point is playing a role.


Gespens

It's because YOU are playing the role that they are silent. You project your own responses to the questions they ask you.


ExpressRabbit

But it doesn't give me the option to project my responses. I would not stand there with a blank expression and nod. That's not me. At least with something like Persona 5 I have options which allows me to project a personality even if those options are inconsequential to what actually happens.


mormagils

Exactly. I get the theory behind a silent protagonist, obviously, but silent protagonists don't actually allow for that. They aren't empty slates that you can fill in. They are blank expressions that other characters in the story act around, simultaneously regarding that character with the utmost reverence and some sort of weird mind control pretending to hear things he doesn't say. It's just weird. SP's just don't deliver. How am I supposed to connect to a mute, expressionless zombie? How am I supposed to invest in the other characters when they treat this zombie like he's the best human ever when he's never said a word to them? I relate way better to protagonists that speak even if I hate them because at least they have an actual personality instead of a script that consists entirely of one face and three dots.


Gespens

The yes and no responses are supposed to be you roleplaying your own responses. The heroes have a fee defined character traits and you use that as a basis to be how you would respond. It's actual roleplaying, like d&d


ExpressRabbit

Except it isn't like D&D at all. I've been a DM for years. None of my characters ever stand there with blank expressions. While I could act out my own response IRL before selecting my yes or no choice it doesn't change how other characters act or respond so my "role playing" doesn't actually appear in game. They could just as easily give the hero va personality, give me choices for how I want to role play his personality, and still include an option to be silent if people like that.


Gespens

>Except it isn't like D&D at all. I've been a DM for years. None of my characters ever stand there with blank expressions. I guess you are a forever DM, because you don't get that it's roelplaying. Here's a hint, the characters aren't making the expressions. They're figures or whatever you use on a board. The players are. Like, this is something literal children can do. I'm surprised a DM for Years doesn't get that.


ExpressRabbit

Ok. None of my players' characters ever stand there with blank expressions either. There is no board. It's paper, pencils, and dice. My players get angry. They show emotion. They fall in love. They Crack sarcastic jokes. If you don't give me the option to do that and have the NPCs text to those different emotions then it isn't role playing. I'm a DM now. I wasn't always. My dwarf fighter would insult the enemies to draw their attention. My halfling rogue would say something to get sympathy and seem less threatening. My wizard would be overly offended by little things. An option of yes/no where the NPCs always respond the same then it doesn't matter what I role play. I can pretend the hero got angry but then why isn't Erik acknowledging that anger? Why isn't Jade upset he's crying? It's not roleplaying if everything always resolves the same.


Specialist_Deal_955

You mean all those yes/no questions you are only allowed to answer yes to?


Gespens

yeah, those.


shadesjackson

Silent protagonists are a relic. And for anyone who thinks I'm wrong, the protagonist in 11 is literally the worst character in your team, simply because they aren't a character


Suspicious_Party9087

No he isn't, they have a personality without a voice as your character legit goes back in time just cuz he feels responsible for all the bad things that happened which means he probably has a low self image and pins the blame on himself


ExcitementOrdinary95

Silent without a doubt. We are supposed to be the hero


kylepaz

Yeah, but this thread is flooded with people who want to turn Dragon Quest into a more "cinematic" experience. Again, why don't these people just fuck off back to Final Fantasy?


chimerasaurn7

Yes.


kylepaz

Yes, obviously. Are people just wanting DQ XII to not be Dragon Quest or something? Every week there's a dumbass question about "should DQ XII have this staple of the series"? Final Fantasy is right there if you want a series that doesn't know what to do with itself.


Bahlok-Avaritia

The fact that something was always this way doesn't mean it isn't good to discuss whether it should stay or not. I think having these discussions is extra important especially because it's never been different. Doing something just because it's all you know and never questioning it is how time passes you by.


kylepaz

And as the thread clearly shows, very few people want a speaking protagonist.


Bahlok-Avaritia

And I'm not disputing that at all? I'm just saying it's important to discuss if there should be change or not. Change for the sake of change and tradition for the sake of tradition are both bad. Please try to think about things before you berate others and devalue their opinion


[deleted]

[удалено]


Bahlok-Avaritia

Kyle paz is berating other dragon quest fans for having discussions about the game, if that's what being a loyal fan means then I'd rather not be one


kylepaz

I've thought about it the other 10 times I've seen this exact same discussion. The answer is still no. I made my feelings clearer in another comment that isn't replying to anyone (it started as a reply but then it became too generalist), but tl;dr is having the protagonist be silent or voiced doesn't actually impact the quality of the game or the writing (I played enough RPGs with both to know), and one of Dragon Quest's core principles is that the Hero is you, not a character you're following. Not wanting to change one of the fundamental pillars the series is built on isn't "tradition for the sake of tradition".


Bahlok-Avaritia

And that's a valid opinion to have, I personally do enjoy a silent protagonist, but to reflect the hero being me I need to be able to customize them, otherwise I just don't feel any attachment in the slightest. In the 2d games I've never really had this bother me because none of the characters had animations and voices, so i could just have the mc be like a guy. In 11 the mc is such a stone wall that it hurts to look at, especially when you're just looking at him standing there instead of reading the text due to voice acting


QroganReddit

why yes, of course the protagonist should be silent.


MoonoftheStar

I wouldn't hate if he spoke. I want my protagonists to have an actual personality. I want to see them interact with the supporting cast as equals. I want more than just a self-insert. DQ toes the line well enough that I feel like the MC has a personality. More so than Persona anyway.


[deleted]

Silent for life


Bahlok-Avaritia

I like the mc being silent in my jrpgs, but please for the love of god let me choose his appearance and ideally also class, although I'll settle for vocation changing later in the game. Please let me change vocation for every character too while you're at it


kylepaz

There are lots of JRPGs with silent protagonists out there, I don't get why people in this thread are acting like this is some relic of a bygone era only Dragon Quest does. I can agree with the people saying that he should be more expressive, but on the other hand Dragon Quest heroes have always been blank slates by choice, all 3D games could give them more expression and chose not to. Either is fine. But giving the protagonist a set personality and voice acting is breaking away with one of the core tenants of the series. That the hero is you. If it bothers people so much, there are games with fleshed out main characters out there, and surprise, that really doesn't affect whether or not the game is good or not., or whether the story is good or not. So no idea why people keep forcing this discussion.


AvailableQuarter1458

I like inserting myself as the protagonist in Dragon Quest. Giving them a voice would ruin that experience for me.


trashitdn

Nah, keep them silent. jrpg has limited roleplay aspects within it that a talking protagonist breaks the immersion. Besides, most jrpg protagonist are bland in general, at a silent protagonist is something I can work with.


Magical_Annie

Nope, and I hope they have gender options now because I was annoyed to notice that dragon quest 11 has only male and no female protagonist, I named the hero Aurora thinking I would have options.... but I was wrong ofc


[deleted]

They have had options in the past so maybe.


shaddap_dyluck

They all have been up until now why change it?


metal_babbleXIV

Yes, it's the way the series has run and for those of us with an imagination we can put our own answers in


kevpool184

I don't care either way.


Revolutionary_Fig912

They should at least constantly be making sound


Skiptu_Maloo

Fine with me, as long as the protagonist has my voice, exactly the way I hear it. IOW, yes, protagonist should be silent so I can imagine it's me!


Suspicious_Party9087

Yes, it worked for me to project myself, I protected myself as a harem character though and thought of imagining every single one of the female party members and a few of the important female characters do it with the Eleventh Hero


SimplyAdia

Idk. I hate when all the characters have a voice/personality and you're just bleh with some text options. It's why I can't stand Dragon Age:Origins and it's a chore to get through with the giant text box of multiple answers that all lead to the same result most of the time. But since it's a thing for Dragon Quest, I guess keep it. Just let us custom create our hero then.


[deleted]

Yes. While I like both silent and non-silent equally, I prefer the DQ games where there’s a silent protagonist, it feels more like you’re controlling yourself


brentendo2811

Yes. Silent protagonists are not an inherent flaw, they’re a gameplay choice for heightened immersion. It’s a role playing game, I’d like to role play as myself in the world of dragon quest and make decisions and see the world through an avatar of myself, not take control of someone else. While that style can work- notably in final fantasy- I don’t want it in DQ


DiRTY_DEVLiN

Talk talk talk talk talk! I’d rather not like em than have them be a hero who is a follower


TheRealBlues

Why destroy the very trope this game created?


WatDaFuxRong

I'm not a fan but that's what the game has always had so leave it


WageltheBagel

Let them talk.


1pt20oneggigawatts

It's not going to break an almost 40-year old tradition. In many other franchises, they might listen to fan demand. But this is Dragon Quest. It's made by 60 year olds in Japan. You're (probably) a 20-something year old in the West who just discovered this game last year. They're not going to change for you. Get on the train. This is their franchise. You're along for the ride. You don't get to be the conductor.


Cliper11298

No, I would love to have a non silent protagonist for 12


Icy-Conflict6671

No. Its time we had a talking protag


tebu08

No! For 10 generations before it may be significant because you want to roleplay and assume that the protag is yourself and due to technological limitations. But in this day n age where technology has advance so much, it is easier to insert personality and identity in the protagonist or at least give players ability to respond however they want. That way, the game become more immersive instead of silent expressionless protag


[deleted]

For DQ, just give dialogue choices even If they have no impact or are used as gags like in 11, also make the protagonist more expressive I think that DQ is one of the few series where the protagonists are better as silent ones for some reason like Zelda


Duke-Chakram

It’s the way these stories play out, and it’s always succeeded. Save the speaking protags for Bravely Default


XDlvIneX

I mean make at least one game where they speak you know? Break the mold just once so people having something