10 Best Silent Protagonists In Gaming History

As games move closer and closer to being taken seriously as pieces of art, characters are becoming more developed and well rounded. Just recently, Arthur Morgan and 2018’s Kratos staked claims as some of the most complex and nuanced characters of all time. Sometimes though, characters manage to say a lot without saying anything at all.

These characters remain completely silent throughout their games (often across whole series), yet have still become iconic figures. There’s a few grunts and yelps along the way sure, but no words of any real note.

Mario, a long time silent protagonist, has become slightly more talkative recently. Though this often just means shouting the name of the game he’s currently in, it’s just about enough to disqualify him.

Likewise, characters we never hear speak but who talk through on screen dialogue miss the boat here too. There’s more than enough actually silent characters around without wedging in others on technicalities.

These characters don’t just exist in games without talking, their silence becomes part of the game. Either by drawing you in or strangely making the characters more relatable, this lot thrive despite a lack of dialogue.

For some players, it’s hard to read the word ‘Fable’ without wincing. Right from the first game, there were empty promises which remained unfulfilled even as the trilogy closed. As for the trilogy itself, the tone and British humour was praised throughout but the gameplay style and quality varied wildly. However, it remained a solid series.

This was followed by a terrible Kinect focussed Fable: The Journey, a so so remake of the first game and a failed multiplayer endeavour. There are whispers that a fourth true version of the game may be on the way soon, but all in all the series has taken quite a battering over the years.

Still, it remains charmingly popular, and a lot of that is down to the game’s unabashed wit and utter silliness. Though combat styles varied throughout the series, the humour probably peaked in the second entry with the unnamed hero, nicknamed Sparrow.

A perfect foil for the jokes of the rest of the cast, Sparrow was delightfully goofy even without words. Sparrow could still laugh, dance, scream and even fart, all of which the townspeople for some reason found impressive. Even without words, Sparrow was a great entertainer.