10 Best Silent Protagonists In Gaming History
6. Chell (Portal)
Though Chell is technically the protagonist in that she’s the player character, one of the main reasons she works is because the villainous GLaDoS has a big enough personality for two. The silly yet incredibly dark humour of the antagonist makes the game memorable and full of life, even while Chell remains quiet.
If Chell did argue back though, as you might expect someone in those conditions to do, the game wouldn’t gain much and would definitely lose something. Her silence not only allows GLaDoS to dominate easier, it also puts you firmly in the driving seat. You choose how to react to her, you choose how far to believe her. Throughout the first game especially, it truly feels like you’re the one trapped in there with GLaDoS.
In fact, unless you deliberately manipulate the portals to work like pseudo mirrors, you can barely see what Chell looks like in the first game.
The second game does attempt to flesh her out a little, but again GLaDoS (now a potato) is the star attraction. Chell often gets overlooked because of this but her introverted style is a big part of the game’s success.