Double Jump Gaming News

Silent Protagonists

Article by: Tyler McNamer

Talking is so overrated. You don't need a witty catchphrase to become an iconic gaming character. It does help yes, but it isn't required. Some of the most iconic gaming characters speak about as much as a stale piece of bread. In the world of gaming you can be anybody you want. It just gets easier to put yourself in the main character’s shoes when they shut their trap. This week, we look at the Top 10 silent protagonists in gaming. Now, shut up and read this list!

10. Jack (Bioshock, 2007)
Jack has been placed in the tenth spot because of his brief monologue in the beginning moments of Bioshock. Besides the first minute, Jack goes silent for the rest of the game. By keeping his thoughts to himself, it allows the player to take in the breathtaking world that is Rapture. Instead of relying on the game's main character to speak his thoughts aloud, you are able to come to your own conclusions.

9. Chell (Portal series, 2009-)
For a game that has such a strong sense of humor, it seems odd to have the main character mutter not even a peep. Because the humor of the game is full of biting wit, having your main character sit in silence clashes perfectly with its sarcastic banter. With how strong of characters GlaDOS and Wheatley are, Chell is the perfect yin to their yang. The peanut butter to their jelly. The companion cube to their…giant fire pit.

8. The New Kid (South Park: The Stick of Truth, 2014)
To this day, South Park continues to shock the world with what it shows. The world sits with its jaw wide open at the hilarious visuals in The Stick of Truth. It only makes sense that the main character would be silent. What is there to say when you find yourself coming across Nazi zombies, government conspiracies, and underpants stealing gnomes?

7. Isaac Clarke (Dead Space, 2008)
Ignoring the later entries in the Dead Space series, Isaac stayed silent through the entire Dead Space campaign. Instead of inner monologues, the only sounds a player can hear are the creaks and groans of angry monsters. Isaac would be scream as he is torn apart limb from limb. Not only did Isaac's silence add to the suspense of the game, his shrieks of pain would add to the brutality of the game. In space, everyone can hear you scream.

6. Doomguy (Doom series, 1993- current)
Not every action hero has to have a kickass catch phrase. For every Arnold Schwarzenegger, there are 20 Steven Seagals. But for every Doomguy, there's 100 knock offs. Nothing is cooler than a man that can face against Hell's army and not even say a corny catchphrase. The demons of hell already know they're in trouble when they see Doomguy walk in with an oversized shotgun. He doesn't have to say a word to know they're screwed.

5. Red (Pokémon, 1996)
It's a shame that Red never got to speak a word throughout his time in the Pokémon franchise. For being such an iconic character in everyone's childhood, there are no witty or clever catch phrases to repeat. But, that isn't a bad thing in the world of Pokémon. By staying silent, the player was allowed to put themselves into the character's shoes. They weren't playing as a person who is a Pokémon master, they were the Pokémon master.

4. Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot series, 1996-current)
To be fair, Crash doesn't talk because he is still just an animal. What kind of madman would create a crazy video game that features a talking animal? Luckily, Crash keeps the game grounded by keeping him silent. It also seems more so that he just doesn't understand what's going on around him. For Crash, there really isn't much to say anyways. Maybe all the years of smashing his head on boxes has caused him to lose his train of thought?

3. Meat Boy (Super Meat Boy, 2010)
Sticking to the theme of video game characteristics with realistic feature sets, Meat Boy doesn't speak much. Imagine the horrors of a talking cube of meat. Besides, he doesn’t have much to talk about when he is stuck in a never-ending cycle of death and misery. Besides, try to hear anything anybody says in that game when you're too busy screaming your lungs out at your television screen.

2. Gordon Freeman (Half-Life series, 1998-2007)
The irony of Dr. Freeman's silence is that he is one of the smartest people in the game. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to spout out random science stuff to get people to recognize his brilliance. Even when it seems like the end of the world, every character treats him with an overbearing amount of respect. Instead of Dr. Freeman, the player can think they are a world renowned physicist, instead of someone sitting in the dark pretending to be.

1.You (Fallout 3, 2008)
Although you technically do talk to other characters in the game, it is your choice what you get to say. Besides, there's no actual voice acting, so it counts on this list. By your character not having a designated voice, you are able to control what is said and done. It is your own words that control the outcome of everything. If that doesn't make you feel cool, then probably nothing else will.