At one point, Nintendo’s famously silent lead Link was going to have lines of dialogue in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. However, the developers ultimately agreed it didn’t feel right, even though in Echoes of Wisdom, Link isn’t the main protagonist.
In an interview with Famitsu, Echoes of Wisdom directors Satoshi Terada and Tomomi Sano, along with series producer Eiji Aonuma, shared more insight into this year’s release. The developers noted that traditionally, the lead in a Legend of Zelda game has remained mute, and this typically means Link.
Please note, there are minor spoilers for Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom below.
In Echoes of Wisdom, the series’ namesake takes the lead role, and therefore this time it is Zelda who doesn’t have any lines of dialogue. This opened up the possibility that Link could finally share some words of wisdom with players, and Aonuma admitted “at first” the green-clad hero was indeed talking (translated by VGC).