Summary
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomhas finally made Link canonically mute as part of the game’s narrative, instead of just implying he doesn’t talk much.
Without a doubt,The Legend of Zelda’s Link is one of the most iconic characters in all of gaming history,no matter which game he’s coming from. That’s been true for a while, but it does come as a bit of a surprise considering one of his defining characteristics (aside from the pointy green hat and tunic)is that he almost never talks.
Not counting the awful CD-i games where he never shuts up, Link is basically silent throughout every Zelda game, ignoring the “hyaahs” and grunts he makes while moving around. Although a few games imply that he’s shy and just doesn’t talk much, many fans have theorised and head-canoned that he’s mute, something that actually becomes a plot point in Echoes of Wisdom.
Link Is Officially Mute In Echoes Of Wisdom
One of the main plot points of Echoes of Wisdom is that you finally get to play as Zelda, with Link being dragged into the darkness right at teh beginning of the game. Although Link isn’t around much in Echoes of Wisdom as Zelda sets out to rescue him, we do hear a little about his exploits thanks to the diary of Lueberry, Impa’s younger brother.
If you choose to read Lueberry’s diary, you’ll see an entry that references Link and explains that the rifts take away something important from whoever gets trapped in them. Hueberry reveals that the thing that was taken away from Link after he was captured was his “ability to speak”, finally canonising him being mute in a Zelda game.
All of the kids who were taken by rifts have lost something. For Link, he lost the ability to speak.
While it’s true that this is only for Echoes of Wisdom and likely something that’s cleared up by the end of the game, it’s a nice nod to the character never talking and finally explains it without hand-waving that he speaks whenever players aren’t around.Breath of the Wildand Tears of the Kingdom suggested that he’s just a man of few words, but here there’s a reason for his silence.
Here’s hoping it’s a sign thatNintendois willing to have some fun and place more emphasis on Link not talking in future The Legend of Zelda games.
