The earliest player characters in video games of the 1980s, including the likes of Mario, Metroid's Samus, and The Legend of Zelda's Link, were silent protagonists.
Characters such as these may occasionally speak through text or audible words, but are otherwise limited to making gestures, inarticulate noises, or remaining entirely silent.
[2] Many early video games made use of a silent protagonist out of utility, which could be due to technology, time, or budget limitations, or as a narrative device.
[5] Reception has varied widely according to its use, ranging from praise for its help immersing a player in the game, with titles such as Half-Life 2 and franchises such as Mario and The Legend of Zelda frequently cited, while the protagonist's lack of communication has at times been noted as hindersome to plot development, as in one reviewer's comments on Grand Theft Auto III,[6] or multiple accounts on the Crash Bandicoot franchise.
[7] CJ Miozzi called franchises that still use the technique a "crutch" for bad storytelling, saying "just as narration has become a hallmark of terrible movies through improper use, silent protagonists have become the trademarks of a weak storyline in a game.