The main storyline of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a chivalry-promoting romantic friction, where our protagonist Link is the chosen one to help Zelda the princess save the world. Link started off as an innocent Kikoro who spent his entire life in the deep forest. Then one morning, a fairy came to him and told him that the Deku Tree, the respected elder of the forest, summoned him. There he took on a mission to lift the curse on the Deku Tree, and since then his adventure begins. After endless battles and puzzles, Link finally collected three elements and managed to pull the Master Sword, the proof of "the Hero of Time". Then he was suddenly put to sleep for 7 years, because he was considered too young to be the hero. Seven years later, he woke up to save the world. He eventually went on a journey to defeat the evil one, Ganon, and to save the world.
Many of the reviewers of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time expressed their love for this game for the immersive experience. This game made them feel like they lived in Hyrule once, giving them nostalgia for this kingdom. In other words, the game succeeds in transmitting Link’s experience to the players, in which our character-less protagonist has played a critical role.
When Link was put to sleep for seven years just after pulling one sword and even the players are surprised that he could grow up in the game, Link seemed to be totally fine with it. Throughout the game, he displayed a calm and passive attitude towards every mission and destiny thrown at him, and listens to every request silently. He would make wordless sounds when he is fighting or when he got hurt, but otherwise he never said anything. He was not responsive in conversations, nor would he talk to someone. He never even made a decision on his own —— all the choices are left to the players. In general, the game never shares with us any of Link’s thoughts and feelings. It left Link’s own personality in blank.
We can't say that this lack of character could help add any charisma or depth to Link, but it does help the players identify with Link. Link's silence and passiveness give us the full control of the character, and reduce the gap between us and him. We could totally relate with Link, because he won’t say anything that we would not agree with, or have reactions that we won’t approve of.
This lack of character can also be seen in Problem Attic, in which the unidentifiable pixel person is designed for the players' identification with it as well. The lack of character of the protagonist in Problem Attic helped in a way that everyone could identify himself/herself with it. The lack of identification made it easier for players to put themselves in the protagonist’s shoes, and emphasize with it. As a result, the character-less protagonist did a great job transmitting his/her experience to the players, giving players a deeply immersive gameplay.
Nowadays, the protagonists who could have their own thoughts and are allowed to express their feelings have become a popular trend in games. As more complicated stories and plots are added to games, and CGs are added to the gameplay, the protagonists now have more chances to express themselves. How they would differ from the protagonists without character in gaming experience, however, still awaits further analysis.
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