History Main / HeroicMime

One fairly common variation of this is to suggest that the main character actually does speak, we just can't hear them or see their text boxes. [[SilentBob However, the other characters in the game can, and we can sometimes infer what was said from their reactions]]. Another common variation used to compromise between immersion and characterization is to allow the player character to speak, but only during non-interactive cutscenes.

* The main character in ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' has the title "Silent Protagonist" in his status window. [[spoiler:When the he switches bodies with the false antagonist Lynx, Lynx begins talking through Serge, with Serge's mugshot accompanying. A few party members will point out that Serge had, up to that point, never said a word, but still remain entirely fooled. Of course, Serge never says a word as Lynx.]]

* In the ''WebAnimation/Rabtoons'' segment ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger in a Nutshell'', Crono speaks quite a lot... but everyone ignores everything he says in order to move the story forward. Until Robo shows up, reacts to what Crono is saying, and [[BreakingTheFourthWall admits that they ran out of "silent protagonist" jokes]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' went back and forth with this. In the first game, Captain Olimar provides exposition and comments on the Pikmin and their properties. In ''VideoGame/Pikmin2'', this role was taken over by the Hocotate Ship's AI, leaving Olimar (and his new sidekick Louie) silent. [[spoiler: Rescuing Louie at the end of the game]], though, lets the player read Louie's logs on every creature in the game ([[BigEater and how to properly cook and eat them.]]) By ''VideoGame/Pikmin3'', he's back to speaking again, and the new player characters speak as well.

** Red's silence is so distinct to him that [[TheWikiRule Bulbapedia]], which keeps a script of everything that any major character has said, [[OverlyLongGag filled his Quotes page with ellipses]], as seen [[https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_(game)/Quotes here]].

** ''Ys III: Wanderers From Ys'' gives Adol many lines of his own in the original version. The new age remake ''Oath in Felghana'' changed that to bring it more in line with the rest of the series. In the UsefulNotes/PCEngine CD version, where most characters are voiced, he only speaks in text.

** Yunica Tovah and Hugo [[spoiler: and Toal]] Fact from VideoGame/YsOrigin avert this trope.
** VideoGame/YsIXMonstrumNox has two Adols, both of which are silent. Once they [[spoiler: fuse with each other]], the [[spoiler: fake one]] speaks, while the [[spoiler: real one]] does not, but the trope only gets averted for one scene [[spoiler: because the real one takes control after that]]. [[spoiler: The clone Atola is created from Adol's personality and memories, but averts the trope]].
* The hero in VideoGame/PhantomDust isn't shown speaking at any point in the game.

* All of the protagonists in the ''HistoryCivilWarGames'' are these, including Edward Hogger from ''HistoryCivilWarSecretMissions''.

* Various Nintendo characters, but especially the Mario Bros and company usually function as heroic mimes during play. The humorous extremes occurs in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' for the SNES and ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' for the GBA. They pantomime ''everything''. Most of them, Mario included, do speak, though it's usually in the form of catchphrases and one-off bits of dialogue. Many games have text that show what the characters are supposed to be saying, while the characters themselves just grunt and say short words or phrases that usually aren't even close to matching the text. Promotional things outside of video games often have Mario speaking at length, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYa7G467_Yo like this tour of the Nintendo 3DS]]. And yes, it ''is'' Creator/CharlesMartinet.
** Luigi himself is inconsistent, even when he's playable; in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'', he talks. In the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' games, he doesn't. In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', the NPC Luigi talks, and the PC Luigi (who is actually a different character... sort of) doesn't; ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'' only features one playable Luigi, who talks, but only while you're controlling Mario.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has [[PlayerCharacter the Warrior of Light]] talk a few times, but you never get to hear what they're saying. The only vocals you'll get is VoiceGrunting — emotive cries paired with emotes (like laughing or cheering), [[{{Kiai}} shouts of effort in battle]], and a dying gasp when knocked out.
** This is [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the player character very rarely speaking more than a few times by other characters in ''A Realm Reborn''.

** However, the ''Heavensward'' storyline has the player character showing more emotion and having more dialogue choices that reflect the changes, which may be a sign of the character being one of their own instead of just a simple projection of the player.
** And [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded all to hell and back]] when [[spoiler: Lord Hien struggles to find something to say to his victorious subjects]], and the player can say [[{{Irony}} "If you won't say anything, I will."]]

** Played with to great effect throughout the Dark Knight job quests in the ''Heavensward'' areas. The level 50 one blows it open by [[spoiler:revealing that your "job tutor" thus far has actually been a manifestation of your inner anger and frustrations, with the final battle of the quest having them transform from "Fray's faceless suit of armour" into [[EnemyWithout a mirror image of yourself]] in the Dark Knight's Lv 60 gear. When the manifestation talks in this form, its nameplate uses your name to show that, in a way, it is you speaking. Of course, your actual character still doesn't talk, but there are strong implications (and the post-''Shadowbringers'' quest confirms) that, from the perspective of the other [=NPCs=] you've interacted with thus far, ''you'' said everything that "Fray" said.]]

* While Franchise/{{Kirby}} has been known to make sounds, he's never been heard talking outside of [[VideoGame/KirbysAvalanche one obscure spin-off game]], [[LightNovel/{{Kirby}} the light novel series]], and the occasional one word sentence in [[Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa the anime]]. However, much like your average RPG protagonist, he is often implied to speak and we simply don't hear it.

* John Blade in ''VideoGame/{{SiN}} Episodes'' is a semi-silent protagonist (apart from a few voice clips and one-liners that don't always make sense in context), rather disconcertingly because in the original game and its ExpansionPack ''Wages of Sin'', he ''never shuts up''. Before future episodes were canceled, the developers mentioned in an interview that they thought John Blade worked better like this but were surprised both by the negative reaction they received and by the fact that opinion seemed literally split down the middle. Had further episodes been released, Blade would've had a much more robust voice track hearkening back to the original game... and an option to turn it off.

* In the PC adaption of ''Film/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'', Harry only uses his vocal cords for spell incantations and never participates in conversation.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' works similarly, and even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the player character very rarely speaking:
-->'''Thancred''': ...You might try to look a ''little'' disappointed! Or do you mean to give me another one of your stoic nods? You do, don't you? *sigh*\\

** In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'' the main character never speaks -- there's even an option to turn off his VoiceGrunting -- though not much is made about it during the game. It is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] however in the short character bios that appear in the loading screens. Cole, a young boy who idolizes the main character, is said to have attempted the "strong and silent type" act. [[spoiler:Similar to ''Dragon Quest V'', you also meet the hero's younger self thanks to time travel, and he talks to you and his father in the brief moment you see him.]]

* ''VideoGame/BlackTheFall'': The PlayerCharacter is a worker in an [[CommiLand unnamed country rules by the Communist Regime]]. From the beginning of his journey to the end, he never says a word.

* While Franchise/{{Kirby}} has been known to make sounds, he's never been heard talking outside of [[VideoGame/KirbysAvalanche one obscure spin-off game]], [[LightNovel/Kirby the light novel series]], and the occasional one word sentence in [[Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa the anime]]. However, much like your average RPG protagonist, he is often implied to speak and we simply don't hear it.

* Mei, the protagonist of ''[[VideoGame/JETTTheFarShore JETT: The Far Shore]]'', never speaks, and radio queries to her vessel are always answered by her chatty copilot Isao. This is justified because she is a religious mystic who has taken a vow of silence, which in the eyes of her society makes her especially suited to the holy task of space exploration.

* While all the characters in ''VideoGame/PotionPermit'' [[PictorialSpeechBubble speak in emoticons]] when expressing their feelings, [[PlayerCharacter The Chemist]] exclusively does this because they don't have written dialogue like the others.

* ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'': The protagonist is completely mute, and the prompt to interact with other characters is 'listen'.[[spoiler: This is intentional in-universe; one of the design criteria for the Vessels was that they have "no voice to cry suffering" and it's unclear if they even have mouths.]] By contrast, Hornet in ''Silksong'' can talk to npcs and has several {{Kiai}} shouts.

** {{Averted|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyInfiniteWarfare''. Main character Nick Reyes fully talks during missions. Even teaser-only character Dan "Wolf" Lyall talks during his mission.

** Soap becomes an NPC character in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2'' and, as such, is SuddenlyVoiced. However, similar to Price in the previous game, when he eventually becomes playable near the end of the game, he goes back to being silent, aside from the intro cutscenes. Other player characters Roach and Ramirez are completely silent. Allen however talks during the briefing cutscene for "Cliffhanger".