The famously mute Link almost spoke in Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

At one point, Nintendo’s famous silent protagonist Link would feature lines of dialogue Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. However, the developers ultimately agreed that this didn’t feel right, even though Link is not the main character in Echoes of Wisdom.

In an interview with FamitsuEchoes 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 usually means Link.

Pay attention, there are minor spoilers for Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom below.

Echoes of Wisdom stars the namesake of the series, which is why this time it is Zelda who does not contain any dialogue. This opened up the possibility that Link could finally share some words of wisdom with players, and Aonuma admitted that the green-clad hero was indeed talking “at first” (translated by VGC).

Terada added that he “let Link talk a little bit” when work on the Switch title began. However, it didn’t stick, and Terada noted that no matter what he made Link say, it ultimately “just didn’t feel right”.

“Link would never speak like that,” Aonuma continued. “It felt very strange. No one knew what Link would say – that makes sense because he’s never said anything before.”

To get around this, the Echoes of Wisdom team instead made up a story explaining why Link is silent even though he is not the player character. Early in the game, Zelda may come across a journal entry written by Impa’s brother Lueburry. Here, Lueburry explains that Link was “one of the children” who had been “stolen away” by the strange rifts that had opened in Hyrule and set much of the game in motion.

According to this message, “all children taken through the rifts” had lost something, and in Link’s case it was his ability to speak.

Echoes of Wisdom isn’t the only Legend of Zelda game to provide a reason for Link’s silence. In Breath of the wildLink can read Zelda’s diary as he makes his way through Hyrule Castle. In her writings, the princess said that she had slowly managed to get Link to open up to her, but he “feels the need to stay strong and bear every burden in silence.” This “has caused him to stop expressing his thoughts and feelings outwardly,” Zelda writes.

“I always believed that he was simply a gifted person who had never experienced a day of hardship. How wrong I was…” reads Breath of the Wild’s diary. “Everyone has struggles that go unnoticed by the world… I was so wrapped up in my own problems that I didn’t see his. I want to talk to him more and see what lies beneath those calm waters, to set him free to hear him speak and openly… And perhaps I too will be able to bare my soul to him and share the demons that have plagued me all these years.”

For more information, Nintendo provided details earlier this year why Zelda was chosen as the protagonist for the Echoes of Wisdominstead of Link.

The company also has has narrowed the release window for the upcoming Legend of Zelda movie.