Board 8 > JRPGs: Do you typically prefer a silent or developed protagonist?

(+) Yeah! (+)

The first option is a silent (or mostly silent) protagonist where you can choose occasional dialogue options, which essentially lets you put yourself in the protagonist's shoes. However, there's little story about them - mainly just why they're in those circumstances and that's it. Think Persona or Suikoden for this.

The second option is where you play through a protagonist's story, one that centers around them but not at expense of the characters that surround them; essentially, it's told through their eyes and you get to hear their thoughts at times. While this doesn't let the player put themselves in the protagonist's shoes and usually removes the dialogue options, it makes it easier to care more about the character, especially when it's done right. Think of most Final Fantasy and Tales games for this.

What say you guys?
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I might've overdone the adjectives on that second one, but I was thinking too much about Luke fon Fabre and how well he was developed >_>
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Definitely developed.

It's so awkward for example in Chrono Trigger having a silent avatar protagonist among party members like Frog and Magus.
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Developed is always better unless the reason the protagonist is silent is because you get to make actual choices for them, but that's more of a wrpg thing rather than jrpg. Almost universally developed is better in jrpgs.

Always always always developed

I don't really care.

Silent protags also work well if you just want a generic do gooder as his personality. More charming that Link and Crono are silent than giving them 5 lines about doing the right thing.

Mario is a great example of how awesome a character can be if you exchange generic dialogue with funny gestures.
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I like both
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I don't mind Persona where he's Silent but you're clearly saying stuff and characters react to it and you get the personality that way. I think it works but it's hard to do well.

If that isn't an option then silent with a great supporting cast of villains and party members and NPCs.
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Well Developed>Silent>Bad Character

I'll take silent over a titus or a vaan any day.
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Developed protag all the way. Having an undeveloped protag doesn't make me think "it's me!" (they never do what I would do anyway) it just makes me think "what a boring lump"

(Silent doesn't have to mean undeveloped though. If you want to have a mute protag but give them a real personality through gestures and actions and such, that's cool)
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Yawn.

SantaRPidgey posted...

Well Developed>Silent>Bad Character

I'll take silent over a titus or a vaan any day.

^

and there's probably a lot more Bad than Well Developed protags
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I hate silent protagonists in any story that attempts to be serious, especially the more time is spent on other characters actually having personalities.
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tidus is a good character
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A very well developed character is darn near impossible to beat, but a really well done silent protagonist can come surprisingly close. Ludger from Tales of Xillia 2 is really the only one that immediately comes to mind for me there, though.
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Well silent doesn't mean no character

Worlds of difference between Crono and Yu Narukami

In fact I'd say like, a silent character with enough dialogue options that I feel can make a consistent character will be better on average, though can't reach the same peaks

But I think your average silent is phoned in so voted the other option
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I liked the custom chara Cross in Xenoblade X, that chapter 5 reveal about mimeosomes was great coming from a player-perspective character.
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Vaan is like two-thirds silent protagonist anyway

he starts out a real character, then goes silent for the rest of the story and never completes his character arc

isn't that why people hate him (as well as painted-on abs)
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I have no strong feelings either way, but having just played Ni No Kuni 2, I can say that well-developed protagonists can tell stories that silent protagonists can't. That said, I also played Dragon Quest 11 this year and enjoyed it so much that I platinumed the thing.

I suppose it's the approach to the story that makes a difference. Ni No Kuni 2 was largely character driven, while Dragon Quest 11 was more event driven.

Drakeryn posted...

Vaan is like two-thirds silent protagonist anyway

he starts out a real character, then goes silent for the rest of the story and never completes his character arc

isn't that why people hate him (as well as painted-on abs)

but Vaan uses a full quota of speaking lines in that front end though

and you wanna punch him every time
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BlueCrystalTear posted...

The first option is a silent (or mostly silent) protagonist where you can choose occasional dialogue options, which essentially lets you put yourself in the protagonist's shoes.

Unless theres a branching storyline, where those dialog options actually make a difference, youre not really putting yourself in their shoes. Youre more like a crazy voice inside their head that they are desperately trying to pretend doesnt exist.
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redrocket posted...

Youre more like a crazy voice inside their head that they are desperately trying to pretend doesnt exist.

I'd say this is more applicable to the non silent protags that let you pick options. For the silent where the options are well written and consistent I think it's fine. Granted this applies more to non jRPGs actually.

(True story I'm pretty sure this is why I hate the plot of FFVIII so much. Squall rejecting Rinoa at every turn whenever I can choose then Disc 3 is just no good.)
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Lopen posted...

redrocket posted...

Youre more like a crazy voice inside their head that they are desperately trying to pretend doesnt exist.

I'd say this is more applicable to the non silent protags that let you pick options. For the silent where the options are well written and consistent I think it's fine. Granted this applies more to non jRPGs actually.

(True story I'm pretty sure this is why I hate the plot of FFVIII so much. Squall rejecting Rinoa at every turn whenever I can choose then Disc 3 is just no good.)

Fake choices are just bad all around, but yes its even worse with non-silent protagonists.
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Lopen posted...

redrocket posted...

Youre more like a crazy voice inside their head that they are desperately trying to pretend doesnt exist.

I'd say this is more applicable to the non silent protags that let you pick options. For the silent where the options are well written and consistent I think it's fine. Granted this applies more to non jRPGs actually.

(True story I'm pretty sure this is why I hate the plot of FFVIII so much. Squall rejecting Rinoa at every turn whenever I can choose then Disc 3 is just no good.)

That's because those options are supposed to be for humor and/or to show how squall puts up walls to protect himself and push others away, he never actually wants to reject her. But yeah I could see how someone who actively resists the central plot to the storyline wouldn't like it much!

It's not a JRPG, but I think of Shepard from Mass Effect as the ultimate protagonist for this sort of game. She's not silent, but you pick a large percentage of her dialogue, and essentially choose her personality. She has all the benefits of a silent protagonist, but she feels like a real character, too.

Grimlyn posted...

Drakeryn posted...

Vaan is like two-thirds silent protagonist anyway

he starts out a real character, then goes silent for the rest of the story and never completes his character arc

isn't that why people hate him (as well as painted-on abs)

but Vaan uses a full quota of speaking lines in that front end though

and you wanna punch him every time

Don't believe Ondore's lies!
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Basch lives!
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SantaRPidgey posted...

Well Developed>Silent>Bad Character

I'll take silent over a titus or a vaan any day.

This is pretty much why games play it safe with silent or generic/trope-tested protagonists.

Tidus is an excellently developed character. Does that mean he's flawed and sometimes annoying? Absolutely.

But there is a reason for that and an arc to it
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Persona is like the only JRPG series where Silent Protags work but even then it would be better with a Developed one.

Therefore the answer should and always will be developed even if it has produced terrible ones like Vaan and Fayt Linegod over the years.

I don't mind silent protags, but I'm going to always prefer the developed ones over the silent ones.
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I don't mind silent protags if it's a CaC, but pre-made ones suck. I hate the silent protag in DQXI. Every cutscene was so awkward for the first few hours when you only had one party member and he would talk and talk and talk and my guy would just nod or something.
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NFUN posted...

tidus is a good character

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Axl_Rose_85 posted...

Persona is like the only JRPG series where Silent Protags work but even then it would be better with a Developed one.

Therefore the answer should and always will be developed even if it has produced terrible ones like Vaan and Fayt Linegod over the years.

Joker is a very well developed character
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