RPG veterans Yuji Horii and Katsura Hashino, directors of Square Enix's “Dragon Quest” and Atlus' “Metaphor: ReFantazio,” discuss the use of silent protagonists in games amid advancing technology and the evolving landscape of game development.

Dragon Quest Creator Talks Modern Challenges of Using Silent ProtagonistsSilent Protagonists Seem Increasingly Out of Place in Modern Games

image (c) Den Faminico Gamer

Yuji Horii, the creator of the iconic Dragon Quest RPG series, delved into the topic of RPGs with Katsura Hashino, director of Atlus’ upcoming RPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio. This discussion was featured in a recently published excerpt of an interview found in the "Metaphor: ReFantazio Atlas Brand 35th Anniversary Edition" booklet. The RPG directors covered various aspects of storytelling in this particular video game genre, including the challenges faced by franchises like Dragon Quest as video game graphics become more realistic.

One of the foundations of the Dragon Quest series is its use of a silent protagonist, or as Horii described it, “the symbolic protagonist.” Using silent protagonists allows players to project their own emotions and reactions onto the main character, which could help elevate one's immersion in the game's world. These silent characters typically serve as stand-ins for the player, interacting with the game world primarily through dialogue options rather than spoken lines.

Horii explained that due to the simpler graphics of earlier games, which didn't show detailed character expressions or animations, using silent protagonists was easier and sensible to decide on. "As game graphics evolve and grow increasingly realistic, if you make a protagonist who just stands there, they will look like an idiot," Horii commented jokingly.

Horii mentioned he originally aspired to be a manga artist, and said that his love for storytelling and fascination with computers pushed him to enter the video game industry. Dragon Quest was ultimately borne out of Horii's passions, along with the game's premise of story progression through game boss interactions. "Dragon Quest basically consists of dialogue with townspeople, with very little in the way of narration. The story is created using the dialogue. That’s what’s fun about it," he explained.

Horii acknowledged the challenges of maintaining this approach in modern games, where realistic graphics can make a non-reactive protagonist seem out of place. In the early days of Dragon Quest, the minimalist graphics of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) era meant that players could easily imagine their own emotions and reactions filling the gaps left by the silent protagonist. However, as games' visuals and audio—apart from other factors—become more detailed, Horii admitted that silent protagonists become increasingly difficult to depict.

"That’s why, the type of protagonist featured in Dragon Quest becomes increasingly difficult to depict as games become more realistic. This will be a challenge in the future too," the creator concluded.

Metaphor ReFantazio Director Thinks Dragon Quest Puts Players' Feelings First

Dragon Quest is one of the few major RPG series that continues to feature a silent protagonist, who, apart from making a few reactionary sounds, remains silent throughout the game. On the other hand, other RPG series like Persona have incorporated voiced lines for its protagonists during battles and cutscenes, prominently since Persona 3. Meanwhile, Hashino's upcoming game, Metaphor: ReFantazio, will feature a fully voice-acted protagonist.

While the Dragon Quest creator pondered on the constrained affective power of silent protagonists in modern games, Hashino commended Horii for the unique and emotionally-attuned experience the game offers. "I think Dragon Quest puts a lot of thought into how the player will feel in a given situation," Hashino told Horii, "even when it's to do with a regular townsperson. I feel like the games are consistently created with the player in mind, thinking about what emotions will arise when someone says something."