When players get their hands on Starfield next year, they will be greeted by a familiar style of protagonist. After spending hours in Fallout 4 listening to the main character speak, Bethesda will be returning to the classic silent protagonist for Starfield. Up until Fallout 4, this was the standard for every Bethesda RPG, and many players are excited to see it return. The game will feel more in-line with previous single-player Bethesda RPGs and may feel more immersive for some players, but it may also lose something for others.
Starfield's silent protagonist allows for more immersion as the player has to read blocks of text with their own voice. It makes them feel like they are the main character, and they can become more connected to the person they created, which is a must for RPGs. However, it could also be very alienating and unapproachable compared to games with a voiced protagonist. Some players just want to enjoy the ride without the need to control every little aspect of their character, including the voice. Going forward, Bethesda should adopt a choice model and let players decide if their character has a voice or if they are simply a blank slate waiting to be filled.
Bethesda Loves the Silent Protagonist
Bethesda has used the silent protagonist for years. Pretty much since its first RPG, instead of having an actor come in and record lines, players had to read large amounts of text to understand what was happening. They could then make decisions based on the story that was given to them, and these choices would affect their adventure in Fallout or The Elder Scrolls. This allowed players to project their own voice onto the character, and it gave them far more control over just who they wanted their character to be.
While the voiced protagonist also had the ability to make choices that would shape the plot of Fallout 4, having a silent protagonist offered even more control over the narrative. Players had far more options that could affect the game and these options were much more specific than they were with a voiced protagonist. Bethesda did not have to adhere to voice lines that had been recorded by a voice actor, but instead it could run wild with different narrative branches and dialogue choices. It is far easier to write a block of text than it is to have a voice actor record every possible outcome, and Starfield will be returning to that model.
Fallout 4 Introduced the Voiced Protagonist
Fallout 4 introduced a lot of big innovations to the franchise, with one of the biggest being the voiced protagonist. Gone were the days when players had to read, and it was replaced with either a voice speaking the lines. The choices were worked around these new voice lines, with players being presented with only a couple of choices rather than the amount they had been offered previously. Some choices did not necessarily match the voice lines that had been spoken, and this took away a certain level of role-playing ability for some players.
The voiced protagonist did make the game far more approachable for those who may have been turned off by the blocks of text in previous Bethesda RPGs. Players would no longer have to focus on these long choices and think about the consequences; they just had to choose one of four choices out of a dialogue wheel. Some choices would also be colored yellow or red depending upon the level of persuasion that was required. While this streamlined process made some hardcore Bethesda RPG fans mad, it helped others connect with their character even more since they actually felt like a living being with a voice.
Players Should Be Given the Choice
For some players, the silent protagonist offered far more role-playing ability than the voiced protagonist did. For others, it was the complete opposite and the voiced protagonist actually let them connect with their character more as they felt like a real person. It was a controversial choice that has many fans arguing about it to this day, but Bethesda seems to have made its choice. Starfield, much like Fallout 76 before it, will be doing away with the voiced protagonist and replacing it with the silent protagonist once again. However, it would be better if Bethesda gave players a choice in the matter.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga gave players the choice between using the classic LEGO mumbles or listening to the movie dialogue. The game included a feature known as mumble mode that players could enable which would replace the lines with mumbles and grunts, it was a nice homage to the original games and let players play the title like they would have in 2005. While LEGO Star Wars is a very different game than any Bethesda RPG, it still gave players a choice in how the story was being told to them.
While it is too late for Starfield, Bethesda should consider giving players a choice on just how their protagonist is represented going forward. Maybe they prefer the blocks of text and being able to project their voice on their created character, or maybe they want to hear their player actually speak and feel alive. Giving them the choice will help to eliminate any criticism that the studio may get for choosing one over the other, and it will help make the game more approachable to a broader audience. While it may be difficult to work in a voice around a text-based story, if LEGO Star Wars can do it, then Bethesda may be able to figure it out.
For many players, the return to the silent protagonist for Starfield is a great thing. For others, the game will lose something for them and that should be rectified going forward. For The Elder Scrolls 6, or even Fallout 5, players should be able to choose just how the story is told to them. Allowing this choice will give the players more control over how they want to live in these expansive worlds that Bethesda is creating, and they will be able to tell their own story even better.
Starfield releases in 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.