Summary
- The Forest immerses players by featuring a silent protagonist who acts as a stand-in for the player.
- Five Nights At Freddy's amps up tension by not giving protagonist Mike Schmidt any speaking lines.
- Amnesia: The Bunker opts for a silent lead to impact gameplay, emphasizing sound in a stalker experience.
Considering survival horror games can already be utterly terrifying due to their intense gameplay and environments, most games will allow the protagonist to say a few words of encouragement here and there to ensure players that they aren't alone. If developers really want to crank up the scare factor though, they can decide to feature a silent protagonist, making them more of a fil-in for the player, who can feel as though they are really there living the nightmare for real.
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It can't be an easy decision creating a mute protagonist, since it can make building up a story a bit more difficult, but thankfully, developers have found plenty of fun and unique ways to keep the narrative going, without the protagonist needing to say a word. With that being said, these are the very best games in the genre where the protagonist, outside of a few grunts and deep breaths, remains completely silent for the entire story.
7 The Forest
The Forest Goes All-In With Its Immersion, And That Includes Using The Protag As A Step-In For The Player
The Forest
- Released
- April 30, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
While there is a light story that runs throughout The Forest, at the core of the game is the immersive survival simulator which tasks players with surviving on an island full of cannibals after a sudden plane crash. As a result, the game is largely devoid of any real conversations, since many of the tribes will tend to attack the player rather than trying to reason with them.
This really works in the game's favor though, as, thanks to the realistic graphics, FPS view, and excellent audio design, it's hard to find many survival horror games out there that pull off immersion quite as well as The Forest. Though it might not be as polished as most triple AAA survival horrors, and features a largely straightforward plot, The Forest's gameplay is still fantastic, and having a silent protagonist only feeds into that.
6 Five Nights At Freddy's
Mike Is Too Focused On Not Being Torn To Shreds By Animatronics To Be Talking
Five Nights at Freddy's
- Released
- August 8, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
Though Five Nights At Freddy's might play quite a bit differently than most survival horror games, it's primarily because it puts more emphasis on management, that is, being able to keep track of multiple things at once to avoid being taken out. In this case, the protagonist is Mike Schmidt, who must try to use the side doors of his office to prevent a group of deadly animatronics from reaching him. Of course, this is much easier said than done, as there will only be a limited amount of power each night for players to use, so patience really is a virtue here.
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While Mike is a character who is actually fairly important to the wider lore, having him speak would simply break the nail-biting intensity of the gameplay. Therefore, keeping him quiet amplifies the scares and allows the setting to feel unnervingly real, making for one of the most popular survival horror games of the modern era.
5 Amnesia: The Bunker
After Fans Felt The Previous Protagonist Was A Bit Too Talkative, Amnesia: The Bunker Opted For A Silent Lead
Amnesia: The Bunker
- Released
- May 16, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Frictional Games
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
While Amnesia: Rebirth was a pretty well-received game that many fans came to enjoy, one problem which would constantly break the immersion is how often the protagonist, Tasi, would talk. This is presumably a part of the reason why Amnesia: The Bunker would have a silent protagonist, but this decision was also made because of the gameplay's emphasis on sound. As the name implies, the game takes place in a bunker; one which is being stalked by a vicious monster whose sense of hearing is second to none.
Therefore, the core gameplay loop revolves around opening doors, solving puzzles, and just simply trying to survive, all while creating as little noise as possible. This begins to get extremely difficult once players are forced to use bullets, bombs, and engines to help them progress through each area, and while the game is fairly short, and there's the occasional stutter here and there, it's still well worth playing for anyone who wants a truly immersive stalker game.
4 System Shock
Players Will Learn All The Dark Secrets Of The Space Station Through Audio Tapes Rather Than Conversations
System Shock (2023)
- Released
- May 30, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- NightDive Studios
- Genre(s)
- Sci-Fi, FPS
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
The remake of the 1994 classic changes up quite a bit from the original, but one thing that has remained intact is the silent protagonist, who is simply known as the Hacker. As players make their way through the mutant-infested space station, they will be able to learn more about how it became overridden by these vile creatures, while also being regularly contacted by the spine-chilling maniacal AI known as SHODAN.
Not having the protagonist say anything actually feeds into System Shock's story, since it's implied that this nameless hero could be anyone, and is emblematic of some of the game's central themes. At the same time, it also just adds a ton of realism to the game by pulling players into the adventure thanks to its immersion.
3 Dead Space
The Story Of The Original Dead Space Is Primarily Told By Hammond And Kendra Rather Than Isaac
Dead Space
- Released
- October 14, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Visceral Games
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
While the remake of the original Dead Space provided the game with a drastic graphical overhaul, alongside plenty of new mechanics and greatly improved audio, it also gave Isaac a voice. It might be hard to believe considering how much he chats back and forth with Kendra and Hammond in the remake, but back in 2008, Isaac was little more than a stand-in for the player, despite still being his own character with his own personal motivations.
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This would actually end up being a fairly divisive option when the game was first released. While the gameplay loop of exploring the dark and dreary Ishimura and blasting apart Necromorphs was an absolute blast, Isaac's silence did end up making him feel a bit disconnected from the story. However, others argue that it helps to make the experience more immersive for the player, so it ultimately ends up being a double-edged sword, but despite the debates, it still serves its purpose extremely well in making the Ishimura feel all the more believable in all the worst ways.
2 Outlast
Even A Single Word Could Give Away Miles' Whereabouts To The Lunatics Of Mount Massive Asylum
Outlast
- Released
- November 4, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Red Barrels
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Linux, macOS
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
After trying to get the latest scoop on the infamous Mount Massive Asylum, Miles Upshur eventually finds himself trapped in the building with little more than a camera to guide his way. Considering the majority of the inmates are bloodthirsty and more than happy to kill anyone who looks at them the wrong way, staying silent for the entire adventure seems pretty understandable, and also adds to the immersion of Outlast, especially when paired with the FPS camera angle.
Though there are a few characters who will talk directly to Miles, this is essentially just to give him new orders on where to go, though whether they can be trusted is an entirely different matter. The core gameplay of Outlast is still just as intense as it was back in 2013, with the reliance on the camera and lack of weapons resulting in a memorable horror experience packed full of enemies who are pure nightmare fuel.
1 BioShock
Jack's Silence And Complacency Becomes A Relevant Topic Within The Story Of BioShock
BioShock
- Released
- August 21, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Irrational Games
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Aside from a quick comment before the game officially begins about his parents, Jack never speaks throughout his bizarre journey into the murky depths of Rapture in the original BioShock. However, while at first, this can seem like it's purely for immersion's sake, Jack's silence, and more specifically, his willingness to do anything asked of him, actually feeds into the game's story.
BioShock plays around with its meta commentary quite frequently, and one way it does this is through highlighting the absurdity of having a silent protagonist, and what not asking questions can ultimately lead to. Of course, BioShock's gameplay is also incredible, with the enemy variety, Plasmid mechanic, and choice system all holding up to this day.
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