Dragon Quest, Metaphor: ReFantazio Creators on Silent Protagonists in Modern RPGs

RPG veterans Yuji Horii and Katsura Hashino, directors of Square Enix's "Dragon Quest" and Atlus' "Metaphor: ReFantazio," respectively, recently engaged in a thought-provoking discussion about the role of silent protagonists in contemporary RPGs. This conversation, highlighted in the "Metaphor: ReFantazio Atlas Brand 35th Anniversary Edition" booklet, delves into the evolving challenges of game development and storytelling amidst advancing technology.

Dragon Quest Creator Talks Modern Challenges of Using Silent Protagonists

Silent Protagonists Seem Increasingly Out of Place in Modern Games

image (c) Den Faminico Gamer

Yuji Horii, the mastermind behind the iconic Dragon Quest series, shared insights with Katsura Hashino, the director of Atlus' upcoming RPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio. Their dialogue focused on the nuances of storytelling in RPGs, particularly the challenges faced by franchises like Dragon Quest as video game graphics advance towards greater realism.

A hallmark of the Dragon Quest series is its use of a silent protagonist, which Horii refers to as "the symbolic protagonist." This approach allows players to project their own emotions and reactions onto the character, enhancing immersion within the game's world. Silent protagonists serve as player avatars, engaging with the game environment primarily through dialogue choices rather than spoken lines.

Horii noted that the simplicity of graphics in earlier games made silent protagonists a natural fit. "As game graphics evolve and become more realistic, a protagonist who just stands there can appear quite out of place," Horii humorously remarked. He shared his background as an aspiring manga artist and how his passion for storytelling and fascination with computers led him to the video game industry. Dragon Quest, born from these passions, emphasizes story progression through interactions with game bosses and townspeople. "The story unfolds through dialogue, which is what makes it engaging," Horii explained.

However, Horii acknowledged the growing difficulty of maintaining silent protagonists in modern games, where realistic graphics can make a non-reactive character seem out of touch. In the early days of Dragon Quest on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the minimalist graphics allowed players to easily fill in the emotional gaps left by the silent protagonist. As games evolve with more detailed visuals and audio, Horii admitted that depicting silent protagonists becomes increasingly challenging. "As games become more realistic, the type of protagonist featured in Dragon Quest becomes harder to depict. This will continue to be a challenge in the future," he concluded.

Metaphor ReFantazio Director Thinks Dragon Quest Puts Players' Feelings First

While Dragon Quest remains one of the few major RPG series to feature a silent protagonist, other series like Persona have moved towards voiced protagonists, especially since Persona 3. In contrast, Hashino's upcoming game, Metaphor: ReFantazio, will feature a fully voice-acted protagonist.

Hashino praised Horii for the unique emotional experience Dragon Quest provides. "I believe Dragon Quest deeply considers how the player will feel in any given situation," Hashino remarked. "Even interactions with regular townspeople are crafted with the player's emotional response in mind. The games are consistently designed to evoke specific feelings when characters speak."