The inclusion of voice acting in The Legend of Zelda series has been a point of contention amongst fans for years now; in the past, some players have criticised Nintendo for favouring the series' traditional grunts and mumbles over fully realised voice acting, while others would suggest that giving the main characters spoken dialogue would take away some of the series' charm.
But with 2017's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the series finally introduced voice acting on a scale that had never been seen before. While a large chunk of the game retained the series' usual on-screen text dialogue, cinematic cutscenes finally gave characters like Zelda a true voice, with a variety of talented actors and actresses taking on roles across a number of different languages.
Nintendo's decision was always going to spark mixed responses from fans who had grown up with these previously silent characters, and while the voice acting in Breath of the Wild has gone down extremely well on the whole, it's impossible to please everybody and some have taken the opportunity to let their feelings be heard.
In an interview with Zelda Dungeon, Zelda's English-language voice actress Patricia Summersett has spoken about what it's like dealing with the more negative reactions to her work, talking about the 'more vocal' negative people online and how she feels this role in particular has required her to build a thicker skin than ever before:
"That was tougher to deal with at first, because I was very sensitive to it, and just wanted everybody to be as happy as possible for such a big game [Breath of the Wild]. You really have to keep that kind of stuff in perspective, or one does...
"You really got to be positive about that stuff. I’d say the negative people tend to be more vocal online, just by default – that’s the nature of the algorithms of the net, and it does take some getting used to. One has to build a thick skin, I think, with something like this. I’d definitely say my skin has gotten a lot thicker over the last years, since taking on this particular role, just because it’s required more thick skin than some of the other kinds of failures or critiques I’ve had in the past.
As fans of gaming ourselves, we can all likely relate to these thoughts – it's a fantastic hobby that can build wonderful relationships, but some online spaces do tend to suffer from people spreading harmful levels of negativity. It's sad to hear that this job has seemingly caused more issues for her than any before it, but Summersett also reveals that there's a silver lining in it all – being able to channel these feelings when reprising her role:
"There’s something in that to channel as well, because that’s how Zelda feels, and she’s doing great, but she feels that way eternally, and that’s her plate. It’s very relatable in that way, I think. Anybody who’s taking risks and trying to work very hard at anything, you come across that. I do love that about her character in general, the fact that they dig into that part of the storyline for her: what it means for her to feel like a failure, but keep pushing forward and striving for something bigger, and for the benefit of all. One can use that as inspiration as one uses heroes as inspiration."
Have you enjoyed the voice acting present in Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity? Do you hope that the series will carry on down this path going forward, or did you prefer things how they used to be? Let us know in the comments.
[source zeldadungeon.net, via comicbook.com, gonintendo.com]
Comments 161
I'm admittedly not the biggest fan of the voice, but I have respect for her for taking it well
Listened to the full interview a few days ago, she seems really cool!
Definitely worth listening to the whole thing if you have the time...and to be fair most of us have too much time at the moment
Welcome to the internet. You DO have to have a thick skin to deal with all of the internet toughguys
@Spalltendo True, i'm not a fan of her voice portrayal of Zelda but I don't like.. hate it to the point where I post online about not liking it.
I personally really like the voice acting it just seems to fit the game really well.
Since social media came about, the old phrase, "If you can't think of anything nice to say, don't say anything", or words to that effect, went out the window.
@Enigk yes, especially about things that just don't matter. Also because of internet anonymity, any immature person can have the same presence as someone who actually knows what they're talking about.
You just know that someone bullying a woman about the way they voice video games characters is going to be calling someone else a snowflake.
I really liked her Zelda, easily my favourite version of the character and its largely because of her voice.
"One has to build a thick skin, I think"
Crazy how easy the solution is.
Also, mute or block anyone that you don't want to communicate with or listen to on "social" media anymore--this is literally why such an option exists.
It's really that simple.
I really enjoyed Zelda’s voice. I always wanted to hear someone act her voice out, and I truly believe she did a great job. It is too bad that there are so many negative people out there. I try to get around that by figuring most of those who just like to post their negative thoughts are probably just young kids who think it is cool to be bad.
If they gave Link a voice and gamers didn't like it, they wouldn't attack the male actor as vociferously as they did Patricia.
It's definitely strange for her and King Rhoam to have English accents while nobody else in the games seems to have one, but I lay that more on the voice direction than her performance. As was evident in Age of Calamity, she brought a lot of depth to the character, to the point that Zelda's attitude, demeanor, and confidence completely changed when she awakened her power. I think Patricia has a lot of talent that people don't really see just because her performance doesn't match their idea on who Zelda should've been. So, I like her as Zelda.
@WiiHawk Maybe. It would depend on how bad the voice is. Plus, if they ever gave Link a voice besides his shouts and hurt sounds, it would probably be voiced by a woman.
I don't like the voice acting, but instead of harassing her, I just mute it. Seemed easier at the time.
The only thing she didn't do very well imo was the crying scene, especially when compared to the Japanese variant which just felt much more emotional. But otherwise I think she put Zelda down really well, although the accent took some getting used to at first.
People can be jerks, unfortunately.
It's alright if you don't like Zelda's voice, but what kind of immature moron does one have to be to take it out on the voice actress?
@WiiHawk Oh they would. This has nothing to do with sexism.
Why are people like this online? I also thought her performance was absolutely terrible, to the point that it hurts the quality of each game, I find it grating to the point that it ruins immersion each time Zelda has lines, but I just go on with my day rather than looking up and harassing a women who ultimately is not nearly as much to blame as the director and producers.
Zelda’s voice has grown on me at this point so onward! The negasauruses be damned!
"One has to build a thick skin, I think, with something like this."
Exactly! This is what all gamers should do.
The whinier you are, the easier prey you are
@WiiHawk you don't really know how crazy some people get over the smallest things that some people feel they are entitled to have things their way on. If he was voiced and the same people hated it they would make the exact same comments towards that voice actor it has nothing to do with her gender.
BOTW voice acting was fine but l didn't like Age of Calamity one. It felt like the voice acting for every character was a bit too much in Age of Calamity. Anyways, reasons why l didn't like Zelda's voice because it had too much drama in it and didn't sound too mature(guessing Nintendo planned that part), but once again that was more in Age of Calamity. And that's my opinion.
@Guyokai I know how you feel
@Kevember LOL okay. Can you provide an example of a male voice actor being harassed by gamers? I can provide other examples of women being harassed by gamers. If you cannot see that women in gaming get way more abuse from the incel crowd then you're at best not paying attention but most likely being intentionally obtuse.
She's right to bring up the points she makes and abuse is unacceptable. However, her voice acting as Zelda was like nails on a chalk board for me personally. I switched to the Japanese VO as soon as they released the patch.
i just felt Zelda's voice sounded too old, same problem i had with Bayonetta and Ivy Valentine
I mean, we're talking about the same fanbase that performed a DDOS attack on a reviewer's website for DARING to give Breath of the Wild a 7 out of 10. "Gamers" engage in borderline and outright criminal activity over stupid electronic products and don't really deal with the consequences of their actions. Everyone in this comments section who's dismissing her "thick skin" comments should think about the behavior they're enabling.
@RBRTMNZ I've definitely seen an example of a man posting how his comments have attracted no abuse, where a woman's have, and he's about 6'6" and built like a brick outhouse. Of course I can't find the reference (which is to say, I totally agree with you).
I don’t mind the voice but they really really didn’t give her much to work with. Zelda has all the personality of a week old slice of ham. It’s actually impressive that in the game with possibly the most active Zelda after Wind Waker, they forgot to write her a personality. And everyone dismissing her ‘thick skin’ comment should remember that you really shouldn’t have to develop a thick skin. You could always.... not be abused??
@Zebetite Yeah, I mean hasn't she considered spending her whole free time, blocking thousands of idiots on Twitter?
@impurekind very simple. l don't get it why people still use it even when their feelings get hurt from it. One of the reasons why they should ban Twitter.
@marioguy20 but Bayonetta is a very old witch
@Mr_Persona Because there's useful stuff on there as well? And it's nice to engage with people? If someone screamed at me every time I left the house, should I just develop thick skin, or do we ban leaving the house?
@TryToBeHopeful l would do ban. I never made an account on Twitter but l have viewed many things on there and plus my sister became rude and very sensitive because of Twitter.
I liked her voice, it didn't remove me from the game at all. When Zelda was upset I could feel it. There were complaints it sounded too mature.. but I imagine a princess who grew up with the pressures of an apocalypse on their shoulders would mature pretty quickly.
I honestly wasn’t a huge fan of her voice acting in BOTW, I don’t blame her though, I think it was too over the top but she was directed to do it that way. But for some reason in Age of Calamity I really got use to it and started liking it. I think she did a really good job
@Kimyonaakuma We've got too much [clap clap] time on our hands, it's ticking away with our sanity. We've got too much [clap clap] time on our hands, it's hard to believe such a calamity. We've got too much [clap clap] time on our hands, and it's ticking away, ticking away from us.
Props to anyone who gets that reference.
She is a great voice actress, done her job right. You can't / shouldn't complain to / attack her about it.
Personally I like the voice of Zelda in Breath of the Wild. However, I can see why people don't like it. That's okay, but don't go harassing her about it. These voice actors are directed by having to portray a certain persona by script.
@Enigk since the day aol and it’s chat room when live.
@Mr_Persona You have to remember that Zelda is canonically 16/17 in Age of Calamity. She's still very young, especially with the task given to her, sp for there to be a certain level of immaturity is to be expected.
Good on her for learning how to take it on the chin. She did good work in Zelda so it is sad that her takeaway from it mentions failures in her work. It's just about taking criticism on a case by case basis. Of course it really is very difficult to separate legitimate and constructive criticism from unhelpful and often echoed nastiness.
I also thought Zelda's voice acting (well voice acting for most of the characters) wasn't particularly good. In fact, I'd say some of the voices were full-on grating to my ears and one of the worst parts of BoTW, but I would never NEVER harass them for it, that's uncalled for and contributes nothing.
She has a great attitude about all this. She shouldn't have to deal with negativity, of course, but that's not the world we live in. Becoming a well-adjusted adult means learning to deal with the fact that the world is an imperfect and often cruel place in an emotionally healthy manner, and it sounds like she has achieved that balance.
I also quite liked her approach to the role.
@nessisonett Really? If anything, this seems like the most personality the character has had since The Wind Waker (possibly sans Skyward Sword, the only 3D Zelda I've yet to play). I thought they did a great job with her portrayal.
Wow, I actually liked her work as Zelda. She just sounded like such a sweet person - almost too sweet for the burden she carried. It made Hyrule’s demise all the more tragic.
Oh well, can’t please everyone.
@Ralizah I dunno, considering what she’d been through and what happened to the Champions, I just expected Zelda to show that in a way that wasn’t through being extremely bland. I’m trying to remember what it is I wasn’t a fan of but to be honest, the fact I can barely remember her cutscenes probably says more about what I felt. It’s less that she’s a bad character and more that she just wasn’t very memorable.
I loved the voice acting. They need one for Link and need to do more of the lines. My kiddos really enjoy those parts.
Unfortunately the voice acting, this person's included, was pretty horrendous in that game. It may have been more the quality (or lack thereof) of the director, as that can have quite an impact on how an actor is guided along the process. It also didn't help that the writing was often stilted and awkward. It's difficult to sound genuine when reading lines that just don't sound right. Nintendo should have invested more in these areas.
In any case, actors like this certainly don't deserve to be harassed. Critical response is totally fair and to be expected, particularly with a beloved franchise like this. And it's too bad when negative feedback makes someone doubt themselves and feel bad. But that's the risk when putting yourself out there in creative endeavors.
I was not a fan of Zelda's voice in the game, but I don't blame the actor for it. It's definitely a choice that the director made. Zelda was written to sound constantly vulnerable and racked by self-doubt and exasperated with herself, hence the reason her voice is so breathy and high-pitched and vulnerable all the time. I'm certain this voice actor would have done a good job voicing what this fan thinks SHOULD have been a strong-willed and ferocious Zelda. Perhaps we will get that one day.
I like her voice. She was able to do the full range well, elegance, sadness, sometimes a little childish. People always get this rate about voice actors, especially the women, no matter how good it is. It happened with Rena Strober as Azura too, and she did fantastically, in cases objectively better than the seiyuu.
Her voice acting was probably the worst part of the game.
I changed to the Japanese voices as they fit the game better
Criticism? On the internet? WHATTT
@nessisonett Well, the vast, vast majority of her 'screen time' is in memories from before the catastrophe. We see, like, a minute, tops, of her post-catastrophe. But I disagree that her characterization was bland: she's inquisitive, intelligent, mildly bratty, and full of doubt about herself and her destiny. This is one of the few Zelda games where she feels like a real person instead of a generic princess archetype. The diary you find in Hyrule Castle also helps flesh her out a bit.
And, frankly, BotW Zelda wins out over Tetra for me insofar as she actively confronts her destiny instead of shutting up and hiding in the basement.
Criticism is more than fine but the out of order disgustingly personal comments that are posted by some frankly cowardly, basement handles on social media are stupid and idiotic. So fair play to her if that is what she is partially referring to.
I was ok with the voice acting but that is besides the point
The breadth and strength of female characters in BotW, and more so in AoC, is refreshing, but I feel that Zelda’s voice holds the character back. I don’t think this is a reflection of the voice actor, but more the voice direction that was taken generally.
There is nothing wrong with renaissance fair accent English but for me this harks back to the Zelda of old. The Zelda who is waiting for Link to save her, not the Zelda that has held her own against the calamity for 100 years while Link was in stasis or the Zelda that has overcome enormous pressures and self doubt to awaken her sealing powers. Somehow the latter two did not come across with the voice direction that was chosen.
I think she perhaps wasn't the best fit for Zelda. The guy doing King Rhoam is also awful, possibly even worse than Zelda.
If we're talking Age of Calamity though, I'd say there are probably more bad VAs than good. Hestu is so unbelievably hard to listen to.
I think they kinda knew it was bad and that's why they gave us the option to choose. Probably, lol.
I mean, yeah, she's pretty much the sole reason I switch to Japanese with subtitles.
But I would never think to seek out her twitter or wherever. It's not really her fault, is it? Its her voice. The problem is that she auditioned with that voice and someone decided it was a good fit. It makes much more sense to be angry at whomever was casting, or whomever finalized the the acting budget. Clearly Nintendo of America dropped the ball in finding the right talent. Or maybe it was a directing issue.
But unfortunately, this is the age of the internet, and its way easier to get mad at someone whose name and face you can see, and whose voice you can hear. Try to fight the urge to shoot the messenger; this actress was just trying to do the best she could.
Good for her.
I don't have a problem with her voice in BotW, but there is clearly room for improvement in the tone, emphasis and emotion at many points within the game's script.
I do not believe this is the voice actor's fault though. Nintendo's dev team clearly didn't brief it as accurately as they should have done, and clearly provided a script that failed to fill in all the gaps. Since a lot of those gaps are from playing the game, it may not be a mistake per se... just Nintendo being Nintendo with their secrecy and "need-to-know". I'd argue a voice actor for a lead character needs to know... but then this is a translation too, and like it or not, our language is lower on their priority list. I'd also love to know how detailed their brief on the characters and series was... BotW was such a change in all departments I wouldn't be surprised if they treated it in isolation, but that would be a huge mistake.
Anyway, it's pretty mindless to lay blame at the VA's door. She delivered a very good performance - even without all things considered.
She did a nice job, people can suck unfortunately.
Am I the only person who likes Zelda’s voice? It’s very regal, like a princess. Also she is best waifu. Best voice has to go to my boy master kohga, he just has such a prescence. Like when he yells, “THE STUPENDOUS LEADER OF THE YIGA CLAN MASTER KOHGA!” it’s just so great. Also Sooga’s voice is badass as hell. He sounds like darth Vader
Maybe instead of " building a think skin" she should start learning from those criticisms and doing a better job. In all honesty it's clear that nintendo sucks at voice casting more than she sucks at voice acting. Her character sounds like she's constantly on the verge of tears/ having an orgasm
I like her Zelda, it's spot on what I would expect. I especially like her work on Age of Calamity where she gets to interact with the Champions in a more natural setting.
@CheekyZelda
I love her voice work for Zelda. I don't understand the criticism.
My only issue with the BotW/AoC voices is the lack of vocal lines for Link that aren't HYAAAA! With partial/full voicing for everyone else, he just stands out in contrast. It's been an issue for Link in recent decades due to increased storytelling, but it's worse now.
BotW is definitely a make your own story adventure that works with Link not speaking much, but even if he's a stoic character, flashbacks and AoC should have vocal lines here and there. Especially in the sequel if he's adventuring alongside Zelda (if she's playable and speaking, that's weird in contrast to him).
But Zelda. She's great. Folks need to stop shaming her for her work. She's fantastic.
@Gamerdudesteel Well, I mean she has reason to be on the verge of tears. The impending doom of the calamity and the fact she can’t find her sealing power is stressing her out.
@impurekind Or maybe people just shouldn't be ***** to each other over video games? I feel like that's WAY easier to do.
@marandahir I think the fact he has no voice is a pivotal character design. It allows you to put yourself in the game.
@CheekyZelda
Sure. It was an extended aside. But more importantly, if Patricia Summersett is still doing the voice work for BotW2, and if Zelda is fully playable (unlike companions like Phantom Zelda who are sometimes playable for short periods), it will be a weird contrast. Are we suggesting in that case that Link is a self-insert but Zelda isn't?
I'd argue that your statement above is why Nintendo has not as of yet ever had a multiplayer Zelda game where P2-P4 are someone other than Link (Tinkle Tuner schenanigans in TWW NGC notwithstanding; that's not really the same as it's not integrated as core storytelling). I'd argue it's probably why Link will still be silent in BotW2. But I think it's wrong for something like Age of Calamity, even if it's right for BotW, since we're sort of playing an on-the-rails history war game there.
if you dont like the english dub just listen to the original voice
I dont know if I’m in the minority or not (and I don’t really care) but I loved BotW’s voice acting. I thought it was well done & sorely needed in a game that could have felt empty.
There are so other franchises Id line to see take the plunge too (Pokemon, FE, etc)
I don't mind Zelda's voice but I do find it a little annoying that they were going for a southern English accent for Zelda but cast an American actress when Britain is hardly short of quality female voice talent.
@marandahir I feel like it would be very jarring and controversial if link talked in age of calamity. He didn’t talk in the memories in BotW, so it would make sense for him to talk now. The canon reason for his lack of speech is because he is stressed but doesn’t want to show emotion.
@RadioHedgeFund Yeah I found that strange. No one else in Hyrule is British, not even the king. My theory is that Zelda’s mother is has British accent
Thought she did great
@Yosher If the western version had portrayed the “crying scene” in the same way the Japanese version does, it would have felt extremely out of place and it would have practically ruined the game for me. Super glad they didn’t make her do it that way, because that’s very much a Japanese-specific style of acting.
I've heard some negative comments towards Zelda's voice acting and, honestly, I can't see (hear?) it. It's different, but it's not bad. This is BotW's Zelda voice. I also hear complaints about the overall story, but I really thought it well fleshed, emotional and relatable. I find every champion and Zelda likeable and I think every voice actor did a great job conveying the characters' personality and emotions. Currently playing Age of Calamity and having a blast with seeing more of the champions and listening to their voices.
What I really want to say is "Thank you Patricia Summersett (and all the cast) for making these particular entries in my favorite series a little bit more charming and magical"
@Gamerdudesteel Yikes, that’s a really cringey comment. Even worse than I’d expect from someone with the name “gamer dude”.
@Trippersigs22 Sooomewheeere over the rainbow . . .
@CheekyZelda
You’re not the only one! I think her voice was great! Props to Ms. Summersett.
@StevenG It's kind of a shame that Nintendo doesn't seem to be much into sound settings (with a few exceptions). Personally, I like the sound effects and music in the Mario games but I really don't like Mario's voice.
Not really sure what the problem with her voice is. She sounds...princess-y? But then again lots of people complain about British voice acting in video games and I just don't get it most of the time. Like do you just hate our accents? Usually the people who are snobs and prefer to watch everything in the Japanese dub "because it's better"
Ok mate.
First and foremost: I don't condone online abuse at all. Regardless of this woman's level of talent or perceived lack thereof, threats, trolling, and who-else-knows-what aren't beneficial. Constructive criticism is fine and is something everyone needs in order to improve, but it's harder to process the decent feedback when it's mixed in with garbage. Is it really that hard to treat others like how one likes to be treated?
I'm in the middle of my first BotW run, and I don't really mind the voice acting. Sure, Zelda's voice is different, but I don't dislike it by any means! Characters in the series have had mostly grunts, yells, a few words/phrases, sound bits, etc. for years. I don't mind VA work as long as it fits the character and isn't cringe-y. This is the most personality Zelda has had since Skyward Sword. This is coming from someone who's played all the other main series Zeldas to date barring Four Swords Adventures.
The only exception would be Link as I think he works better as a (mostly) silent protagonist. I feel this allows more imagination and projection on the player's part.
@BAN That's fair, I still personally think the Japanese one was better. At least with the animation provided. The 'English' crying just didn't really fit the animation which is why it bothered me. If they changed that then I would've liked it more.
I blame a lot 🤣 f the issues with the voice acting on the direction. I just think having royalty speak non-rhotically unlike everyone else to be one of the worst tropes in media, especially if the person in the role clearly doesn't do so naturally. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 did the exact opposite. It is no grounds for harassment however and anyone who attacks the actors is an absolutely abominable individual.
@Baker1000
Its not the accent itself, just that it tends to be overdone in the context of American media. Its a common trope for british accents (or american accents just with soft r's) to be inserted in places that don't make much sense for them to be, often in an attempt to seem serious or actorly. A lot of american film actors come from England, and it also has an association with shakespearean theatre. The Star Wars series gets a lot of this, for example. It's also one of the easier accents to do, beat only perhaps by our southern accent.
I like her portrayal and she seems cool too
@Baker1000 I think it's mostly when it's badly done by Americans or if it's only characters who are royalty. I actually like Dragon Quest's voices for example.
@Nicolai Easy yet often poorly done. As a Southerners, I cringe at some of the accents done in media. Lol
Her voice acting is awful.
I had to go for japanese voices in botw cause I couldnt stand her.
Unpopular Opinion: I think she did a great job. She imbued Zelda with a sort of semi-aristocratic, slightly detached, velvet-gloves type of personality - which I personally feel was totally in line with her entirely royal upbringing. She struck a good balance between that, and the disillusionment and sorrow that had come of it - but I could also sense her will to conquer these things. Honestly, I think that she handled the portrayal of those mixed emotions well.
Even in AAA titles, I have heard WAY worse. Her interview was also really insightful and I think it's neat that she's channeling her real life experiences into Zelda's portrayal.
It could possibly be a clue about BOTW 2's overall narrative (or at least an important aspect of it), and how Zelda fits into said narrative. Makes me wonder if a part of her story ark will be centered around her being widely ostracized, rejected, criticized, and not feeling doing good enough.
The solution is to have zero voice overs in video games, these are games and not movies.
Her voice was perfectly fine. Sounded like a person. The writing however didn’t seems as human.
@CheekyZelda
I think it would be jarring yes. I found his lack of talking in the flashbacks jarring, too, though (even though I expected it). I think BotW would be stronger if Link talked in flashbacks (&AoC) but not present events of BotW to preserve that choose your own destiny element to the game.
BotW2 is so shadowy yet I don't think I should argue more about his voice in that. I hope she's on board for the sequel though, and AoC gives me hope for that.
I didn't like her voice acting in BOTW but she def improved a lot in Age of Calamity!
@ecco6t9 that might be the dumbest thing I've ever read.
Only heard her VA Zelda through Age of Calamity, but I wasn't really feeling it one way or the other. Good on her for getting thick skin about it though! Too many people acting like mean comments are the end of the world.
For what it's worth, I thought that she did a great job. Probably in part because I was just happy to finally have voice acting in a Zelda game.
They definitely chose the right game to go big.
It's sad that I have to preface by saying that I don't support or condone harassment of any sort, but that's unfortunately the world we live in.
Having said that, her performance was atrocious. As a Brit, it could not have been more apparent that she was a affecting an accent, and poorly at that. A rare American/Canadian can pull it off, usually one with a British parent, but most absolutely cannot. It was worse than Lindsay Lohan's accent in Parent Trap, though not nearly so bad as Christopher Walken's Irish 'accent' in Wild Mountain Thyme. Whatever the case, I'm glad she isn't letting it bother her.
She did fine. Do I imagine Zelda having a British accent? Not really but at the end of the day it defined this version of Zelda. Unfortunately most games have bad voice acting but it is what it is. If it DIDNT have voice acting people would still complain. People complain Link doesn’t speak. People would complain if he did. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t as they say. Best to ignore faceless neigh sayers and move on. I’m pretty sure the majority of people either didn’t mind or actually liked this Zeldas voice but unfortunately the vocal minority is always makes the most noise.
I like the voice acting and the actress I'd just have rather they had characterised Zelda differently in Breath of the Wild. I don't think she should be so vulnerable.
I don't think voice acting is a good fit to the Zelda series anyway though. I'd rather honestly have text bubbles.
Scrolling through the comments, I was shocked to read some people didn't like Zelda's voice. I thought the voice was fantastic and made Zelda one of the best parts of the game. Loved, loved, loved her character, and Ms. Summerset had a huge part in that. Thank you!
@marandahir
I actually really dislike Link in BOTW for some reason.
Here's an article that goes more in depth into voice acting in Zelda;
https://www.ninweek.com/why-voice-acting-is-a-bad-idea-for-the-zelda-series/
@Baker1000 For me they never had voices growing up and my head created one reading the dialog. I want to keep using that method.
I really enjoyed her voice acting in BOTW, so I am surprised to hear that so many people did not enjoy her voice acting.
I really don't like the voice think it's too 'typical princess' but that's an issue with the director, producer, and localization.
@Yosher The Japanese one was melodramatic in all the wrong ways.
I would have preferred it if Arin Hanson had done Zelda's voice.
Love the game. Though her voice is horribly miscast. Sounds like an American trying to be british. The tone, the emotion, it's just not there. Wonder if an exec at Nintendo was dating her and gave her the role? Poor voice casting.
@Mr_Persona idk much about her character, but she looks like a hot 25-30 year old
The only thing I don’t like about BotW’s voice acting is the fact Link doesn’t talk, it just feels out of place.
@Yosher Yeah that's probably true, the animation was obviously made by Japanese devs with Japanese acting in mind. Fair point.
@JohnGrey I don't think they were going for an authentic British accent that would pass the European sniff test. I think they were just going for a dubious/mild pseudo-accent that sounded more regal than a standard North American accent.
On my second play through, I set the language to spanish, and love the voice actors they choose, despite only knowing the tiniest but of spanish.
Not a big fan of Zelda's voice in English, but it wasn't bad enough that I'd harass the talent. And even IF I wanted to, it would be more effective to write directly to Nintendo, or fill in one of those surveys they email you.
Maybe I'm just not used to fully fledged VA work in a Zelda game so that's why it just felt... off to me. That doesn't mean the VA was bad or anything it was just odd.
Kinda like Yakuza. I've played Yakuza games in Japanese so much that I don't even want to hear the English VA that they added in Yakuza 7 cause it would just feel wrong.
Not a fan of the voices at all but there's no excuse for harassment.
Express your opinions respectively, even if you heavily dislike something.
So are we just going to ignore the fact that Zelda and Link already had voice actors in the eighties because they were in the cartoon segment ever Friday morning on Super Mario Brothers Super Show? We are? Okay then
@Antraxx777 With all due respect I beg to differ. When I saw the English trailer, I just went 'awww..' feeling a bit sad for Zelda. When I saw the Japanese one, I got goosebumps from how devastated the voice actress made her sound which imo was totally lost in the English voice. Plus as said before that particular animation just fits the Japanese version so much more.
@marioguy20 well you're not the only one who hve said that! I would reccomend trying Bayonetta 1and 2 if your curious about her story, the games were really fun. I loved the boss fights!
I like the voice. Honestly, a lot of criticism that people have to bring often just comes down to a matter of taste. This Zelda is a little more prim and proper than the kinds of tough girl ideal we’ve seen a lot of in other media.
I think everyone saw this joke coming....
THICK skin indeed.
Ok yall were warned
@Guyokai Ironically you did just post your feelings online about her😂 Not calling you out or anything. It’s healthy to express opinions. It might just help the person you’re criticizing in the long run.
Her skin is thicker than Zeldas ass
@impurekind
I completely get your point and im not disagreeing with you but I know if I was given the role of voicing such an iconic character there is no way I wouldn't look online at some point to read a review or to see what the fan reaction to my work was.
Then if you saw a bad reaction you would of course read on to see if the next reaction was good. Even if you read jut a few before you decided to stop looking at any more you'd still have that negative reaction in your mind forever and that has to be tough to swallow.
I liked it, it felt sort of forced, but it's leagues ahead of some performances. Lip sync though, I don't know why, but that drives me up a wall, I cant get over it. If it's not in tune exactly, my mind will zero in on that for the rest of the movie/game.
I want to like the voice, but...
I don't know if it was the VA's choice, or the voice direction, but the choice to use a very breathy voice didn't really gel with me. I remember having the same issue with Agnes in Bravely Default. There's something about that specific style of character speech that grates on me a bit. Maybe it just feels too forced?
@CheekyZelda impossible. You lie
Voice acting is a little stiff, I think they did a better job in Hyrule Warriors. But I am happy it happened either way. Pokémon next?
@impurekind : That's all well and good, but if people are being cruel and abusive, then one's conduct should be brought to the attention of moderators so that such behaviour does not go unchecked.
Unfortunately, a lot of people also abuse such options to ignore/block those whose opinions do not subscribe to their worldview, which I think festers complacency and narrow-mindedness in those who so flippantly dismiss others based on a remark or two (and people so often misinterpret the intentions of others through the lens of their prejudice). There's much that we can learn from one another if we would stop to contemplate every once in a while... alas...
On the topic of online scrutiny, I once created a Twitter account so that I could respond to some inquiries/feedback for a live discussion that took place one evening several years ago, and while it's interesting to read what others make of what you have to say, you also get the classy types who immediately resort to profanities and demeaning/objectifying vulgarities, and that's within the space of a single evening as a nobody. I would hate to walk in the shoes of a "somebody".
"Thick skin" is definitely a requisite for those frequently subjected to public scrutiny. I couldn't do it, but I respect those that can keep a cool head and maintain their integrity in the face of often ruthless opposition.
I'm English & I found Zelda's fake English accent to be just awful. It was one of the things that took me out of Breath of The Wild. It sounded like a person doing a really bad impression of a posh English accent, rather than a legitimate accent. No idea why Nintendo just didn't hire a British Voice Actor to do the voice instead.
Love the voiceover work and especially Patricia does a fantastic job.
One trope I actually hope will die out is the "silent protagonist" so commonplace in jrpgs. I get the idea is that the player can "project" his personality onto a plain canvas, but it does exactly the opposite and I care less about him/her/it, especially when everyone else is chatting away. Prime example being the last Dragon Quest.
Personally I cringed every time Zelda spoke in Age of Calamity. I couldn't stand Zelda as a character. She was a whiny, emotional crying mess of a character. Doesn't mean it's the voice actors fault, but the direction and writing they gave her.
Yes!!!! I think she did a great job and I much prefer Zelda with voice acting and I love Urbosa’s voice actress. I’m getting Hyrule Warriors for Christmas of my Sister so hopefully lots of speech.
At least they kept Link silent as he never speaks in any game
As someone who's actually British, I thought Zelda had the worst voice acting in the game. You can tell when someone's forcing a British accent because the voice tends to be quite low and rough, like trying to voice force something downwards by using their throat. You hear it all the time with Zelda. I just wish that they got British people to play the royals if they can't find Americans that have experience with them.
Oh, but more on point, yeah. You really do need thick skin on the internet and she certain doesn't deserve abuse for trying to perform a role. Instead you can also blame Nintendo and their casting director/voice direction, lol.
So sad to hear. Whatever criticisms she may have gotten for her work, people have lost any sense of appropriateness.
While it may be true haters would come out for anyone associated to big franchises like Zelda, there is a partiuclar virulence when a woman is attacked (offences of sexual connotation, implications of intellectual inferiority, etc.)
Reminds me of the whole polemic with the actresses in the last Star Wars trilogy. What a violent world we live in.
Good for her!
Wow, really? Her voice acting in BotW was a highlight for me. Easily my favorite Zelda ever, I just love her voice. I feel her lines are not as good in AoC, but she brings them to life very well!
She’s the best actor in those games. It’s the guy who does King Hyrule who disappoints me. But, even he’s pretty good.
@SortingHat You could be absolutely right. I have finished that game yet. Looking forward to it and her performance!
It’s not her fault some useless casting director heard her voice and said “yes, people are going to love listening to THAT!”
I Think the voice is fitting. She's hit a unique voice for females in games, so that's kind of cool.
It's hard to say if it would still be as nice if I had to listen to it more, her dialogue scenes are few and short.
Never understood the derision she gets for her voice work, Princess Zelda's English voice is spot-on in Breath Of The Wild and even more so in Age of Calamity, hardly the most offending voice in these games (King Rhoam, Daruk, and Mipha are far more cringeworthy, and more due to the rather unfocused English voice direction and sometimes overly-comical dialogue, ie: "Daruk's Protection is ready to rollllll!", than any particular flaw with any individual actors' vocal performances, though I will say that their performances are notably improved in Age of Calamity). That said, literally none of what has been said online about their VA work constitutes "abuse," as the usual suspects here have posited. It's called criticism. People have played Legend of Zelda games for more than thirty years without voice acting, decades have been spent imagining what many of these characters sound like. There are inevitably going to be negative takes, and rightly so, given the integral role critical fan feedback played in making Breath Of The Wild what it is.
Naturally, however, there are of course many downright silly examples of feedback from some fans. It's definitely an experience reading internet comments decrying the assuredly severe "abuse" the woman receives for her perfectly exceptional work that then go on to state that her "Zelda has all the personality of a week old slice of ham," which is certainly a take considering this game's Princess Zelda is universally seen as being the most developed incarnation to date, with qualities of elegance, personality, depth, charm, humor, and quiet love that are sometimes lacking to varying degrees in past versions of the character. Does that mean all Princess Zelda incarnations before this one have the personalities of a ten week old slice of ham? Do you even like this game series? The dissonance in tone of thought in some of these comments is endlessly entertaining, which are worth a read just as much as the more substantial ones for the unintentional humor.
@BAN can you tell me why you think it's "cringey" other than that you disagree? And try leaving my username out of it as it is off topic and irrelevant
@CheekyZelda I think quite the opposite. If they wanted that to be the case they'd let you rename him instead of being forced to use the name "link" I feel like he has zero personality whatsoever and I dont feel connected to someone like that
@predatoure I don’t think they were trying to do a legitimate/specific British accent.
Legitimate criticism is valid.
@Gamerdudesteel The options are not “agree” and “cringey”. That’s not how it works. It’s “cringey” and “not cringey”. And I believe you know why it’s cringey. But if somehow you really are as ignorant as you’re acting, I’ll just say keep reading your comment until you’re old enough to figure it out on your own.
Reading some of the reasons why people didn't like Zelda's voice, the amount of detail and analysis over someone's voice is really reaching. Ya'll need to get over yourselves.
The thing with Zelda's voice is that I just wasn't expecting it to be a British/English accent (as I have barely played BOTW), but I've started getting used to it in Age of Calamity.
I don’t think she was trying to sound like a Brit. Britain doesn’t exist in the Zelda universe as far as I know.
It's interesting to hear from someone that has had to dig deep into the character of Zelda, to find traits that resonate with her.
Regarding the negative voices, I guess I count as one of them. Not that I dislike Summersett's performance, I just think the game is worse off from having voice work added in general.
@Gamerdudesteel I agree, Ocarina of Time, Majora's mask, and Wind Waker have best Zelda stories for me; if only because of the atmosphere and minimalism the games build.
The truth is that voice acting in Zelda is cringey.
The unsuccessful accent they directed her to have is what made her performance unlistenable. Sure she would have been great otherwise.
It's not her voice. It's the writing.
It was pretty poor all around.
not her fault that the game had awful voice direction. she best with what she was given... too bad 'what she was given' was a script that just said 'say this in an awful fake british accent'. if you want a british accent, dont cast someone who cant do one
Honestly, if I had my way, BotW wouldn't have had voice acting at all.
@BAN nothing cringey about what I said. You're just a self righteous troll. Catch this block
It was a bit jarring to hear voices at all in a Zelda game tbh, so I was happy that they allowed us to have the Japanese voices instead.
I really loved that they included real voice acting this time. I liked most of the voices, including hers. Thanks to Nintendo and all voice actors for the effort!
Zelda’s voice is amazing, really made me like Zelda’s character. I hope they stay with her voice. The voice actor did a great job.
I remember, while playing botw, stating how the voice was not a hit with me. My 14 year old disagreed with me. I have played almost all of what the Zelda franchise has had to offer over the years. As for my child, this is maybe the 2nd they have played. They thought it fit perfectly and I didn’t so much but I said the same thing the write of this article wrote and that was I am use to the mumble and grunts. Lol.
Her voice acting for Zelda was totally fine. I just think the character's source material was boring. Really the worst was Revalli. They wanted to make him this braggart-type but they ended up making him annoying. Felt like I was watching an 80's cartoon for kids. Noooo thanks....
thoughts n' prayers.
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