Breath of the Wild: What's Wrong with Link's Face?! | Mise-En-Game

How important is a well timed facial expression in visual storytelling? In the latest episode of Mise-En-Game, we explore how the cutscenes of Breath of the Wild mark a step backwards for the series, as the narrative intent becomes hindered by Link's limited ability to express himself!
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[@TheOvlla]

have you seen link cooking yet? or cooking a great meal?. Now that is a face of true joy

[@SycamoreStreetStudios]

He is SUCH a happy dude when he's cooking! He can even emote when taking selfies with the Sheikah Slate! I would love to see those animations pop up in the narrative! Ah well, it is what it is. Thanks for watching!

[@nintendoprodigyc]

Strange how outside of cut scenes this can also be the MOST expressive Link yet. The expression and animation when he is freezing, or when he cooks food and then later eats it. If this Link had been in the story scenes it would have greatly improved them.

[@SycamoreStreetStudios]

SERIOUSLY! I cut a segment from the final video about how expressive Link is in Selfie Mode. They gave him a lively range if expressions in every area except where it REALLY would've mattered the most, IMO.

[@WJCTechyman]

Did you ever consider this iteration was concentrating on LISTENING to the voiced characters in this game during the cutscenes?

[@samuelbacon2756]

i think in one of the books by nintendo (i think it's named creating a champion?) it said that Link from 100 years ago was stoic as hell but after the 100 year nap the amnesia placed the burdens off him so he became more expressive and at the very least a lot more talkative (just look at the dialogue options you get). I think the pre-apocalypse and post-apocalyse Link are two completely different people.

[@luketessier404]

@@samuelbacon2756 If this is true (and I hope it is) I have even higher expectations for BotW 2

[@akiyama.mizuki_unofficial]

the reaction when he got his vai outfit was the best

[@yumilixi8801]

You can actually see that he looks sad when Zelda is crying on him. And in the champions ballad when they are taking the picture he actually smiles. Also in that scene when Urbosa Made lightning he looks surprised. He has many facial expressions

[@ArianaZ6]

Yeah, he does show some emotion at times. I guess he doesn't do it as much for similar reasons to why he doesnt talk. One of my favourite scenes is what you said, when he looks at zelda with sadness when she cries. 🤣💕

[@XanderVJ]

I don't know if you saw it, but Zelda's diary actually gives an explanation to Link's lack of facial emotion: namely that he represses his emotions in order to cope with the pressure of being the reincarnation of the Spirit of the Hero and everyone counting on him to fulfill his destiny, which no, wasn't as easy as Zelda originally thought it was. Thus why they start to bond. Honestly, I think that deserved a mention, even if only to invoke "Show, Don't Tell". Although that was kind of inevitable due to Link being a silent protagonist. Why we didn't see Link explaining his insecurities to Zelda, or giving her that tip about horse taming, for that matter? Because we're not supposed to see Link talking directly like that. Which begs the question of whether Link being a silent protagonist makes sense anymore, but that's a whole other issue altogether. I personally don't mind it, but Nintendo should stop pretending "he's the player" or that "he's a blank slate". That hasn't been true for a very long time now (At least since "The Wind Waker". Heck, since "Ocarina of Time" if you push me!). He's his own character, even if he's a broadly drawn one. In any case, other than that, I agree. Although I must say, "Gameplay over Story" has always, and I mean ALWAYS been Zelda's philosophy. In every single game in the series. Yes, even in "Skyward Sword". And that's the issue, that philosophy had never been too big of a hindrance for Zelda stories to be engaging. I think that the true hindrance here is the open world approach, namely the possibility of tackling the entire story in any order. Something that, after "A Link Between Worlds" and "Breath of the Wild", I think has ran out its course. At this point I only see that it creates more problems than it solves, and not only in story, but in gameplay too. I'm not suggesting the go back to the strict linearity of "Skyward Sword", but they need some kind of actual structure.

[@SycamoreStreetStudios]

The diary was on the table for the video at one point, but given that my focus with this show is always on how a game's cutscenes tell a story, I decided to trim it (in fact, given that you can completely miss the diary if you're not looking for it, I feared I would be going on too much of a rant in the "show don't tell" department, as you rightly pointed out). I have seen the diary, and I find it a very cute/clever nod to Link's status as a silent character! On your second point: I personally felt previous Zelda games managed to strike a nice balance between gameplay and story (or at least, the stories never seemed to be negatively affected before BotW). For me, BotW was the first entry since Zelda 87 in which gameplay was prioritized on a far greater level than story. Not that it was a bad thing! I thought BotW was very fun; but in terms of having a story that feels like a proper "legend"...well, I'm with you 100% in that Nintendo needs to find a stronger structure. Here's hoping they find their footing with whatever comes next! Thanks a million for watching this and reaching out! Stay well!

[@WJCTechyman]

I think he was listening intently, as that is most people's expression when listening, nothing wild unless you hear a funny. I find it funny when he sees Dr. "Doc Brown" Robbie and engages in conversation with him he smiles and waves, it's cute.

[@hamsnub]

It also makes sense how a lot of the time he's near emotionless in cut scenes, he's supposed to be calm and responsible, show no anger, fear or even happiness. Its shows how he knows he needs to be one thing, Zelda's Knight and fulfil the role the best he can.

[@Frozen_Bubbles]

BOTW Link is a guardian/bodyguard. He was trained to keep his calm and not let anger take over. He's a professional and I personally think he's not even that close to Zelda.

[@akakakakkakakakaka8438]

I feel like during the game play it's fine to have him like this, but during the memories he should be expressive like other Links, maybe even have him get more expressive when uncovering more memories

[@ArianaZ6]

True

Cannot unsee. Could we get a Link Emotions DLC pack, please?

[@SycamoreStreetStudios]

That would be really cool! Keeping my fingers crossed until the Ballad of the Champions drops! Thanks so much for watching!

[@ArianaZ6]

I used to think Link didn't show any facial expression in breath of the wild, but I looked carefully and he kind of did at times 🤣

[@hamsnub]

When he's cooking or eating it makes sense for him to be happy. He's alone and doesn't have to be up to the highest standards since so many people think he's dead. And if you read Zelda's diary it says how Link is actually a glutton and enjoys a good meal.

[@khadijabenhaddouch1249]

Nintendo stop disrespecting Link, if I vulgarly want to be in the game I'll choose a random avatar. Botw is an exploration game, let me explore Link

[@khadijaben1538]

This

[@sarahchahboun6199]

@@khadijaben1538 This

[@Maukiki]

@@sarahchahboun6199 This

[@prodigylink7658]

Im a bit late for it. But the diary is all what you need to know about this lack of emotions in Link. The botw Link has 2 different personalities. The first one is his original self , before he was sealed in the chamber and the other one is his true self, without being a champion. The Link that the player controls is the second one, he has lost all his memories and that's why he can talk easily with all the npc in the game with funny/ironic dialogs .Moreover he use body expressions to express what he feel, like an explanation or the 4 phases animations when he tall with the great fairies. Botw Link is unexpresive in his past but a lot more easygoing and carefree in the present.

[@SycamoreStreetStudios]

All true and good points! I was glad when I found the diary, as it was very helpful in fleshing things out. Overall, as a cutscene lover, I just wish a little more of his personality made it into the cinematics. HOWEVER! I've made peace with BOTW's creative choices and honestly, I'm just excited to see what the sequel will bring us! I can't wait to go back to Hyrule! Thanks so much for commenting and sharing your thoughts, ProdigyLink!

[@prodigylink7658]

@@SycamoreStreetStudios glad to hear it. Take care man.

[@ricekrispies1917]

I like the pages that explain Link's burden in botw, which help make the emotionlessness in the memories make a bit more sense. Personally I think they should of added subtle expressions, especially at key points to help show more of that quiet humanity in him. I also think they should of made him more expressive in the cutscenes 100 years after too, to show how he isn't tied down to the person he was and seeing him react to discovering himself

[@BoBennings]

Awesome vid I totally agree! It’s just a shame Link is so expressive in game and he just has a blank stare in cutscenes where expressions would have really helped. Even just a few shots of Link reacting to people or events would have gone a long way. I hope they keep this in mind for the new story DLC at least!

[@SycamoreStreetStudios]

I'd be super psyched if the DLC gave us a more animated Link. Given that it seems to be focused on the original champions, I'm incredibly hopeful we'll be getting a prequel of some sort to detail Link's time becoming a Knight and meeting everyone. Here's hoping Nintendo gives us something worth the wait! Thanks so much for the kind words on the video! It's really appreciated!

[@lukky430]

Not sure if it’s just me but at times you can sort of read his expression. You can see when he’s curious about something, when he’s hurting, and sometimes it looks like he wants really badly to talk. Again I’m not sure if that’s just me over analyzing 😂 I personally think Link was built with a big personality but he hides it in the cutscenes. Pretty disappointing if you ask me (also sorry I made two comments and so sorry that I’m commenting 2 YEARS after the video was made, I’m pretty late)

[@HeyItsNovalee]

FUCKING THANK YOU oh my god this is the video i've been trying to find for 5000 years, this is exactly what i've been thinking and saying since i played the game. thank you so so much for expressing it. it just feels so disconnected to see link have literally the same :| face throughout every single thing that happens in the cutscenes, and for me it really detracts from his overall character. i love his expressiveness outside the game, so why, in cutscenes, does the actual end of the world come and he's still barely :\. it makes him feel so robotic and inhuman. and it makes me so sad, especially seeing the expressiveness of the other characters, (especially in the now released champion's ballad.) and compared to skyward sword's link, who was so expressive and reactive it was incredibly charming. i've felt closer to skyward sword link than i've ever felt to any other links because he reacted to everything around him. he felt like a character thinking in and reacting to the world around him, and i was able to empathize with him better. i really thought that as he regained more memories, he would gradually grow more expressive. but then it got to the point where link was remembering zelda crying in his arms and his own death and STILL nothing. but, he was like that prior to the memory loss anyway so. yes, outside of the cutscenes botw is great in terms of being stoic for the reason's zelda's diary states, but in cutscenes, when most of his personality could be shown, we get nothing. an unnatural amount of nothing. an almost disturbing amount of nothing. we are naturally tuned to read the minor changes in a person's face, and when there's nothing, it feels uncomfortable if not alarming. so why would they do that to link 😩 i really want to know why they made this decision, as it would have been so easy to give him even the slightest changes in expression, and they took care to do that with other characters in the cutscenes. what makes me even more sad is that in mipha's diary in the champion's ballad it's revealed that link actually used to be a smiley little shit faced kid. and even mipha was concerned when he turned up all emotionless, but he said nothing had happened. where did his personality go? the issue isn't even that he's quiet or stoic because he feels he has to look strong to be the hero, which would be fine and i would really like as a character trait of his, he just flat out has no personality in the cutscenes. it's all a damn shame. i hope this video gets more views. edit after actually finishing the video: yeah, that makes sense. it's still just too bad. now i'm wondering how many others perhaps feel the same level of disconnect with link in this game, when he is supposed to be the most seamless link between the game and the player. i find it sadly ironic.

[@elusiveart530]

Cutscenes are fine. It’s a Zelda game. But I do want more facial expressions from link. And goodness I want him to talk! They actually gave him more facial expressions in age of calamity

[@mypersonalhodgepodge]

Ok... to be fair, if you watch Link's face, he does have some expression going on. Granted, he's not nearly as animated as Zelda, but you can definitly tell how he's feeling if you look close enough. Also, he has a lot of facial expressions outside cutscenes such as freezing, cooking, heat, etc. While I wish Link could be a little more dramatic, I definitely think Nintendo struck a happy medium here. He also has more personality in Age of Calamity. (Edit: I just watched a video of Link's idle animations in this game and he definitely shows some expression there... Great video, I enjoyed it.)

[@youtubeaholic2154]

His dialog options are a little rude too. Like getting the thunder helm he says "I want it" Instead of something more polite.

[@doccywoccy7118]

Well....from what it seems, because of Link's overall life, it's kind of probable that Link has an issue with social skills.

[@lukky430]

He never talks. He has no social skills whatsoever 😂😂 But I agree, although I think it’s hilarious that he’s an absolute savage at times without trying to be. I count that as part of his personality

[@SimonLoveridge]

Amazing video man, how does this not have more views/subs?!

[@SycamoreStreetStudios]

Thanks so much for the kind remarks! If you enjoyed this, stay tuned for more! I'll be plundering gaming's greatest cutscenes for as long as I'm able!

[@GerarGear]

Awesome Video! I really like breath of wild's and Age of calamity's story, but I tend to find Link expressionless, which bothers me a little bit sometimes. I also read that in Zelda's diary, she mentions that link doesn't like to talk because he wants to stay strong and silently bear any burden, and she also mentions that supposedly link had a tough past, so maybe this is the same reason he doesn't express as much in cutscenes, because maybe he is consumed by his past and also doesn't want to worry people with his own struggles. I dont know, maybe thats it. Great video :)

[@SycamoreStreetStudios]

The diaries do provide helpful and creative context. My two issues remain that a player could never find the diaries, thus depriving them of that info; and also, the fact that Link was much more expressive in previous games. Overall, BotW is still a masterpiece in my book. Thanks so much for your kind words, I hope you enjoy future videos!

[@GerarGear]

@@SycamoreStreetStudios yeah, that's right, I also wish they would show that info in a more direct way, but I would still have liked to have link more expressive, like in Skyward Sword, where he is able to talk without even talking like you said😅. Thank you for the kind reply! :)

[@lauryners]

I want to love link as a character. And I starveeee STARVE to see his face change expression. But it never does. I don’t want to be link I want to get to know link as a character. I know this game is like made to be personalized to u but it kinda feels like I’m controlling someone I possessed 😂

[@kidnow_squidnow]

He makes facial expressions at these points in the game if you want to see them: -he smiles when you cook food -he scowls when he's on fire -he clenches his teeth when he's cold -at night, he has an idle animation in which he falls asleep and wakes himself up -he has an idle animation in which he sees a bug on his hand and has a shocked expression -quite obviously, he pants when he's tired -in the "despair" memory, he becomes sad when zelda cries There are more that I can't think of

[@GenericCoyote]

Fantastic video as always guys, when I saw a Breath of the Wild Mise -En-Game in my sub box the other day I was chuffed, as it's my favourite game of the year so far and probably of all time. I definitely agree with you on this one and I feel like Breath of The wild took a slight knock with regard to plot depth at the expense of being a hugely open world game that can be narratively experienced in many different orders. I personally liked Link's vacancy to an extent, he's mostly a blank canvas for the player to unload their emotion, and his stoic expressions give the floor to the focal point of Zelda (or whichever character he's with) in the scene.

[@SycamoreStreetStudios]

GenericCoyote I get the blank canvas argument, it's valid given the intent of the game design. I think WW Link just made such a big impression on me in terms of character design that I haven't been able to move past it. Oh well, BotW is still an undeniable masterpiece. Love it to pieces! Thanks for the watch and the feedback buddy! Looking forward to more from you as always! :D

[@silksong7277]

Thank you! Coming from playing twilight princess. None of botw link expressions felt unique.

[@m-zap1332]

Read Zelda's diary in Hyrule Castle and you'll better understand why Link does not express himself outwardly in this game. I do agree though that it is unfortunate that they made the choice to kill his expressiveness/emotions in this game. Makes my favorite video game character look dull.

[@SycamoreStreetStudios]

I have indeed given the diary a read! While I think it's a clever way to explain Link's silence, I still believe that from the perspective of the game's cinematic narrative, it's very frustrating that Link still doesn't emote. IMO, one can be silent, but still express themselves! Thanks very much for giving this a watch and joining in the conversation! Cheers!

[@m-zap1332]

I see, and I agree with what you say. Peace!

[@Deputyshinigami13]

Unless Nintendo should add some emotion when Link meet the Champion

[@zapcoolman8816]

probably a very stupid and random question (especially 5 years later) but what movie is the clip at 1:51 from?

[@SycamoreStreetStudios]

Not stupid or random at all! At 1:51, that is a clip from 1968's ROSEMARY'S BABY. Thanks for checking this out, even all these years later! Are you also pumped for Tears of the Kingdom?

[@lukky430]

I totally agree! I have grown super attached to Link and he’s come to be my favorite video game character, and being completely honest I’d prefer an expressive Link who has his own personality rather than a character who is JUST a link between player and game. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me how he can remain so quiet and calm in the midst of everything that happens in the cutscenes. I really REALLY hope they change things up and make him more expressive in BOTW 2. It would make sense, since in the next game he will be back with Zelda and will have a reason to be happier than he previously was. I think he deserves to have a personality and a heart, just like all of the other Links. It would make me so happy if his expressionlessness could change in the next game! (By the way, all of this totally has NOTHING to do with how cute I think Link is and how adorable his smile is. Nothing at all..)

[@BonkyBoko9]

Ok that is funny 5:15

[@my_resume_is_a_bad_bitch4281]

4:53 the only time I can tolerate her honestly. Hopefully that will be fixed in the future 😁👍