Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom nearly broke Link's 30-year vow of silence, but Nintendo decided to keep him mute because no one knew what he would say
Speaking to Famitsu (translated by Automaton ), series producer Eiji Aonuma explained that since Zelda herself is the main character of Echoes of Wisdom, she had to lose the ability to talk out loud. "After all, in the Zelda series, the protagonist does not speak. This is why Link doesn't talk either," Aonuma explained.