Patricia Summersett + Princess Zelda
Patricia Summersett
Voices Princess Zelda in the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
This blog wouldn't be complete if I didn't talk about the first real voice actress for Princess Zelda. Breath of the Wild was the first Zelda game to introduce actual voice acting instead of the usual grunts, screams, gasps, and thoughtful hums (but those are still very much present). I feel it is important to highlight Patricia, because she received quite a bit of negative feedback among the Zelda fanbase. Most of this hate came from people who didn't like her portrayal of the beloved and well-known Princess of Hyrule. They thought her English accent was too stiff and unrealistic, or that she sounded much too mature for a character who is sixteen going on seventeen. I was one of the fans who very much adored her voice and thought it fit well with the character.
Summersett has plenty of voice acting under her belt, particularly in video games. She has admitted that when she auditioned for Princess Zelda, she wasn't aware it was for that character or for the Legend of Zelda series. She was merely told it was for a royal princess that would have an English accent. Once she was given the role, she was stunned to find that it was for such a large franchise.
I believe, wholeheartedly, that she brought a spunk to Princess Zelda, a character who, in previous games, was mostly depicted as serious (aside from a few games where she is a child and is very much playful). It is only fitting that a wonderful voice actress such as Summersett had the honor of playing a version of Zelda who is one of the best developed incarnations in the series (I would have opted against "one of", but Ocarina of Time's Zelda had some lovely development, too).
Breath of the Wild was released on March 3, 2017 for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Wii U. It received a 97% from Metacritic, 10/10 from IGN, and 10/10 from GameSpot. As mentioned, it was the first game in the series to include voice acting, but this is mostly just in cutscenes. It is also the first one to have an open world where players are free to choose to play the events in any order they like and skip any they don't care for. They can even go straight to the final boss after the first hour if they'd like.
The plot of the game is that the Kingdom of Hyrule is in danger, because the Calamity Ganon can arise at any moment. It will be up to Princess Zelda and the chosen hero who can wield the Master Sword to stop the evil once it does appear. The chosen hero is the very same protagonist in every LOZ game, Link. This incarnation of Link is actually a knight in the royal guard who captures the King's attention when he stops a deadly laser attack with use of a pot lid (yes... a wooden pot lid). The King decides to make Link his daughter's appointed knight. Princess Zelda is evidently in distraught about this. We realize her resentment toward Link lies in the fact that she cannot awaken her magical abilities but Link can so easily do just about anything without even trying (again, he used a freaking pot lid).
Because of this, we see a side of the princess that isn't shown in other games: insecurity. Just one of the many reasons I love this character as much as I do. Not only does her magic refuse to awaken, but she also has a desire to study science (it is her passion) and is ridiculed by her father when she does. Her father is constantly barking orders at her, reminding her that she needs to stop wasting her time researching and try harder to get her powers.
If you aren't familiar with the Zelda series, there is a thing called the Triforce. Each piece represents something different: Courage, Wisdom, and Power. Zelda is usually the wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom, Link has courage, and Ganon has power. Therefore, it was such a pleasure to see Zelda displaying true wisdom throughout this game with her studies. I think that's where previous games have failed with her character, because we're always playing as Link so we know how brave he is, and we can understand Ganon's power by the destruction he causes, but we never see much of Zelda's wisdom aside from a few speeches here and there. A beautiful woman with brains is always a favorite of mine.
Along with Link, Zelda also gathers more people to assist in their fight against Ganon. These people, along with her and her knight, are referred to as Champions. We have Urbosa (Champion of the Gerudo), Mipha (Champion of the Zora), Revali (Champion of the Rito), and Daruk (Champion of the Goron). These four are chosen to control the divine beasts (mechanical machines built to shoot a laser that will weaken Ganon). While they prepare themselves, Zelda continues searching the land for answers and to pray at holy springs that are supposed to help awaken her powers. While doing research in the Gerudo desert, she is chased down by members of the Yiga Clan (a group who is against the royal family and their champions and who want Ganon to rise). She is narrowly rescued by Link, beginning her admiration and eventual romantic feelings for him. Fret not, just because she was not capable of saving herself in that moment doesn't mean she is the damsel in distress.
On the evening of her seventeenth birthday, she meets with the Champions after returning from yet another holy spring. They ask if she was successful with her magic, and she shamefully tells them that she wasn't. Before Mipha can advise her on what could possibly help, the ground rumbles. Revali is of a bird species, so he flies up to investigate, and sees that the Calamity Ganon has awoken. The Champions leave to their respective divine beasts while Link and Zelda race to the castle. They have no choice but to retreat, however, as Ganon has turned all of their machine weapons on them, including the powerful Guardians.
Zelda eventually succumbs to her emotions and sobs into Link's arms, because she has not only lost her friends, she has also lost her father, and everyone living near the castle has either fled or perished in flames. Afterward, she and Link continue running to safety, fleeing toward the Hateno Fort where they find themselves surrounded by Guardians. Link takes as many down as he can, but he is wounded over and over and grows exhausted. Zelda begs him to retreat, yet he refuses to leave her. A particular Guardian spots them and rushes over, pointing its deadly laser right at Link's head. Zelda pushes him behind her and raises her hand, finally awakening her power and shutting down every Guardian. She is stunned by this until she hears Link fall down. He dies in her arms, but Zelda can hear the spiritual voice inside the Master Sword that assures her Link can be revived within the Shrine of Resurrection.
While he is taken there, she takes the sword and goes to the Lost Woods to place the sword back into its pedestal where it can slowly repair itself until Link wakes up. With that, she heads to the castle to face the evil that has destroyed her home. Her power allows her to keep Ganon restrained, preventing him from spreading further across the land. She keeps him trapped within the castle.
A hundred years later (yes, she keeps him restrained for one hundred years), Link awakens in the shrine with no recollection of who he is or what even happened to him. Thankfully, there is a kind voice who can speak telepathically to him and guides him through his journey of recollecting his memories and taking back the divine beasts from Ganon's hold. This is actually where the game begins. The player must slowly build Link's power back up and prepare him to fight Ganon as he was supposed to a hundred years prior. Once ready, he can go to the castle and find Ganon in the sanctuary where Princess Zelda is still holding him. She confesses that her power is weakening (but I mean, it held for a hundred years, so no need to be ashamed, Zelda) and Ganon breaks out.
After a few battles (which were also criticized for being too easy and I can agree, but that's a different topic for a different blog), the player is transferred outside with Ganon in his enormous pig-like beast form. This is where Zelda says my favorite line ever. She is still wary of just how much Link remembers of his past and if he is capable of handling this, but then she tells him, "Courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten." I get chills now thinking back to that quote and the powerful way Summersett delivered it.
Although the game is focused on Link rescuing the princess and the kingdom, I still consider Princess Zelda a strong and capable character of her own (again, 100 years holding Ganon back!). She wasn't afraid to talk back to Link when she was irritated by him constantly following her when she told him not to. She wasn't afraid to seek assistance from the Champions. She wasn't afraid to face Ganon alone after Link "died". At the end of the final boss fight, she uses the last bit of her magic to seal Ganon away into oblivion, then still has the energy to restore Hyrule with Link.
If Nintendo wanted to continue making Zelda games with voice acting, I don't think I can imagine anyone else voicing the princess. Summsersett did an excellent job and should be given more credit for giving our princess a voice.
