The latest trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was…ok. It didn’t reveal a ton of new info beyond confirmation of the game’s May 12th release date, but it was certainly quite the spectacle that also included what seems to be the first significant bit of Ganon/Ganondorf voice acting…well, ever. Actually, that voice acting is already driving Zelda fans wild.
First, a couple of disclaimers. While many believe that the voice at the beginning of the Tears of the Kingdom trailer belongs to Ganon, Ganondorf, or Calamity Ganon, there’s been no confirmation of that information as of the time of this writing. For that matter, Nintendo hasn’t technically confirmed that Ganon will even have a major role in the game. That voice could very well belong to some other villainous creature. Even still, there have been too many hints of Ganon’s presence to ignore.
Also, it should be noted that Ganon/Ganondorf has technically had voice actors in the past. It’s just that the character was previously largely limited to relatively simple sounds such as grunts and laughs. Breath of the Wild was the first Zelda game to feature proper voice acting (the old Philips CD-i titles and previous minor voice samples only technically count), and Ganon didn’t have a voice in that game. As for the Ganon we heard in that old Zelda animated series…well, Len Carlson did what he could.
If we’re all willing to assume that is Ganon we hear at the beginning of the Tears of the Kingdom trailer, then those few lines represent a significant moment for the character. Ganon has long been one of gaming’s great villains, but he’s largely been more of a presence or a great boss fight. Hearing him speak in an almost Lich King-like manner really captures what a presence he is in that universe. There’s a long way to go, but the early sample of that voice certainly suggests that Nintendo found a pretty good English voice actor for such a big role.
That’s where the fans come in. See, some fans are convinced that Ganon is being voiced by none other than Matt Mercer of Critical Role fame. Actually, Mercer is one of the most prolific and notable voice actors in the video game industry. While there’s been no word that Mercer is indeed voicing Ganon (or whoever we hear in that trailer), that bit of casting makes a lot of sense. Mercer certainly has the voice and experience needed to bring such a character to life like never before. Besides, as others have pointed out, Ganon (or Ganondorf) is a role that Mercer is…familiar with.
It should also be noted that some fans have reacted to hearing Ganon’s voice with the kind of…umm…passion that you wouldn’t normally associate with the character. To put it another way, a few people suddenly seem to be very horny for Ganon. We should probably be used to such things at this point in the grand history of the gaming side of the internet, but you should be aware that the conversations around Ganon are seemingly going to get a lot more intense. Fan art is coming, folks.
In any case, the amount of voice acting we hear in the Tears of the Kingdom trailer could be an interesting sign of things to come. Many expect Tears of the Kingdom to be a bigger and better version of Breath of the Wild, and it seems like the game’s ambitions in that pursuit will include more voice acting across the board.
I doubt we’ll get full voice acting in a Zelda game quite yet, but the series is certainly trending in that direction. At least it better be trending in that direction now that new Zelda games will apparently cost $70. Maybe more voice acting in Zelda games will also help us get a little closer to that Zelda movie or modern animated series the world is waiting for.