Is Artyom a mute in the Metro video game series?
Yes, technically Artyom is mute during actual gameplay in the Metro video game series. While he is not fully mute since he provides some narration, Artyom does not speak during any interactive player-controlled moments. This is an intentional design decision to support immersion in his character.
Background on Artyom and the Metro video game series
The Metro video game series is set in post-apocalyptic Moscow after a nuclear war forces survivors to live in the Metro tunnels. Players control Artyom, who was born right before the bombs fell. According to the Metro Wiki, Artyom is 24 years old in Metro: Last Light, putting his birth year close to 2013 if we speculate the nuclear event happened around 2020.
The series includes the games Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, and Metro Exodus. Across the games, Artyom is depicted as a quiet, introspective character even in non-interactive scenes.
Artyom‘s lack of speech explained
Artyom does not speak during any gameplay or quick time events in the Metro series. This muteness is an intentional design decision to support immersive first-person perspective and avoid breaking the player‘s connection to Artyom as an avatar.
However, Artyom is not completely mute in the traditional sense. Voice actor Chris Parson provides English narration for Artyom‘s inner thoughts and backstory details during load screens. So parts of the game feature Artyom‘s insights in his own voice.
Having a silent protagonist is a technique used in other popular games like Half-Life and Bioshock to aid immersion by removing dialogue as a reminder you are controlling a character. Players are meant to feel they are the protagonist.
Behind the scenes with Artyom‘s voice actor
As mentioned, voice actor Chris Parson has portrayed the English voice of Artyom across all Metro games. In an interview with DTF, Parson described the process of recording Artyom‘s inner monologues:
The main difficulty was that I didn‘t have any visuals at all, I had no idea what was happening, I just read the text. My director gave me some details about each scene before I read the line. For example, “You’re exhausted, you’re cold, you’re starving.” And that was all I had to build the performance on.
So while players may feel deeply connected to Artyom‘s personal journey, the voice actor himself recorded lines without full game context, lending a deeper sense of mystery to Artyom‘s character for him too.
Conclusion: Artyom‘s muteness supports immersion
In summary, Artyom does not speak during Metro series gameplay sections or player control. This makes him technically mute during those sequences. His lack of speech is an intentional design decision to support player immersion by avoiding dialogue that breaks the feeling of being protagonist Artyom. While he shares narrative thoughts via voiceovers, avoiding speech during gameplay helps players inhabit his perspective.
So in essence, Artyom‘s selective muteness aims to erase the separation between player and protagonist, lending the Metro series its signature immersive quality. Gamers keenly feel they walk in Artyom‘s shoes because he wisely never opens his mouth to break the spell.
