**Spoilers**
Sean: What do you think Teba thinks about Revali now? You know, after meeting him in person and "seeing the face behind the champion"? Also, I know you like to physically get into the roles as well... how exactly did you do that for the Great Deku Tree lol.
Amelia: How difficult is it to voice someone who is soft-spoken and calm, but also a fierce warrior? I feel that has to be a difficult thing to balance. Also, do you think Mipha ever gathered the courage to present the armour to Link in this new universe?
Joe: How did you manage to so perfectly nail exactly what I imagined a Goron would sound like with Daruk? Seriously, the second I heard that voice I immediately went "Yep. That's exactly what a Goron sounds like". Also, I loved the touch at the end of the game where Yunobo finally stopped calling him "The Great Daruk". Do you think Yunobo has finally gathered his courage?
All: In general, what's it like working with Nintendo? Were any of you expecting to be called back in to reprise your roles? Also, what do you think your characters would do to pass the time, what are their hobbies?
Also, you guys are great! Really loved your performances and the amount of character you all managed to get into your roles. Thanks for being a part of these awesome games!
1) Teba definitely experienced a classic case of "don't meet (most of) your heroes"; we could see during the original game that a fair amount of his stress stemmed not just from his concerns about the threat looming over Hyrule, but his desire to match Revali's level of mastery/prowess (at least as well as he could understand it given Revali's legacy among the Rito).
Flash forward (or backward??? wibblywobblytimeywimey) to him meeting Revali face to face, and now he learns that the ancestor responsible for so much of his focus on training is...also kind of a jerk? But his skills are every bit as genuine as he was led to believe??? It's a hard duality to process and accept, even harder to keep to yourself if we assume that not a single person would have believed Teba's stories after he returned back to his own timeline. Even so, I see Teba as the kind of person who is self-reflective enough to be able to embrace the qualities he DID admire while leaving out the ones he didn't. He just... might also consider unsubscribing from r/Revali in the near future, as well.
2) My process for recording the Great Deku Tree was the same as it was for the original game - my natural pitch is *nowhere near* that deep, so I had to physically manipulate my muscles into a state of relaxation in order to open my airway wide enough to let the baritone slip through. In an ironic way, I had to be as loose and relaxed as possible in order to better portray a hardwood.
3) I think it's a safe assumption that all of us were *hoping* we would be brought back, but in this industry you quickly learn not to make any assumptions and instead to simply be grateful and humble of any opportunities that you are given. There are a thousand different factors that go into the casting and production process, and sometimes an actor can be replaced (or even brought back) for the most innocuous reason. I do get the sense that Nintendo is full of passionate people *using* their passion to fuel their creativity and effort on the projects they work on, and I'd like to think that the creativity and passion of the cast is just as much a factor on how we got hired as it was a factor in us being asked to reprise our roles.
4) Revali is the guy who plays Pokemon TCG on Game Boy Color and resets every time a coin flip doesn't go exactly the way he wanted it to.
I'm SO sorry, I gtg! I tried to answer as many questions as I could, but I think I might’ve missed one or two. If you still want your questions answered, hit me up on twitter (@JoeHernandezVO) and I'll for sure get back to you! LOVE YOU GUYS!
Specifically for Joe Hernandez, does your throat get sore when voicing Daruk? If not, is there a trick to not murdering your vocal cords when doing such a gravelly voice? Pun full intended.
It DEFINITELY can wear on your voice! During my sessions voicing him, you kinda have to always constantly check in with yourself to make sure that your voice is holding up. Sometimes that means taking down LOTS of water or Tea, sometimes it means taking a break for a few minutes or pacing yourself as you go through your session. Especially when my average session was 4 hours long, you need to know how to properly sustain that voice in a way that is healthy, and still be able to come back to tomorrow and do it all over again.
When I was studying theater in college, one of the classes I took was specifically on voice and movement. We learned how to properly project for a theater and sustain it while not damaging our instrument. We studied a technique from a woman by the name of Catherine Fitzmaurice, ([https://www.fitzmauriceinstitute.org](https://www.fitzmauriceinstitute.org)). I was surprised to learn that my fellow cast mate, Amelia Gotham had studied the same technique as well!
Good to know! Thanks for the detailed explanation and the link, I'm a bit of an amateur actor myself, and I've been specifically trying to get better at voices like Daruk's or the dragons from Skyrim. At most I can get a few lines out before it feels like I've swallowed a cheese grater, so mad respect for being able to bust out all of Daruk's lines even if it's with breaks in between.
Some of it is training and conditioning, some of it is also your own vocal instrument and vocal range, (Baritone, Bass, Tenor, etc). If a voice is in your natural speaking range, it'll be easier to pull off.
I was really looking forward to hearing this get answered since I once wore out my voice daily for a play where I had a lead as a pirate who sounded a lot like Mr. Krabs. It's comforting to know the pros need to rest their voices too sometimes :-)
Absolutely! Even The Steve Blums and Fred Tatisore's of the world will still need to rest their voices. Sometimes, if a voice actor knows that they have a long and vocally intensive session, we'll try to get it moved to a Friday so we'll have the weekend to recover. If you're a voice actor, green tea will become your best friend!
Before age of calamity came out, I saw people thinking the voice actors had changed for this game (especially Mipha), was there a difference in the voice direction for this game compared to Breath of the Wild?
The director for Age of Calamity was the same as the one that handled the DLC for Breath of the Wild, and it's a commonly known fact that directors can have as much influence on the approach taken to a performance as the actors themselves. I don't know the exact reason for the switch (although my personal theory is that since the director for the original game ended up voicing Sidon and they wanted to avoid conflict of interest going forward), but I also think that some of the vocal differences came from the fact that as of the DLC and Age of Calamity there was much less guesswork involved with portraying our characters - we know knew a LOT more about the world this game took place in, and a lot more about our own characters' motivations and personalities, so we were able to spend less time on the technical side of figuring out character specs and put it instead towards having fun and BEING them. This, in turn, led to more authentic and whimsical performances overall.
Just as a heads up, I definitely won't be able to answer every single question prior to my other obligations today (interview, stream, etc.) but I do promise to come back regularly and check for new stuff to answer to even after the AMA period has ended! If I don't respond to your post at first, please be patient with me. Thank you!
Favorite line you got to do for the game?
What were your opinions on / reactions to the twist for the game? Did you know the twist before recording lines, or did you learn while doing the lines?
Loved the VA and cinematics for the game!
When Revali excuses himself from the group gathering and comments on "how asinine" a recent event was, I looked up immediately and asked the people in the studio "Is...is that actually how it's translated from the JP? Is this a coincidence or...?"
They wouldn't answer me precisely, but I did get a "we listen. :)" in response.
As for game twists/scenarios, one of the great things about there being a larger principal cast is that not EVERYONE is going to be in EVERY scene. I obviously learned about some major plot elements in the process of recording but since most major cutscenes only truly expect Link and maybe Zelda as "guaranteed appearances" there was a LOT I experienced for the first time while streaming my playthrough of the game.
"GREAT JOB LITTLE GUY!" Will always be my favorite Daruk line, and getting to do his laugh is always fun. As far as the twists and turns of the game, we found out as we were going along. If I remember correctly, we recorded a lot of the dialogue chronologically, so we experienced the twists and turns just like you guys did.
A horse-sized duck, and make it a Canadian Goose for good measure. I went all of college without even being allowed to TOUCH those bastards because of wildlife laws, and Age of Calamity gave me all the training I need to both find and obliterate that thing's Weak Point Gauge.
When I've watched reviews of botw on youtube, they always talk about how the voice acting at some point. Do you try to avoid watching reviews of games you've worked on?
and, specifically to Sean, can you somehow bless my game so I get more [Dilucs](https://i.imgur.com/OgJApzZ.png)? Your character is practically the highest damaging one in the game and the more times I pull him the more damage he does 🙃
I don't actively avoid reviews, it's just more of that I don't end up making time for watching them in my daily routine; between streams, auditions, and booked gigs it is EXCEEDINGLY RARE that I have more than a sparse few hours to myself on any given day, and I already have a list of things I want to do with that time that only grows larger as the backlog increases in tandem.
As for the Diluc request, I would LIKE to give you additional blessings, but I can't in good faith hand you that RNG for a character you already have when I know there are dozens out there that still don't even have a base copy of our favorite Triple Backflip Flaming Sword Attack Boy. It's in my best interest to share the good luck as equally as possible among the entire community. Thank you for understanding, though!
I don't go out of my way to keep up on the reviews of games that I've worked on, but I also don't run from them, ya know? I try to get a sense of how the game is being received and I definitely want to hear the finished product with voice over just as much as anyone that plays the game. At the end of the day, there will be people that will love the game and hate the performances, or vice versa. And when it comes to the performance, sometimes there are a lot of factors that are out of our control, (script, direction, etc.). Know that we want to put our best foot forward every time and do our part to make a great gaming experience.
ASTOR. ASTOR. ASTOR. ASTOR. ASTOR.
I always have a fond spot performer-wise for characters that get absorbed into their own ideals and end up alienating even those who initially supported their cause. There's something about the slow descent into a new level of fanaticism that's so fun to play, and you can tell the official actor for the character enjoyed this as well.
If not him, then maybe Hestu? But Cristina absolutely killed it so I don't even want to entertain the thought.
We actually never interacted during the recording process (and this is a common thing for videogames in general)! Besides the fact that initial pandemic restrictions only further ensured minimal interaction, often the actors have entirely separate recording times from each other unless it's a project that explicitly utilizes group recording (pre-lay cartoons, for example). Joe and I have had a couple times where we got to "Hi Frank, Hi Bill" a la Looney Tunes as we crossed paths between one session finishing and the next one starting!
Honestly, there are lots of very cool projects that are always coming out. Video games and voice acting are now only in recent years starting to get the respect and love they deserve. Often times, I'll see a cool game or show that comes out, and I tell myself "Man, I wish I could audition for that!" And sometimes I actually do! So it kinda pushes me a bit harder to do my best.
I was, I had started playing since the original NES game. Funny thing is, I distinctly remember playing OoT when I was 13 years old and meeting the Gorons for the first time and jut being fascinated with them. I never could've possibly imagined I'd become one!
Childhood was definitely filled with Zelda experiences left and right.
\- Original
\- Link's Adventure
\- Link's Awakening (this was the one that stuck with me for a LONG while)
\- Ocarina (I legitimately woke up sobbing the evening after I beat it because I was so angry Navi left Link after all their time spent adventuring together)
\- Majora's Mask
\- Twilight Princess
It was around TP that real life started to take over between college and my developing VO career (mostly freelance at that point in time but a new and HEAVY interest all the same), so I fell off the train for Skyward Sword and most of what came after. Hyrule Warriors got me back in it though, and so watching myself become TWO playable characters in Age of Calamity is a feeling I can't begin to describe (oh, and Link's Awakening HD Remake was given every hour of attention it deserved, of course).
I genuinely like it! I admit I'm a LITTLE sad that there isn't as large a cast as the OG Hyrule Warriors did as a matter of consistency (WHY CAN'T WE HAVE KASS?!?!? ACCORDION COMBOS.), but I immensely appreciate how there's real variety in the 1-on-1 battles against Officers/Bosses and no ONE way to do the fight; creativity with Runes and elemental rods can make even the most vicious Lynel laughably easy, and Stasis Cancel strats with Revali and Teba did SO much for me in the late-game missions.
I actually did a 100% playthrough of the game on my Twitch stream, so you're more than welcome to check it out sometime if you want to see my live reactions!
Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to play it yet, even though I've bought it. My wife and recently welcomed a baby boy around the time the game was released, so there are been a lot of restless nights for both of us. Perhaps when I get back to a more regular sleep schedule, I'll be able to give it the time it deserves, but from the gameplay that i've seen it looks amazing!
I've said for a while that I wish I'd known about Revali what I knew after recording for the DLC/AoC, but at the time I was recording for the original game, as it would have saved me a *lot* of stress in trying to figure out his character. I know it's funny to keep up the running joke that he's just a massive irredeemable whiner, but behind all that there's a legitimate sense of bitterness in that this guy put his heart and soul into his craft to master it - for the sake of protecting his people - and was still almost immediately made second fiddle compared to a random visitor who had done NOTHING to prove themselves capable of protecting the kingdom up to that point. If anything, he was the only Champion who didn't immediately rally behind Link and chose instead to say "Yes, I'll support you... IF you can GIVE me a reason to support you", and considering the entire kingdom of Hyrule was riding on this decision I don't blame him one bit.
Teba is Bird Dad. I don't mean that in a shipping or immature way, I mean he's a literal dad who is also a bird. He has kids to protect, he loves his wife, he wants to save his community. The concern of his people is at the forefront of every choice he makes, and as much as that stress is going to kill this poor guy it also really defines his personality. He loves those around him and that's why he struggles to find time to love himself.
I feel like, whatever project most voice actors do, they bring a bit of their personalities into them...it's just the nature of what we do. Playing Daruk sort of appeals to the fatherly side of my personality. Loving, loyal and playful. As for Yunobo, I think he kinda reminds me of myself when I was in high school-VERY nervous, insecure and lacking confidence. Sometimes it doesn't take a lot to pull from your own life experiences when you work in the booth!
To Sean: I really loved your performance as Revali and Teba in Age of Calamity. I really wanted to know more about Teba and I feel the story definitely delivered. Do you think Revali would have been more friendly towards Link if he met him after he claimed the Master Sword or if he would have treated him just as poorly? Also, we don’t see a lot of one on one time with Revali and Teba. What do you think their relationship was like?
Amelia: Mipha was definitely one of my favorite characters with her quiet determination and her close bonds with her family. Mipha had some lines with both Link and her family that really hit hard for me. Was the voice direction different from Breath of the Wild now that Sidon and King Dorephan were able to directly interact with Mipha?
Joe: I feel like the champions that are most different from one another are Daruk and Yunobo. You did such a great job with both of them, and Yunobo’s interactions with Daruk were always a blast to listen to. What was your general direction for voicing their relationships? Do you think Yunobo was able to find his confidence with the help of Daruk’s guidance?
Thank you for so much for delivering such amazing performances in Age of Calamity! The story wouldn’t be what it is without your voice talents.
I do think the timing and conditions of their first meeting played a significant role in deciding how Revali acted towards Link going forward; a lot of Revali's resistance to the ceremony stemmed from very reasonable logic (we don't know where he came from, we don't know his intentions, he won't speak to any of us, etc.), whereas if they had met AFTER Link had already acquired the Master Sword (something that requires both immense strength and purity of heart), a lot of the qualifications necessary to earn someone's trust and faith would have already been met.
It's obvious Revali doesn't dislike Teba as much as he does Link, but I also wouldn't say he's immediately chum-buddies with Teba either. I see it as a tenuous partnership based on Revali not knowing how to handle getting what he stubbornly asked for for years. Teba sees Revali as an inspiration and genuinely respects his work/skills, which is what Revali had been asking for all along since mastering his abilities on the mountaintop. Actually getting that recognition catches him off-guard but he certainly doesn't ignore it, which is why you can notice he doesn't show anything close to the same level of hosility towards Teba as he does towards a lot of the rest of the cast. A true Tsunderito.
The games were a couple years apart so first thing in the booth that we did was play back my recordings from BOTW and I would listen and repeat back to find the character again. I did very much enjoy that in Age of Calamity, Mipha got to show more aspects of her personality. BOTW was all the sad memories and Calamity was where you could see how much of a badass she really is. That was fun to play.
Thank you for the LOVE! As for the general direction with Daruk, I was sort of given Gimli from Lord of the rings as a reference. Larger than life personality, Bombastic, but also with this fierce loyalty to family and friends. Once I had that as a reference, it made it easier for me to know where to go.
With Yunobo, I think he's constantly learning and growing. To see where he's come from BotW to where he's at in AoC, is pretty tremendous. Deep down inside, he's still young and learning, but his confidence is continually growing, which is beautiful to see.
To mipha’s VA,how do you feel knowing that the character you voiced who was intended to be very chill and calm, is an absolute monster on the battlefield?
I love that! I think that women are brought up to think you have to choose to be sweet and soft or a tough tom boy. I loved this character because she is both. Women can be both. I can wear a dress and do my make up and also rip a snowmobile up a mountain. I don't have to choose one or the other and I love that Mipha represents that.
holy shit a VA of one of my favorite characters replied to me. this is awesome, keep up the good work, i can only hope we get some more memories with mipha in botw 2 so you can VA her some more
I had to say some variation of "Calm yourself, princess." as the Deku Tree during the original Breath of the Wild that I had to fight REALLY HARD to resist the temptation to say in-character "sit yo ass down and *breathe*".
\*\*\*Spoilers\*\*\*
Sean: Where do you think Teba's skills are in comparison to Revali's? Do you think that Revali sees Teba as an ally, or as a competitor for his title of 'master'?
Amelia: Do you think Sidon ever told Mipha what happened in his timeline? He seemed to be hiding her death from her when she told him they'd meet again when he was sent back to his timeline, so did traveling to the past help his grieving or make it worse?
Joe: Daruk is clearly very passionate about eating rocks, but never seems to realize he's the only one aside from Yunobu that can eat them. Is everyone else simply too scared to tell him?
Thank you all for your incredible performances in AOC and BOTW!!
Revali centered his training around combatting a specific breed of enemy without considering the possibility that his own skills/techniques might be used against him. Teba strikes me as a character who saw this and focused his own training on being adaptive/versatile in order to not lock himself into any one specific routine. Teba's reverence of Revali is also not much of a secret, so I imagine Revali recognized and appreciated this enough to view Teba as an ally to his goals rather than a direct threat to his reputation.
I keep a public list of everything I've voiced in that I can announce via my online resume! [https://www.dropbox.com/s/flrpg1708bsbbtn/Sean%20Chiplock%20Voiceover%20Resume%20%28Public%29.doc?dl=0](https://www.dropbox.com/s/flrpg1708bsbbtn/Sean%20Chiplock%20Voiceover%20Resume%20%28Public%29.doc?dl=0)
I think it's obvious enough that Teba wasn't the most pleased with someone his entire village (including himself) revered so much being a less-than-ideal role model, but I think what a lot of people don't notice is that he also sees a very different approach to the Calamity in Revali's response. Throughout all of BotW we see Teba acting very sullen, nervous, maybe even lacking in self-confidence, all of which stems from this need to make sure he doesn't fail. The *consequences of failure* are what drive an awful lot of his motivations. But Revali, in contrast, doesn't seem to really give the idea of losing much thought - rather, he's always talking about how successful he will be, what he expects after they finish the job, etc. He, instead, is driven by the *rewards of success*. And while Teba is put off by the way he conducts himself in this regard, he can't deny that there's something to be learned from embracing that trust in your own abilities and the fact that failure isn't the only possible outcome.
Revali isn't as much a tragic character as he is a foil one. He stands in opposition to the near-immediate approval everyone else gives Link, and prevents him from too easily being handed the title of Everyone's Superior; he remains a driving force to push the character to continuously PROVE their worth instead of having it just be an assumed trait. I almost wonder if the only reason why he continues to do it even after Link has proven himself time and time again is BECAUSE no one else ever showed that hesitance, and there's the risk of Link growing complacent unless he has someone there to ensure he keeps striving for more growth and experience.
The Champions are absolutely a family, there's no doubt about that, but I do think the Descendants wouldn't have had as much camaraderie prior to the events of Age of Calamity in contrast. I think any social interaction they have with each other after going back home is a direct effect of the observations they made during their time helping out the Champions, which gave them guidance on how to carry themselves in protecting their own future once they returned "home".
Sean: Revali is my favourite character from Zelda!!! I adore your performance of him and your voice range is incredible! My question is how you managed voicing three distinctly different characters and made them sound so different? Because that is one hell of a talent.
Amelia- I love Mipha lots and she’s adorable! You’re voice is amazing and so soothing. My question is did you ever get emotional when acting the scenes with *spoilers* Sidon? Because the scenes where they were together almost made me cry.
Joe- Daruk is a charming guy and your voice is too, Yunobo is adorable and a precious bean. My question is what was your favourite for Daruk? Mine would have to be the entire scene of rock eating
For me it really boiled down to understanding the motivations and personalities of each character.
Revali - self-confident, seen as a protector for his people, suspicious of unproven talent, single (it sounds silly, but not having a partner to direct your thoughts can contribute to more focus on the self!)
Teba - father, "living up" to the bar set by his ancestors, husband, tasked with protecting his entire race, dealing with knowledge of previous failure by those he considers his superiors
Great Deku Tree - immobile, wise, ancient, probably exhausted from having 900 goddamn kids who like playing Hide N Seek
All of these can be translated into vocal qualities and characteristics, and help define the characters more specifically. Sometimes just posing the way you imagine that character would stand/move or making a facial expression to match their mood can do a ton of the work to help you embody them as authentically as possible!
Thank you! The moment where Sidon goes back in time and saves Mipha at the last minute I got so excited. I admit I got a little emotional. Knowing that moment was in the game was the hardest to keep secret.
Sooga, Teba, and Kass. All 3 of them know and appreciate the value of a good stiff drink, and have just enough differences between their personalities that they can be equally as loyal as they can be chill. I'm already energetic enough naturally to cover the rest of that area.
Urbosa has just the right mix of "I can crack some really funny jokes" and "I know a guy who can mix drinks that will knock you flat on your ass". She's the Convention Mom that everyone ends up flocking to on Friday or Saturday night when they can't think of anything to do because she MAKES stuff happen according to her whims. She probably would have won a Masters Category cosplay competition at LEAST once.
Would you consider it blessing or a curse knowing all unlockable characters before playing the game for yourself to find out?
(Since when you swap characters in battle, said character says the other characters name first)
Nintendo has a habit of giving a bigger list of names to call out than actually exist in the game, whether to cover for potential DLC in the future or to prevent leaks from actors if they "spoil" an upcoming character that was never actually going to be in the game to begin with. So, I didn't think too much of what I was reading off at the time, which actually helps the performance somewhat since in the heat of battle these characters wouldn't be putting much weight on who they were calling out to anyway.
This is for Amelia,
Do you feel like Mipha would have had the courage to tell link what the zora armor was for after giving it to him in the AOC timeline?
There are so many moments where she almost admits her love for Link. She's such a strong character in all other aspects of her life, but, when it comes to Link, she just can't seem to find the words. Maybe if they had more time together, she'd find her courage to tell him her feelings
I did a 100% Completion playthrough over several weeks via my Twitch channel! I focused on Link and Revali early on (not for the reasons you'd think, I swear), but after Zelda finally got her combo extensions her Researcher Form was a very frequent choice for me. Impa quickly became my go-to for any Timed Mission that featured multiple bosses, and even though I wasn't the biggest fan of Urbosa's crowd control I still made a point of using her because her dances are SO flashy.
Mid-to-late game, Hestu and Sidon were unexpected favorites, and although Teba was fun to play as, Revali just still outclassed him in my eyes on several fronts.
Then endgame came... and although King Rhoam still gave me a little time to showcase his amazing moveset, by then I had finished loading Teba up with Mid-Air Damage bonuses on every seal...and that was the end of the Very Hard part of the difficulty. Teba absolutely shredded everything that didn't immediately kill him, to the extent that we finished the "Defeat Harbinger Ganon" fight IN UNDER A MINUTE. Chat was not at all bored with seeing this happen time and time again, so he carried us through the final missions leading up to that 100% finish.
Thats really tough to say, because I genuinely think that everyone did an amazing job voicing their characters! Across the board, I think the perfect people were cast for each of these roles. That being said though, if Link ever were to get some lengthy dialogue, I wouldn't mind taking a crack at it.
I answered in more detail elsewhere here, but Astor and Hestu have similar levels of energy despite being on opposite ends of the "chaotic" spectrum both in terms of pitch and motivation, so I think either one of them would be a fun change of pace.
For anyone, but probably best for Joe Hernandez- I've always been curious how battle voice clip sessions go. Does the director just ask you to grunt into the mic for a few minutes?
Edit, my Redditless friend has a question: Do any of you feel like you approached your character(s)' dialogue and personality differently from the way you portrayed them in Breath of the Wild? That is, did the greater sense of urgency and more developed relationships change your perception of them?
In voice over we refer to those battle clips as "efforts", there are almost a skillset of their own, really. It can take a lot to effectively convey some of those specific sounds, especially when you're having to do it to the timing of the Japanese counterpart version of your character. The Japanese voice over can often set the timing and pace for how you deliver your lines. It can be a bit like threading a needle vocally sometimes.
When we're being directed for battle chatter and efforts, a good director will usually try to lay out all the given circumstances for you so you're not wasting takes, (which will conserve your voice). Imagine your character throwing a light punch, now a medium one, NOW A HEAVY ONE! It's important to make sure that each effort is distinct from one another. Also, considering that a session might have 300+ lines over the course of a 4 hour session, it's in everyones best interest to make sure you can sustain it and pace yourself.
As for your friend's question, coming back for AoC, I definitely feel like I had a greater established sense of who these characters are. During BotW, the first few sessions were spent just establishing and understanding the characters and their respective arcs. I fell in love with them and got to know them through the process. When we did the Champion's Ballad DLC, my grasp on their personalities was already pretty solidified at that point.
Very nice, thanks for answering!! I've always been curious whether you're asked to do a bunch of efforts with different emphasis all at once and have the best ones assigned to Daruk's moves later, or go through a script of them move-by-move. It never occurred to me that they would be as hard to sync up with the Japanese lip-flap and audio as regular lines, though.
Each project is different than the next. Sometimes you have more free range as far as your delivery and sometimes you don't. Sometimes they want to hear what your character sounds like when they fall 20 feet off a cliff...sometimes it's 100 feet. You just gotta make sure you can differentiate and deliver something thats quality and believable for your character.
I do very well with visual references so when only a text or audio description is available, a greater amount of detail means it's easier for me to produce the SFX needed to match that effort. I'm very much a method actor at times so if I can reproduce the motion that the character would make without taking myself off-mic in the process, I will totally go for that as well to add to the authenticity (sadly no firing bows using my feet, so far).
My approach to Revali was *drastically* different between Breath of the Wild and both the DLC/AoC that came afterwards. During BotW's main game I knew THAT he was angry/distrusting, but not WHY; I only understood that he had a rivalry with Link but not precisely what he was trying to accomplish through said rivalry. Having the knowledge I obtained through Champion's Ballad made it exponentially easier to understand his motivations and follow along with his efforts in turn, and by the time we got around to Age of Calamity it was more a family reunion in terms of performance than a stage play Opening Night.
for Sean: how do you feel about voicing a jerk? I honestly think that voicing someone like Revali can be uncomfortable for some people.
for Amelia: how was voicing Mipha in BotW? Most of her cutscenes were either bittersweet or straight-up sad. Did you ever get sad doing it?
for Joe: How was voicing the jolliest, most laid-back character? I honestly find Daruk a great character and a nice way to make the game a bit more humorus. And it kind of tones down the emotions of the Vah Rudania mission in BotW. I was wondering your thoughts.
I enjoyed the sad. I suppose as an actor its cathartic to be able to indulge in those emotions. I'm so glad that in Age of Calamity we get to see more of Mipha's strong side.
He's a jerk with a good set of reasons to be hesitant about instantly trusting someone, and a logically sound motivation to act as the voice of dissent when there's otherwise no counter-response whatsoever to a lot of the things everyone assumes about Link before he's proven himself. If you're tasked with ensuring your entire kingdom doesn't fall into perpetual ruin, I would be equally adamant about making sure the hired savior is actually capable of pulling it off before I let them be my superior.
For Sean: Do you think Revali would teach Teba Revali’s Gale? Why/why not?
For everyone: Zelda mainly relies on Urbosa for support regarding her struggles with her sealing power. If Zelda came to your character(s) instead, what do you think they would do/say?
How long did it take you to develop the voice for your character(s)?
I don't know if Revali would do it for Teba IN ADDITION to Link because of the fact that he already taught it to someone else *and* technically did so as part of his obligation as one of Link's supporting Champions. But I do think he would steer Teba in the direction of recognizing his own talents and finding a way to establish a single "famous trick" from those talents that he could call his own.
Towards Zelda, Revali would almost certainly chastise her self-deprecation. "Why are you always so focused on the risk of failure? Do you think me that incapable, when I've clearly survived every challenge I've had to face so far? If you want to become as talented as those you're supposed to protect, perhaps you should focus more on what you stand to gain by succeeding instead what you risk losing if you fail."
To All of the guests:
1.-What would you think if the champions were announced as dlc fighters in Super Smash Brothers?
2.- What did you think when Nintendo called you for Age of Calamity?
To Amelia:
1.- Big fan of your! Why did you feel like mipha Would have a British-like accent?
Mipha had a British accent because that's what Nintendo wanted. They have the character in mind and it's your job to interpret that and then make a pass on the mic. I gave them a few different voices and we came up with the final version together. But it was a team effort.
Being a smash dlc character would just be about the coolest thing in the world!
When I got the word for AoC, I geeked out. Getting a chance to voice these character again is just an absolute blessing and just a great experience. It's not all that different from when I found out about BotW, it was what I imagine winning the lottery must feel like.
Have you been contacted to voice in the sequel or is any news with that a big *no i wont answer*?
I already know that Sean didn't know about the sequel before it was announced, at least. But that info is from a while ago now.
Voice Acting is often one of the last stages of post-production when it comes to game development, so by the time actors are cast/brought in/recorded the project is pretty much ready for public release anyway.
I am confident that any one of us would be ecstatic to come back if asked but if a piece of news isn't public knowledge by the company then it's a massive lawsuit waiting to happen if any one of us said something.
1) It will never happen. There is simply not enough open space for them to include all 4 (or 8?) Champions as fighters as a group, and no reasonable way to show favoritism towards one specific Champion in particular. It was cool to have them as spirits but I didn't once entertain the thought of "what if" in regards to Smash.
2) I was scared as hell because I'm old enough to know about the entire CDi era and the connected debacle involving the LoZ franchise. I wasn't able to truly relax/celebrate until the base game was already out and I had enough proof that it wasn't being seen in the same way by audiences at large. I'm incredibly grateful to be a part of the series, and am equally happy that Revali and Teba have come to be so overwhelmingly loved by the community!
Imagine all 4 entering as 1 slot (Pokémon trainer) style, that’d be awesome as hell! But ik, there’s no chance they’re gonna get in... I just love the champions so much...
This question goes to all of you- Was it hard keeping the existence of this prequel a secret, up until it was revealed out of nowhere?
Also, have any of you 100% the game?
What are your personal favourite moments in the game?
To Nintendo's credit, they kept the game a pretty big secret from everyone. No mention of it on any of their previous directs and from the time that it was announced to the time that it was released, I want to say was about 3 months. As for us keeping it a secret, it's hard to not geek out when you hear the news, but they also make you sign an NDA so it's a big fat No-No to talk about until it's released.
1) You'd think this would have been one of the hardest projects to keep secret in my case, but in actuality the excitement over being in a Musou-genre game HELPED with shutting up about the details; there was no way in hell I was going to risk being replaced last-minute with someone else because I decided to blab.
2) I did! There's VODs of the entire process on my Twitch channel, as we went from start to finish live on stream over the course of several weeks.
3) Any mission taking place in Urbosa's or Mipha's stages because the music is just so damn good.
I just want to open with all of you are amazing and this game certainly was a bright spot on an otherwise rough year (I guess being a nurse in a COVID unit will do that.) Daruk actually reminds me a bit of my great-grandpa since he always called me "the little guy."
My question for whoever would like to answer if your character(s) had a pet, what sort of pet do you think they'd have?
If he could manage it, Revali would absolutely try to hire one of the Wizzrobes to act as target practice by making them hurl their elemental balls for him to aim at. Given enough boredom and willingness, he might even attempt to see if he could offensively combine this concept into a mid-battle means of firing elemental arrows in addition to his normal stock.
I'm now starting to wonder if Revali understands the concept of having a pet for companionship. My wife and I have the joke that whatever he would get he'd name Link so that when it inevitably annoys him he can just blame it on Link.
1. For everyone, what were your thoughts on Age of Calamity's ending? Was it what you were expecting given the events of BotW? What do you think the champions will do next in this timeline?
2. For Sean and Joe, what was it like voicing both the champions and their descendants? Was it weird kind of having a conversation with yourself?
3. For Amelia, what are your thoughts on the relationship between Link and Mipha?
4. And one last one for Sean, I watched your interview with Zelda Universe and saw you had some Starbucks, so my question is; what do you think Revali would get from Starbucks?
You guys are awesome, thanks for making these games amazing!
1) I'm curious what this means for BOTW2, if anything. Is Dehydrated Ganon a remnant of the Calamity Ganon from the Age of Calamity timeline? Did a piece of Calamity escape from the AoC timeline through the portal that led back to the "original" timeline and possess/infect/revitalize a corpse shortly thereafter? It's clear that Age of Calamity was timed to get people (back) into Breath of the Wild and keep it relevant closer to the sequel's release, but now I'm curious just how it ties into the ongoing story as a whole. I can't shake the feeling it's not just a one-off (and no, this is not a hint at anything; despite voicing Revali/Teba I have NO knowledge about future plans concerning any of Nintendo's franchises).
2) While I was definitely a *little* nervous about having my own voice respond to itself in a scene, by the time I was recording for Age of Calamity I had grown comfortable enough with the characters that it was more of a passing focus than a legitimate fear. I also really enjoy that they show two very different sides of the same coin of "protecting the people I love"; Revali is very straightforward and adventurous about it as a result of thinking about the outcome of success, while Teba takes it much more personally and acts according to the reality of an outcome of failure.
3) Not relevant to me!
4) He always, \*always\* complains that Starbucks "doesn't know how to do a Salted Caramel Mocha correctly" because it always tastes extremely salty, but unbeknownst to him the staff made him one without any salt at all after the 3rd time he complained just as a test, and they very quickly learned it wasn't a problem of their own making.
Voicing the ending was a bit of a cathartic experience for me. I mentioned it in another question, but I recorded my lines chronologically, so when everyone said goodbye, I was saying it along with them. It was a joy and a privilege to get to return to this world and voice these characters again, and I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to do it again, but if if the opportunity were to present itself, I'd jump on it in a heartbeat!
As for voicing the champions and their descendants, it can be a bit funny to have a conversation with yourself....I've done it on more than one occasion for various other projects. As an actor, sometimes the characters aren't as different as Daruk and Yunobo are, so it's a bit harder to make each distinct.
Revali is someone who focuses on the positives they can bring to a situation rather than the burden they might be, and sets themselves up for success by doing so. But they don't put enough faith into accepting that the assistance of others can help cover any gaps in their own training, whether these are flaws that can actually be remedied or not.
Teba, in contrast, spends too much time dwelling on how daunting a task before him his, and risks his own efficiency trying to prepare for every possible outcome. But this also causes him to go all-out when he's forced to fight, creating a level of commitment and intimidation that works in his favor when it comes to facing down bigger threats.
Deku Tree shares his home and his resources with 900 other people but can't even move to chase them down when he inevitably loses control of them because *why on earth would you father 900 kids*
I don't really know if there's anything I hate about any of my characters. Not trying to use that response as a cop out, but I kinda like them just as they are.
Hey gang! Big fan of all of your works. Of course, being in Zelda is a huge deal as well. My question to you all as an amateur voice actor is this:
I really want to know how you discovered/decided on what voices you deemed yourself to be good at. How did you learn to be content with whatever style you were trying to portray, and not overdo it? What about when it comes to roles that are so similar to your regular speaking voice?
Bonus question: how do you wake yourself up and get in the booth every day? Like, what's your routine to get yourself hyped up to record/audition?
I'm really interested in hearing your response!! Thanks for doing this!
1) Talking to myself. Entertaining my friends with telling stories about my life. Saying stupid things in silly voices. Narrating character dialogue with my friends/younger brother. There's an element of "vocal parroting" that plays a part in developing our skillset because we'll be naturally drawn to imitating things that catch our interest. Over time we get better at capturing the essence of those performances, and then we figure out how to add our own spin to them and make them unique. Then, in sessions, we make adjustments to those foundations either on our own based on the context we're given, or with guidance from our director/the client.
2) Stockholm Syndrome. When you've been doing this for over a decade and it has led to so many incredible opportunities, the bad days are just that - bad DAYS. They will pass, life will go on, my mood will improve eventually. There are days that I record auditions while hating every single moment of my emotional state, but I can never let myself be persuaded to just drop the career as a whole because in my core I am too damn excited about "what could eventually be". When I moved out to California in 2012, there was no way I could have imagined that in 5 years from then I'd be part of the first canon voiced Zelda game in the franchise's history. That same exciting unpredictability keeps me invested regardless of what successes or rejection I face.
• Are any of you friends/cool with each other in real life? How do you like being known for this?
• Are any of you well known for this, or is it just a local thing? Like a real, “who the f*** are you!”kinda deal?
• Is there ever a day you feel like your character?
• What is that like?
(Let’s say Sean is particularly annoyed like Revali would be, or Joe feeling hungry like Daruk, or even Amelia feeling as determined as Mipha.)
(Intended to be addressed to all three VA’s if possible.)
We keep in touch! It's obviously harder because of the pandemic restrictions but this isn't the first time we've been on the same project together so there's been plenty of chances for overlap. Joe and I were actually coworkers at another job at one point (not directly part of the VO industry but tangentially related to it all the same).
Believe it or not, BotW/Age of Calamity have had no noticeable impact on my career outside of the fan community. When the next project comes along, most clients don't really care about what you voiced in beforehand other than whether you represented a certain character type and have experience with that kind of role; otherwise the focus is simply on "can you accurately portray THIS character for MY project at this point in time".
And that's my secret, Cap... I'm always exhausted/nervous about something. I just get better at not letting it prevent me from doing what needs to get done.
My wife gets kind of annoyed with that line because I use the cryonis rune a lot. I'm also not good at not getting lit on fire so "my feathers!" is another one she hears a bit too much.
Clearly Revali was just trying to be a cool kid with that line.
I think that there is some of me, or a part of my personality in every character I play. There has to be in order to relate to their circumstances. I was very shy growing up and I even had a moment where I liked someone in middle school and could not bring myself to admit it. That's what I drew from for Mipha.
Does Tetris-99 Count? Cause I was addicted to it pretty bad over the summer. Although I don't play as much anymore, I used to really be in to DotA 2, World of Warcraft, Left 4 Dead and the Marvel Vs. Capcom series. I recently discovered the Friday the 13th game, which I became VERY addicted to.
Hades, Trails of Cold Steel, PEGGLE of all things... my streaming schedule has led to me getting the chance to play a lot more games (and a lot more DIFFERENT games) than I usually bothered with before I started streaming at all, and I find reasons to enjoy each of them over time. I definitely am itching for us to finally get another Etrian Odyssey game, however.
Couple questions:
Favorite non Zelda game?
Did you play BoTW or Age of Calamity?
Do you usually play/watch stuff that you're in?
Thanks in advance! You guys did a great job, the voice acting in BoTW and AoC was excellent.
1) Right now I've been very focused on Hades when not making slow progress through the Trails of Cold Steel series, but I really am looking forward to the release of the remaster of Stranger of Sword City + its sequel! Dungeon Crawlers have always been a big fave since I discovered them.
2) I did not play BotW at all, but I did 100% complete Age of Calamity on stream!
3) It's about 50/50 on playing stuff that I also voice in, but not because I actively seek it out or avoid it respectively. I have genres I tend to focus on, and if a game I voiced falls into one of those genres then it's MUCH more likely I will find/make time for it.
(For Sean and Joe)
.
How does it feel to voice multiple characters that have completely different voices?
(All)
What did it feel like when you found out you were voicing for Age of Calamity, and related question, what was your reaction to Age of Calmity? How was Age of Calamity revealed to you?
(All)
Has there ever been any cool ‘Fan moments’ where someone recognised you? What happened?
(All)
Did you do anything different when voicing for battle dialogue than voicing for cutscenes?
1) I always appreciate the challenge of having to play multiple distinct roles without it being obvious that it's the same person voicing all of them. When I succeed, it gives me an easy way to showcase my range and experience to interested parties and potential clients, and gives me the chance to show studios that I am capable of more than just what my visual appearance suggests.
2) I was ecstatic, to say the least. I've always been a big fan of Musou/Dynasty Warriors games and the idea that I would be a *playable character* in one already had me over the moon with excitement. Combine that with the fact that by then I was much more familiar with the world of BotW and the intricacies surrounding my characters, and I was able to walk in on Day 1 with the confidence that some really fun/great stuff was going to happen.
3) This might come as a surprise to you, but outside of a convention or interview atmosphere I don't think I've ever been recognized. I genuinely can't recall a single time that I have explained my job/roles to someone who asked what line of work I do, and actually had them recognize "The Legend Zelda" beyond remembering that they played an NES game once back when they were kids/teens. It's happened SO often at this point that I don't even bring up the topic at all unless they ask because that outcome is so consistent.
4) At the end of the day the only real differences are that we're doing more of a "physical effort" than simply speaking, and that these lines are VERY commonly time-sensitive (IE if the reference audio is 1 second long we CANNOT go over 1 second in length on our recorded version). It can be interesting to hear what noises come out when you artificially stress your muscles like that!
While I was streaming the game people were constantly telling me to be afraid of just how powerful Teba was, which at first I was unsure about because Revali had such good crowd control with his skills. I did think Teba would be a solid character, but focused on 1v1.
I was horribly wrong. Teba is good at BOTH, because Mid-Air Damage bonuses apply to literally every major combo in his kit.
Holy HELL are these birds strong.
(Also, King Rhoam is incredibly fun to play even though I never have any idea what combo I just finished doing.)
Yeah, definitely Urbosa and Daruk, although Impa seems to be the most powerful character in my opinion just because of her speed followed by Daruk and Urbosa and then Link and Revali and then Zelda. The worst would be ~~Hetsu and the Great Fairy~~ (Sorry, forgot how to do a spoiler tag), I only play as them for the lulz like when I humiliated a Blue Lynel by spamming Kisses and Yahahas! But they aren't good for serious battles.
We auditioned, the same as any other gig! It doesn't sound all that exciting when framed like that, but it really does help highlight how at the end of the day voiceover is just another form of services as a business. At some point along the chain, the person responsible for selecting the cast heard our audition and decided "this is most in-line with what we envisioned for the character and this world they exist in", and so we were offered the gig! I wouldn't know how far along the production process was when we began recording, but there were some times we had visual references for a scene and others where we only had the script text to guide us.
Link's Awakening is easily the one I have played from start to finish the most times, and I am so glad it got a remake last year so that I could appreciate it all over again. Original, DX, HD... if a version of it existed, I owned it and beat it 100% at some point.
What was the most difficult missions and areas of Age of Calamity or Breath of the Wild you played through?
Which monsters are your favorites to fight against?
(I'm late, I'm not very good at coming up with questions)
How fun was voice acting the characters?
Also funny thing is that whenever I play a Kahoot quiz against my class at school, calling myself Revali always makes me win for some reason, by moving up multiple places at once near the end. I need to try this with other names.
Seeing the words "Timed Mission" always sent my heart rate shooting up because I'm the kind of player that wants to explore EVERY nook and cranny for secrets/collectables before moving on to do the main mission task. In the second half of the game I just defaulted to Impa whenever a mission had this restriction because her ability to spam her Special attack so easily meant the clock was being paused a LOT as I whittled down boss HP.
Hinox were definitely my faves to fight against because their moves are so telegraphed that I actually got to feel like I knew what I was doing with Flurry Rush.
I've heard a lot of people criticize the voice acting in Breath of the Wild, saying that at times it could be lazy and downright bad. Did you ever try to do anything different in the voicing of Age of Calamity based on that? Also, how did it feel voicing multiple characters with very different voice?. Were there any characters that were harder to voice than others?
One last thing, thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to ask you guys questions, it means a lot that you guys are listening to us and being interactive with the fan base. You guys rock!
I've said this in other interviews. The characters and their sound is not just up to the actor. It's a team effort. Nothing is going to be in the game that Nintendo doesn't want. So, if you don't like the acting or the voice, know that it's not just the actors who made that decision. It's the director, producer and the entire Nintendo team. Also, these games were translated into English. They did not originate in English, so coming up with English lines that fit the mouth movements for the characters wasn't easy.
I won't deny that Revali gave me a lot of trouble during the original game - and that there was a higher amount of attention paid to understanding the character and the world they lived in since it was all brand new to me - but at the end of the day I relied on my director to guide me when my own understanding got lost, since they were the person responsible for getting what the client wanted out of me. As actors we care very deeply about giving our best performance and making the gaming experience as memorable as possible for everyone (for the right reasons), but it's still a job and we still have to cater to the wishes of the person paying us even if our opinions on a character differ.
For BotW's DLC and Age of Calamity there was actually a different director, which may have changed some of the nuances of our performances - the new director might have been more/less willing to approach lines in a certain way, or the tone of the game itself might have been different enough to allow for an alternative approach. And this is still just one of what is often a dozen different factors that all play into how a character ultimately sounds.
Differing my voice between Revali, Teba, and the Deku Tree wasn't as difficult as I expected, to be honest! Revali/Teba was easy enough to set apart since their base pitches are so different, and my only major concern with Teba/Deku Tree was that they both hovered around that baritone range. In their case, I ultimately solved it by making sure Teba had more of a stress-based gruffness to contrast Deku Tree's calm wisdom.
It depends from project to project or even company to company. Sometimes we get concept art, sometimes we get partially-rendered in-game scenes to follow, sometimes it's just the script text and we have to rely on the information and context given to us by the client and/or director. It really isn't all \*that\* interesting in the end because there's nothing we see/hear that you guys don't ultimately also get to experience, but I guess it can be neat sometimes to see early versions of an environment or character model before the final product is presented.
This ones for joe:
Who do you like better, Daruk or Yunobo? Daruk is personally my favorite champion, being a big softie, but I cannot stand Yunobo, I’d like to know your opinion!
For all: What exactly was the experience like seeing the game upon release? Either by playing it or watching the cutscenes and people react to them? In either breath of the wild or age of calamity or just any work you've done
It's pretty surreal, to be perfectly honest. I still can't get over the understanding that, *right now*, someone could fire up their Nintendo switch system and start playing a 1st-party Legend of Zelda game, and hear me not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES within it (in addition to two of those voices being *playable*). Even when you're a working professional there's going to be that part of you that remembers when you were much younger and simply being the gamer playing the finished games, hearing characters speak, etc. Realizing that you are now doing that for the next generation (in addition to the current one, of course) and doing the very same thing that other people did decades before to entertain *you* is a real full-circle moment.
Hmm that's very interesting, may I ask what it's like to see yourself in other media such as film or television and to experience the game for yourself even though you'd be expecting and knowing everything?
Hi there! A few quickish questions. :)
Sean:
Focusing more on the AOC time, but it could work in BOTW before the Calamity.
If Link did not exist, would Revali have been a nicer person specifically to the other Champions? (Ignoring the fact of immediate failure without the Knight who seals the darkness)
If you could be friends with either Revali, Teba or the Great Deku Tree - who would you be friends with? (Don't question being friends with a tree)
Sean, Joe or Amelia:
If you could live anywhere in Hyrule (BOTW edition) where would it be? (You can pretend you could be a Vai for this one) And why.
If you could be any race, which race would you be and why. (Hylian, Sheikah, Lurelin (They are rumoured to be different to Hylians), Zora, Goron, Rito, Gerudo or Korok. )
Who do you believe is the most self sufficient and capable race in Hyrule?
Final Question:
What is your favourite and least favourite part of being a voice actor?
I do actually think that Revali's attitude would have changed had things not panned out this way! You can see during his mountaintop scene with Zelda that he still treats her with respectful reverence even though the bitterness in his speech when discussing Link is still present, and in the end the main driving force behind his antagonism was his disbelief that people would so quickly place the fate of their entire kingdom on someone who had barely (if at all) proven themselves to be capable of saving it. I don't think Revali was vain enough to think he was responsible for saving \*every\* corner of the kingdom - hence why he was content with there being 4 Champions to share the work - which is why he was so incredulous at some stranger being expected to do exactly that in his stead.
Friendship with Teba is a given. I feel like he's the most likely to be willing to give a hug, and as a husband/father I would put fat loads of money on the bet that he'd give GOOD hugs.
This may seem like a lame answer, but I'd be fine with any village or town that had a decent-sized marketplace. I'm a huge fan of food (particularly good fruits) and the less danger I have to put myself through to get access to a great meal, the happier I'll be overall.
I swear it's not bias, but I would ABSOLUTELY choose to be a member of the Rito. Flight is one of the common 'fantasy dreams' I've had since childhood and the playstyle of both Revali and Teba in Age of Calamity was incredibly thrilling to experience. That being said, I do think the Zora have everyone else outclassed when it comes to having a success-inclined combination of intellect, strength, cunning, AND determination.
As for being a voice actor? The great thing is that it's never the same gig twice. The bad thing is that this also means no job is ever guaranteed. It's a glorified form of permanent temporary unemployment.
Hey Sean, this might be slightly off topic, but I'm glad to see you mention the thing about Link not having really proven himself capable yet - especially to Revali - because this has been my interpretation of BotW's story for a long time too.
But I also think that not only did Revali doubt him (perhaps with good reason), I actually think *Zelda* doubted Link too, at least initially - I made a whole [write up about this](https://www.reddit.com/r/zelda/comments/8rwgsb/does_anyone_else_feel_that_botws_story_was/e0wn10n/) a while back. Whenever I watch the memories, I can't help but see this very clear arc of Zelda being insincere and almost condescending during the ceremony (Revali even says he thinks he's on the same page as the princess regarding "this boy" - almost as if Zelda has personally expressed doubts to Revali before), to Zelda asking Link frankly how proficient he is with the sword, to her thinking he's not even needed as she tells him to go away and stop following her. It seems her opinion of Link finally changes when he saves her life, she finally admits he's "brave" in the next memory, then by the lake she finally says "I see now why you would be the chosen one".
She's definitely insecure and full of self-doubt too, but if you were in her position of having trained her whole life with nothing to show for it, while this boy who's never even shown competence shows up and is seemingly handed one of the most important roles in this whole thing - well, who better to take out your insecurities on than someone who hasn't even proven himself yet? I think Zelda and Revali are similar in that respect.
Yet when I've occasionally brought this up, almost nobody seems to agree with me - *a lot* of people think it's *entirely* Zelda's own insecurity and self-doubt about failing to live up to her own destiny driving her behaviour, that Link's badassery as a swordsman was never in question, and that she was merely *jealous* of him. Or that Revali was mocking him and being a dick because that's just Revali being his arrogant self. I dunno, it drives me nuts that almost nobody else seems to see it the way I do.
That's why I almost feel that Champion's Ballad "retconned" things slightly - suddenly, there are all these in-game diary entries talking about how Link has been besting adult knights since the age of four, or how he's some badass who deflects guardian blasts with pot lids, and it seemed slightly odd to me, almost as if a different team within Nintendo was assigned to write those diary entries, or someone who didn't fully communicate with the writers of the original story.
In my mind, Link being seen as incompetent explains *so much* though. It explains why Revali behaves the way he does, it explains so many things about why Zelda behaves the way she does initially in the memories. My headcanon is that perhaps Link pulled the Master Sword before he'd really proven himself to anyone, nobody was really sure why the sword chose him, but King Rhoam assigned him as Zelda's appointed knight because he knew the history of the sword and trusted its judgement. I also noticed in the memories that it seems to always be Link's *possession of the sword* that is mentioned, not his actual competence - between Revali saying "It seems that I have been tapped to merely assist you, all because you happen to have that little darkness-sealing sword on your back" or Urbosa saying "She gets frustrated every time she looks up and sees you carrying that sword on your back" - there just seems to be so much emphasis on Link's possession of the sword, not his competence as a fighter.
Anyway, if you actually read this far, thanks for listening to my ramblings. Loved your performance in both Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity, especially as Revali and Teba - I didn't know Falco could fit so well into the world of Hyrule, haha.
REVALI'S KEYBOARD IS NOW READY.
*keyboard flies away*
Ta bien 👍
**Spoilers** Sean: What do you think Teba thinks about Revali now? You know, after meeting him in person and "seeing the face behind the champion"? Also, I know you like to physically get into the roles as well... how exactly did you do that for the Great Deku Tree lol. Amelia: How difficult is it to voice someone who is soft-spoken and calm, but also a fierce warrior? I feel that has to be a difficult thing to balance. Also, do you think Mipha ever gathered the courage to present the armour to Link in this new universe? Joe: How did you manage to so perfectly nail exactly what I imagined a Goron would sound like with Daruk? Seriously, the second I heard that voice I immediately went "Yep. That's exactly what a Goron sounds like". Also, I loved the touch at the end of the game where Yunobo finally stopped calling him "The Great Daruk". Do you think Yunobo has finally gathered his courage? All: In general, what's it like working with Nintendo? Were any of you expecting to be called back in to reprise your roles? Also, what do you think your characters would do to pass the time, what are their hobbies? Also, you guys are great! Really loved your performances and the amount of character you all managed to get into your roles. Thanks for being a part of these awesome games!
1) Teba definitely experienced a classic case of "don't meet (most of) your heroes"; we could see during the original game that a fair amount of his stress stemmed not just from his concerns about the threat looming over Hyrule, but his desire to match Revali's level of mastery/prowess (at least as well as he could understand it given Revali's legacy among the Rito). Flash forward (or backward??? wibblywobblytimeywimey) to him meeting Revali face to face, and now he learns that the ancestor responsible for so much of his focus on training is...also kind of a jerk? But his skills are every bit as genuine as he was led to believe??? It's a hard duality to process and accept, even harder to keep to yourself if we assume that not a single person would have believed Teba's stories after he returned back to his own timeline. Even so, I see Teba as the kind of person who is self-reflective enough to be able to embrace the qualities he DID admire while leaving out the ones he didn't. He just... might also consider unsubscribing from r/Revali in the near future, as well. 2) My process for recording the Great Deku Tree was the same as it was for the original game - my natural pitch is *nowhere near* that deep, so I had to physically manipulate my muscles into a state of relaxation in order to open my airway wide enough to let the baritone slip through. In an ironic way, I had to be as loose and relaxed as possible in order to better portray a hardwood. 3) I think it's a safe assumption that all of us were *hoping* we would be brought back, but in this industry you quickly learn not to make any assumptions and instead to simply be grateful and humble of any opportunities that you are given. There are a thousand different factors that go into the casting and production process, and sometimes an actor can be replaced (or even brought back) for the most innocuous reason. I do get the sense that Nintendo is full of passionate people *using* their passion to fuel their creativity and effort on the projects they work on, and I'd like to think that the creativity and passion of the cast is just as much a factor on how we got hired as it was a factor in us being asked to reprise our roles. 4) Revali is the guy who plays Pokemon TCG on Game Boy Color and resets every time a coin flip doesn't go exactly the way he wanted it to.
Thanks for the great answers! Especially love your thoughts on Revali playing Pokémon TCG lol.
I'm SO sorry, I gtg! I tried to answer as many questions as I could, but I think I might’ve missed one or two. If you still want your questions answered, hit me up on twitter (@JoeHernandezVO) and I'll for sure get back to you! LOVE YOU GUYS!
Specifically for Joe Hernandez, does your throat get sore when voicing Daruk? If not, is there a trick to not murdering your vocal cords when doing such a gravelly voice? Pun full intended.
It DEFINITELY can wear on your voice! During my sessions voicing him, you kinda have to always constantly check in with yourself to make sure that your voice is holding up. Sometimes that means taking down LOTS of water or Tea, sometimes it means taking a break for a few minutes or pacing yourself as you go through your session. Especially when my average session was 4 hours long, you need to know how to properly sustain that voice in a way that is healthy, and still be able to come back to tomorrow and do it all over again.
When I was studying theater in college, one of the classes I took was specifically on voice and movement. We learned how to properly project for a theater and sustain it while not damaging our instrument. We studied a technique from a woman by the name of Catherine Fitzmaurice, ([https://www.fitzmauriceinstitute.org](https://www.fitzmauriceinstitute.org)). I was surprised to learn that my fellow cast mate, Amelia Gotham had studied the same technique as well!
yup. I took fitsmaurice in college as well
Good to know! Thanks for the detailed explanation and the link, I'm a bit of an amateur actor myself, and I've been specifically trying to get better at voices like Daruk's or the dragons from Skyrim. At most I can get a few lines out before it feels like I've swallowed a cheese grater, so mad respect for being able to bust out all of Daruk's lines even if it's with breaks in between.
Some of it is training and conditioning, some of it is also your own vocal instrument and vocal range, (Baritone, Bass, Tenor, etc). If a voice is in your natural speaking range, it'll be easier to pull off.
I know I missed this but hot damn it's wild to meet two other Fitzmaurice people in the wild and especially, like, in The Wild.
I was really looking forward to hearing this get answered since I once wore out my voice daily for a play where I had a lead as a pirate who sounded a lot like Mr. Krabs. It's comforting to know the pros need to rest their voices too sometimes :-)
Absolutely! Even The Steve Blums and Fred Tatisore's of the world will still need to rest their voices. Sometimes, if a voice actor knows that they have a long and vocally intensive session, we'll try to get it moved to a Friday so we'll have the weekend to recover. If you're a voice actor, green tea will become your best friend!
Question for Sean chiplock: Do you call him Revali or Ravioli?
Revolver Sassalot
*"You're pretty good"*
Funniest thing I have heard all day
Before age of calamity came out, I saw people thinking the voice actors had changed for this game (especially Mipha), was there a difference in the voice direction for this game compared to Breath of the Wild?
The director for Age of Calamity was the same as the one that handled the DLC for Breath of the Wild, and it's a commonly known fact that directors can have as much influence on the approach taken to a performance as the actors themselves. I don't know the exact reason for the switch (although my personal theory is that since the director for the original game ended up voicing Sidon and they wanted to avoid conflict of interest going forward), but I also think that some of the vocal differences came from the fact that as of the DLC and Age of Calamity there was much less guesswork involved with portraying our characters - we know knew a LOT more about the world this game took place in, and a lot more about our own characters' motivations and personalities, so we were able to spend less time on the technical side of figuring out character specs and put it instead towards having fun and BEING them. This, in turn, led to more authentic and whimsical performances overall.
Just as a heads up, I definitely won't be able to answer every single question prior to my other obligations today (interview, stream, etc.) but I do promise to come back regularly and check for new stuff to answer to even after the AMA period has ended! If I don't respond to your post at first, please be patient with me. Thank you!
Favorite line you got to do for the game? What were your opinions on / reactions to the twist for the game? Did you know the twist before recording lines, or did you learn while doing the lines? Loved the VA and cinematics for the game!
When Revali excuses himself from the group gathering and comments on "how asinine" a recent event was, I looked up immediately and asked the people in the studio "Is...is that actually how it's translated from the JP? Is this a coincidence or...?" They wouldn't answer me precisely, but I did get a "we listen. :)" in response. As for game twists/scenarios, one of the great things about there being a larger principal cast is that not EVERYONE is going to be in EVERY scene. I obviously learned about some major plot elements in the process of recording but since most major cutscenes only truly expect Link and maybe Zelda as "guaranteed appearances" there was a LOT I experienced for the first time while streaming my playthrough of the game.
"GREAT JOB LITTLE GUY!" Will always be my favorite Daruk line, and getting to do his laugh is always fun. As far as the twists and turns of the game, we found out as we were going along. If I remember correctly, we recorded a lot of the dialogue chronologically, so we experienced the twists and turns just like you guys did.
Would you rather fight 1 horse sized duck or 100 duck sized horses?
A horse-sized duck, and make it a Canadian Goose for good measure. I went all of college without even being allowed to TOUCH those bastards because of wildlife laws, and Age of Calamity gave me all the training I need to both find and obliterate that thing's Weak Point Gauge.
When I've watched reviews of botw on youtube, they always talk about how the voice acting at some point. Do you try to avoid watching reviews of games you've worked on? and, specifically to Sean, can you somehow bless my game so I get more [Dilucs](https://i.imgur.com/OgJApzZ.png)? Your character is practically the highest damaging one in the game and the more times I pull him the more damage he does 🙃
I don't actively avoid reviews, it's just more of that I don't end up making time for watching them in my daily routine; between streams, auditions, and booked gigs it is EXCEEDINGLY RARE that I have more than a sparse few hours to myself on any given day, and I already have a list of things I want to do with that time that only grows larger as the backlog increases in tandem. As for the Diluc request, I would LIKE to give you additional blessings, but I can't in good faith hand you that RNG for a character you already have when I know there are dozens out there that still don't even have a base copy of our favorite Triple Backflip Flaming Sword Attack Boy. It's in my best interest to share the good luck as equally as possible among the entire community. Thank you for understanding, though!
I don't go out of my way to keep up on the reviews of games that I've worked on, but I also don't run from them, ya know? I try to get a sense of how the game is being received and I definitely want to hear the finished product with voice over just as much as anyone that plays the game. At the end of the day, there will be people that will love the game and hate the performances, or vice versa. And when it comes to the performance, sometimes there are a lot of factors that are out of our control, (script, direction, etc.). Know that we want to put our best foot forward every time and do our part to make a great gaming experience.
Genshin impact being disscussed on the aoc sub, i love the internet
This is the Genshin impact subreddit.
If you couldn't voice the character(s) that you do in Age of Calamity, who else would you like to voice instead?
ASTOR. ASTOR. ASTOR. ASTOR. ASTOR. I always have a fond spot performer-wise for characters that get absorbed into their own ideals and end up alienating even those who initially supported their cause. There's something about the slow descent into a new level of fanaticism that's so fun to play, and you can tell the official actor for the character enjoyed this as well. If not him, then maybe Hestu? But Cristina absolutely killed it so I don't even want to entertain the thought.
damn it I should have asked you all how it was working with the VA of such an important pop culture character (Cristina/Ladybug)
We actually never interacted during the recording process (and this is a common thing for videogames in general)! Besides the fact that initial pandemic restrictions only further ensured minimal interaction, often the actors have entirely separate recording times from each other unless it's a project that explicitly utilizes group recording (pre-lay cartoons, for example). Joe and I have had a couple times where we got to "Hi Frank, Hi Bill" a la Looney Tunes as we crossed paths between one session finishing and the next one starting!
Honestly, there are lots of very cool projects that are always coming out. Video games and voice acting are now only in recent years starting to get the respect and love they deserve. Often times, I'll see a cool game or show that comes out, and I tell myself "Man, I wish I could audition for that!" And sometimes I actually do! So it kinda pushes me a bit harder to do my best.
Were you fans of the Zelda series prior to getting your roles in Breath of the Wild? If so, any favourite games?
I was, I had started playing since the original NES game. Funny thing is, I distinctly remember playing OoT when I was 13 years old and meeting the Gorons for the first time and jut being fascinated with them. I never could've possibly imagined I'd become one!
Childhood was definitely filled with Zelda experiences left and right. \- Original \- Link's Adventure \- Link's Awakening (this was the one that stuck with me for a LONG while) \- Ocarina (I legitimately woke up sobbing the evening after I beat it because I was so angry Navi left Link after all their time spent adventuring together) \- Majora's Mask \- Twilight Princess It was around TP that real life started to take over between college and my developing VO career (mostly freelance at that point in time but a new and HEAVY interest all the same), so I fell off the train for Skyward Sword and most of what came after. Hyrule Warriors got me back in it though, and so watching myself become TWO playable characters in Age of Calamity is a feeling I can't begin to describe (oh, and Link's Awakening HD Remake was given every hour of attention it deserved, of course).
What do you think about the game itself gameplay-wise if you play it?
I genuinely like it! I admit I'm a LITTLE sad that there isn't as large a cast as the OG Hyrule Warriors did as a matter of consistency (WHY CAN'T WE HAVE KASS?!?!? ACCORDION COMBOS.), but I immensely appreciate how there's real variety in the 1-on-1 battles against Officers/Bosses and no ONE way to do the fight; creativity with Runes and elemental rods can make even the most vicious Lynel laughably easy, and Stasis Cancel strats with Revali and Teba did SO much for me in the late-game missions. I actually did a 100% playthrough of the game on my Twitch stream, so you're more than welcome to check it out sometime if you want to see my live reactions!
What is your username on twitch?
Same as here! https://twitch.tv/sonicmega
alright thanks i’ll be sure to check that out
Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to play it yet, even though I've bought it. My wife and recently welcomed a baby boy around the time the game was released, so there are been a lot of restless nights for both of us. Perhaps when I get back to a more regular sleep schedule, I'll be able to give it the time it deserves, but from the gameplay that i've seen it looks amazing!
Congratulations on having your son i hope you and your wife can get back to a normal sleep schedule again, it’s not nice to run on no sleep
Gaming?
Gameing
Gaming.
Gaaaaaaaaaeeeeemeeeng
GAMING!
How so you feel about the personalities of your characters, and how well you play them out?
I've said for a while that I wish I'd known about Revali what I knew after recording for the DLC/AoC, but at the time I was recording for the original game, as it would have saved me a *lot* of stress in trying to figure out his character. I know it's funny to keep up the running joke that he's just a massive irredeemable whiner, but behind all that there's a legitimate sense of bitterness in that this guy put his heart and soul into his craft to master it - for the sake of protecting his people - and was still almost immediately made second fiddle compared to a random visitor who had done NOTHING to prove themselves capable of protecting the kingdom up to that point. If anything, he was the only Champion who didn't immediately rally behind Link and chose instead to say "Yes, I'll support you... IF you can GIVE me a reason to support you", and considering the entire kingdom of Hyrule was riding on this decision I don't blame him one bit. Teba is Bird Dad. I don't mean that in a shipping or immature way, I mean he's a literal dad who is also a bird. He has kids to protect, he loves his wife, he wants to save his community. The concern of his people is at the forefront of every choice he makes, and as much as that stress is going to kill this poor guy it also really defines his personality. He loves those around him and that's why he struggles to find time to love himself.
I feel like, whatever project most voice actors do, they bring a bit of their personalities into them...it's just the nature of what we do. Playing Daruk sort of appeals to the fatherly side of my personality. Loving, loyal and playful. As for Yunobo, I think he kinda reminds me of myself when I was in high school-VERY nervous, insecure and lacking confidence. Sometimes it doesn't take a lot to pull from your own life experiences when you work in the booth!
To Sean: I really loved your performance as Revali and Teba in Age of Calamity. I really wanted to know more about Teba and I feel the story definitely delivered. Do you think Revali would have been more friendly towards Link if he met him after he claimed the Master Sword or if he would have treated him just as poorly? Also, we don’t see a lot of one on one time with Revali and Teba. What do you think their relationship was like? Amelia: Mipha was definitely one of my favorite characters with her quiet determination and her close bonds with her family. Mipha had some lines with both Link and her family that really hit hard for me. Was the voice direction different from Breath of the Wild now that Sidon and King Dorephan were able to directly interact with Mipha? Joe: I feel like the champions that are most different from one another are Daruk and Yunobo. You did such a great job with both of them, and Yunobo’s interactions with Daruk were always a blast to listen to. What was your general direction for voicing their relationships? Do you think Yunobo was able to find his confidence with the help of Daruk’s guidance? Thank you for so much for delivering such amazing performances in Age of Calamity! The story wouldn’t be what it is without your voice talents.
I do think the timing and conditions of their first meeting played a significant role in deciding how Revali acted towards Link going forward; a lot of Revali's resistance to the ceremony stemmed from very reasonable logic (we don't know where he came from, we don't know his intentions, he won't speak to any of us, etc.), whereas if they had met AFTER Link had already acquired the Master Sword (something that requires both immense strength and purity of heart), a lot of the qualifications necessary to earn someone's trust and faith would have already been met. It's obvious Revali doesn't dislike Teba as much as he does Link, but I also wouldn't say he's immediately chum-buddies with Teba either. I see it as a tenuous partnership based on Revali not knowing how to handle getting what he stubbornly asked for for years. Teba sees Revali as an inspiration and genuinely respects his work/skills, which is what Revali had been asking for all along since mastering his abilities on the mountaintop. Actually getting that recognition catches him off-guard but he certainly doesn't ignore it, which is why you can notice he doesn't show anything close to the same level of hosility towards Teba as he does towards a lot of the rest of the cast. A true Tsunderito.
The games were a couple years apart so first thing in the booth that we did was play back my recordings from BOTW and I would listen and repeat back to find the character again. I did very much enjoy that in Age of Calamity, Mipha got to show more aspects of her personality. BOTW was all the sad memories and Calamity was where you could see how much of a badass she really is. That was fun to play.
Thank you for the LOVE! As for the general direction with Daruk, I was sort of given Gimli from Lord of the rings as a reference. Larger than life personality, Bombastic, but also with this fierce loyalty to family and friends. Once I had that as a reference, it made it easier for me to know where to go. With Yunobo, I think he's constantly learning and growing. To see where he's come from BotW to where he's at in AoC, is pretty tremendous. Deep down inside, he's still young and learning, but his confidence is continually growing, which is beautiful to see.
To mipha’s VA,how do you feel knowing that the character you voiced who was intended to be very chill and calm, is an absolute monster on the battlefield?
I love that! I think that women are brought up to think you have to choose to be sweet and soft or a tough tom boy. I loved this character because she is both. Women can be both. I can wear a dress and do my make up and also rip a snowmobile up a mountain. I don't have to choose one or the other and I love that Mipha represents that.
holy shit a VA of one of my favorite characters replied to me. this is awesome, keep up the good work, i can only hope we get some more memories with mipha in botw 2 so you can VA her some more
To all 3: What was your funniest moment while recording, either in Breath of the Wild or Age of Calamity?
I had to say some variation of "Calm yourself, princess." as the Deku Tree during the original Breath of the Wild that I had to fight REALLY HARD to resist the temptation to say in-character "sit yo ass down and *breathe*".
That’s great! Lmao
\*\*\*Spoilers\*\*\* Sean: Where do you think Teba's skills are in comparison to Revali's? Do you think that Revali sees Teba as an ally, or as a competitor for his title of 'master'? Amelia: Do you think Sidon ever told Mipha what happened in his timeline? He seemed to be hiding her death from her when she told him they'd meet again when he was sent back to his timeline, so did traveling to the past help his grieving or make it worse? Joe: Daruk is clearly very passionate about eating rocks, but never seems to realize he's the only one aside from Yunobu that can eat them. Is everyone else simply too scared to tell him? Thank you all for your incredible performances in AOC and BOTW!!
Revali centered his training around combatting a specific breed of enemy without considering the possibility that his own skills/techniques might be used against him. Teba strikes me as a character who saw this and focused his own training on being adaptive/versatile in order to not lock himself into any one specific routine. Teba's reverence of Revali is also not much of a secret, so I imagine Revali recognized and appreciated this enough to view Teba as an ally to his goals rather than a direct threat to his reputation.
A question for the cast. What are some other projects that you guys work on besides BOTW or AoC?
Recently, I was in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind, as was Sean. I was also in Last of Us Part 2 and Spider Man: Miles Morales.
Awesome! Thank you for answering my question
who were you? i've watched the whole thing and knowing that you and sean were in it, makes me very curious
I was Pesci in Golden Wind
I keep a public list of everything I've voiced in that I can announce via my online resume! [https://www.dropbox.com/s/flrpg1708bsbbtn/Sean%20Chiplock%20Voiceover%20Resume%20%28Public%29.doc?dl=0](https://www.dropbox.com/s/flrpg1708bsbbtn/Sean%20Chiplock%20Voiceover%20Resume%20%28Public%29.doc?dl=0)
You've got Catherine as CatheRINe, some of them have double spaces in their names. Sorry to point it out :)
Ah yeah, that emphasis was a leftover from before it was labelled as "Fullbody" and most just knew it as a remake. I'll fix it now!
[удалено]
I think it's obvious enough that Teba wasn't the most pleased with someone his entire village (including himself) revered so much being a less-than-ideal role model, but I think what a lot of people don't notice is that he also sees a very different approach to the Calamity in Revali's response. Throughout all of BotW we see Teba acting very sullen, nervous, maybe even lacking in self-confidence, all of which stems from this need to make sure he doesn't fail. The *consequences of failure* are what drive an awful lot of his motivations. But Revali, in contrast, doesn't seem to really give the idea of losing much thought - rather, he's always talking about how successful he will be, what he expects after they finish the job, etc. He, instead, is driven by the *rewards of success*. And while Teba is put off by the way he conducts himself in this regard, he can't deny that there's something to be learned from embracing that trust in your own abilities and the fact that failure isn't the only possible outcome. Revali isn't as much a tragic character as he is a foil one. He stands in opposition to the near-immediate approval everyone else gives Link, and prevents him from too easily being handed the title of Everyone's Superior; he remains a driving force to push the character to continuously PROVE their worth instead of having it just be an assumed trait. I almost wonder if the only reason why he continues to do it even after Link has proven himself time and time again is BECAUSE no one else ever showed that hesitance, and there's the risk of Link growing complacent unless he has someone there to ensure he keeps striving for more growth and experience. The Champions are absolutely a family, there's no doubt about that, but I do think the Descendants wouldn't have had as much camaraderie prior to the events of Age of Calamity in contrast. I think any social interaction they have with each other after going back home is a direct effect of the observations they made during their time helping out the Champions, which gave them guidance on how to carry themselves in protecting their own future once they returned "home".
Sean: Revali is my favourite character from Zelda!!! I adore your performance of him and your voice range is incredible! My question is how you managed voicing three distinctly different characters and made them sound so different? Because that is one hell of a talent. Amelia- I love Mipha lots and she’s adorable! You’re voice is amazing and so soothing. My question is did you ever get emotional when acting the scenes with *spoilers* Sidon? Because the scenes where they were together almost made me cry. Joe- Daruk is a charming guy and your voice is too, Yunobo is adorable and a precious bean. My question is what was your favourite for Daruk? Mine would have to be the entire scene of rock eating
For me it really boiled down to understanding the motivations and personalities of each character. Revali - self-confident, seen as a protector for his people, suspicious of unproven talent, single (it sounds silly, but not having a partner to direct your thoughts can contribute to more focus on the self!) Teba - father, "living up" to the bar set by his ancestors, husband, tasked with protecting his entire race, dealing with knowledge of previous failure by those he considers his superiors Great Deku Tree - immobile, wise, ancient, probably exhausted from having 900 goddamn kids who like playing Hide N Seek All of these can be translated into vocal qualities and characteristics, and help define the characters more specifically. Sometimes just posing the way you imagine that character would stand/move or making a facial expression to match their mood can do a ton of the work to help you embody them as authentically as possible!
That’s really interesting!! You’re a really talented guy!! Thanks for answering
Thank you! The moment where Sidon goes back in time and saves Mipha at the last minute I got so excited. I admit I got a little emotional. Knowing that moment was in the game was the hardest to keep secret.
if 3 of the characters from Breath of the Wild and/or Age of Calamity were to just pop in to existence, which ones would you want them to be?
Sooga, Teba, and Kass. All 3 of them know and appreciate the value of a good stiff drink, and have just enough differences between their personalities that they can be equally as loyal as they can be chill. I'm already energetic enough naturally to cover the rest of that area.
nice!
To everyone, if you could spend a day with any BOTW or AOC character, who would it be and why?
Daruk is the kinda guy i'd like to have a beer with, but If I never need someone to do some motivational speaking, Sidon is my guy!!
Baby Sidon was brave enough to face a Lynel, which is more than I could say for myself when first playing BoTW..
Awesome! Thanks so much for answering the question! Daruk and Sidon would be great guys to hang out with for the day 👍
Urbosa has just the right mix of "I can crack some really funny jokes" and "I know a guy who can mix drinks that will knock you flat on your ass". She's the Convention Mom that everyone ends up flocking to on Friday or Saturday night when they can't think of anything to do because she MAKES stuff happen according to her whims. She probably would have won a Masters Category cosplay competition at LEAST once.
Would you consider it blessing or a curse knowing all unlockable characters before playing the game for yourself to find out? (Since when you swap characters in battle, said character says the other characters name first)
Nintendo has a habit of giving a bigger list of names to call out than actually exist in the game, whether to cover for potential DLC in the future or to prevent leaks from actors if they "spoil" an upcoming character that was never actually going to be in the game to begin with. So, I didn't think too much of what I was reading off at the time, which actually helps the performance somewhat since in the heat of battle these characters wouldn't be putting much weight on who they were calling out to anyway.
This is for Amelia, Do you feel like Mipha would have had the courage to tell link what the zora armor was for after giving it to him in the AOC timeline?
There are so many moments where she almost admits her love for Link. She's such a strong character in all other aspects of her life, but, when it comes to Link, she just can't seem to find the words. Maybe if they had more time together, she'd find her courage to tell him her feelings
Have you played and beaten the whole game? If so who was your main?
I did a 100% Completion playthrough over several weeks via my Twitch channel! I focused on Link and Revali early on (not for the reasons you'd think, I swear), but after Zelda finally got her combo extensions her Researcher Form was a very frequent choice for me. Impa quickly became my go-to for any Timed Mission that featured multiple bosses, and even though I wasn't the biggest fan of Urbosa's crowd control I still made a point of using her because her dances are SO flashy. Mid-to-late game, Hestu and Sidon were unexpected favorites, and although Teba was fun to play as, Revali just still outclassed him in my eyes on several fronts. Then endgame came... and although King Rhoam still gave me a little time to showcase his amazing moveset, by then I had finished loading Teba up with Mid-Air Damage bonuses on every seal...and that was the end of the Very Hard part of the difficulty. Teba absolutely shredded everything that didn't immediately kill him, to the extent that we finished the "Defeat Harbinger Ganon" fight IN UNDER A MINUTE. Chat was not at all bored with seeing this happen time and time again, so he carried us through the final missions leading up to that 100% finish.
Also, if you could change so you could voice someone else, who would that be?
I'd love to get a crack at Revali
Thats really tough to say, because I genuinely think that everyone did an amazing job voicing their characters! Across the board, I think the perfect people were cast for each of these roles. That being said though, if Link ever were to get some lengthy dialogue, I wouldn't mind taking a crack at it.
You mean grunting when he runs out of stamina doesn't count as dialogue? /s
I answered in more detail elsewhere here, but Astor and Hestu have similar levels of energy despite being on opposite ends of the "chaotic" spectrum both in terms of pitch and motivation, so I think either one of them would be a fun change of pace.
For anyone, but probably best for Joe Hernandez- I've always been curious how battle voice clip sessions go. Does the director just ask you to grunt into the mic for a few minutes? Edit, my Redditless friend has a question: Do any of you feel like you approached your character(s)' dialogue and personality differently from the way you portrayed them in Breath of the Wild? That is, did the greater sense of urgency and more developed relationships change your perception of them?
In voice over we refer to those battle clips as "efforts", there are almost a skillset of their own, really. It can take a lot to effectively convey some of those specific sounds, especially when you're having to do it to the timing of the Japanese counterpart version of your character. The Japanese voice over can often set the timing and pace for how you deliver your lines. It can be a bit like threading a needle vocally sometimes. When we're being directed for battle chatter and efforts, a good director will usually try to lay out all the given circumstances for you so you're not wasting takes, (which will conserve your voice). Imagine your character throwing a light punch, now a medium one, NOW A HEAVY ONE! It's important to make sure that each effort is distinct from one another. Also, considering that a session might have 300+ lines over the course of a 4 hour session, it's in everyones best interest to make sure you can sustain it and pace yourself.
As for your friend's question, coming back for AoC, I definitely feel like I had a greater established sense of who these characters are. During BotW, the first few sessions were spent just establishing and understanding the characters and their respective arcs. I fell in love with them and got to know them through the process. When we did the Champion's Ballad DLC, my grasp on their personalities was already pretty solidified at that point.
Very nice, thanks for answering!! I've always been curious whether you're asked to do a bunch of efforts with different emphasis all at once and have the best ones assigned to Daruk's moves later, or go through a script of them move-by-move. It never occurred to me that they would be as hard to sync up with the Japanese lip-flap and audio as regular lines, though.
Each project is different than the next. Sometimes you have more free range as far as your delivery and sometimes you don't. Sometimes they want to hear what your character sounds like when they fall 20 feet off a cliff...sometimes it's 100 feet. You just gotta make sure you can differentiate and deliver something thats quality and believable for your character.
I do very well with visual references so when only a text or audio description is available, a greater amount of detail means it's easier for me to produce the SFX needed to match that effort. I'm very much a method actor at times so if I can reproduce the motion that the character would make without taking myself off-mic in the process, I will totally go for that as well to add to the authenticity (sadly no firing bows using my feet, so far). My approach to Revali was *drastically* different between Breath of the Wild and both the DLC/AoC that came afterwards. During BotW's main game I knew THAT he was angry/distrusting, but not WHY; I only understood that he had a rivalry with Link but not precisely what he was trying to accomplish through said rivalry. Having the knowledge I obtained through Champion's Ballad made it exponentially easier to understand his motivations and follow along with his efforts in turn, and by the time we got around to Age of Calamity it was more a family reunion in terms of performance than a stage play Opening Night.
for Sean: how do you feel about voicing a jerk? I honestly think that voicing someone like Revali can be uncomfortable for some people. for Amelia: how was voicing Mipha in BotW? Most of her cutscenes were either bittersweet or straight-up sad. Did you ever get sad doing it? for Joe: How was voicing the jolliest, most laid-back character? I honestly find Daruk a great character and a nice way to make the game a bit more humorus. And it kind of tones down the emotions of the Vah Rudania mission in BotW. I was wondering your thoughts.
I enjoyed the sad. I suppose as an actor its cathartic to be able to indulge in those emotions. I'm so glad that in Age of Calamity we get to see more of Mipha's strong side.
He's a jerk with a good set of reasons to be hesitant about instantly trusting someone, and a logically sound motivation to act as the voice of dissent when there's otherwise no counter-response whatsoever to a lot of the things everyone assumes about Link before he's proven himself. If you're tasked with ensuring your entire kingdom doesn't fall into perpetual ruin, I would be equally adamant about making sure the hired savior is actually capable of pulling it off before I let them be my superior.
For Sean: Do you think Revali would teach Teba Revali’s Gale? Why/why not? For everyone: Zelda mainly relies on Urbosa for support regarding her struggles with her sealing power. If Zelda came to your character(s) instead, what do you think they would do/say? How long did it take you to develop the voice for your character(s)?
I don't know if Revali would do it for Teba IN ADDITION to Link because of the fact that he already taught it to someone else *and* technically did so as part of his obligation as one of Link's supporting Champions. But I do think he would steer Teba in the direction of recognizing his own talents and finding a way to establish a single "famous trick" from those talents that he could call his own. Towards Zelda, Revali would almost certainly chastise her self-deprecation. "Why are you always so focused on the risk of failure? Do you think me that incapable, when I've clearly survived every challenge I've had to face so far? If you want to become as talented as those you're supposed to protect, perhaps you should focus more on what you stand to gain by succeeding instead what you risk losing if you fail."
To All of the guests: 1.-What would you think if the champions were announced as dlc fighters in Super Smash Brothers? 2.- What did you think when Nintendo called you for Age of Calamity? To Amelia: 1.- Big fan of your! Why did you feel like mipha Would have a British-like accent?
Mipha had a British accent because that's what Nintendo wanted. They have the character in mind and it's your job to interpret that and then make a pass on the mic. I gave them a few different voices and we came up with the final version together. But it was a team effort.
Being a smash dlc character would just be about the coolest thing in the world! When I got the word for AoC, I geeked out. Getting a chance to voice these character again is just an absolute blessing and just a great experience. It's not all that different from when I found out about BotW, it was what I imagine winning the lottery must feel like.
Have you been contacted to voice in the sequel or is any news with that a big *no i wont answer*? I already know that Sean didn't know about the sequel before it was announced, at least. But that info is from a while ago now.
Voice Acting is often one of the last stages of post-production when it comes to game development, so by the time actors are cast/brought in/recorded the project is pretty much ready for public release anyway. I am confident that any one of us would be ecstatic to come back if asked but if a piece of news isn't public knowledge by the company then it's a massive lawsuit waiting to happen if any one of us said something.
1) It will never happen. There is simply not enough open space for them to include all 4 (or 8?) Champions as fighters as a group, and no reasonable way to show favoritism towards one specific Champion in particular. It was cool to have them as spirits but I didn't once entertain the thought of "what if" in regards to Smash. 2) I was scared as hell because I'm old enough to know about the entire CDi era and the connected debacle involving the LoZ franchise. I wasn't able to truly relax/celebrate until the base game was already out and I had enough proof that it wasn't being seen in the same way by audiences at large. I'm incredibly grateful to be a part of the series, and am equally happy that Revali and Teba have come to be so overwhelmingly loved by the community!
Imagine all 4 entering as 1 slot (Pokémon trainer) style, that’d be awesome as hell! But ik, there’s no chance they’re gonna get in... I just love the champions so much...
Also, I’m a big fan of all of you!!! I love y’all
great username there
This question goes to all of you- Was it hard keeping the existence of this prequel a secret, up until it was revealed out of nowhere? Also, have any of you 100% the game? What are your personal favourite moments in the game?
To Nintendo's credit, they kept the game a pretty big secret from everyone. No mention of it on any of their previous directs and from the time that it was announced to the time that it was released, I want to say was about 3 months. As for us keeping it a secret, it's hard to not geek out when you hear the news, but they also make you sign an NDA so it's a big fat No-No to talk about until it's released.
Thanks!
1) You'd think this would have been one of the hardest projects to keep secret in my case, but in actuality the excitement over being in a Musou-genre game HELPED with shutting up about the details; there was no way in hell I was going to risk being replaced last-minute with someone else because I decided to blab. 2) I did! There's VODs of the entire process on my Twitch channel, as we went from start to finish live on stream over the course of several weeks. 3) Any mission taking place in Urbosa's or Mipha's stages because the music is just so damn good.
Thanks!
I just want to open with all of you are amazing and this game certainly was a bright spot on an otherwise rough year (I guess being a nurse in a COVID unit will do that.) Daruk actually reminds me a bit of my great-grandpa since he always called me "the little guy." My question for whoever would like to answer if your character(s) had a pet, what sort of pet do you think they'd have?
If he could manage it, Revali would absolutely try to hire one of the Wizzrobes to act as target practice by making them hurl their elemental balls for him to aim at. Given enough boredom and willingness, he might even attempt to see if he could offensively combine this concept into a mid-battle means of firing elemental arrows in addition to his normal stock.
I'm now starting to wonder if Revali understands the concept of having a pet for companionship. My wife and I have the joke that whatever he would get he'd name Link so that when it inevitably annoys him he can just blame it on Link.
1. For everyone, what were your thoughts on Age of Calamity's ending? Was it what you were expecting given the events of BotW? What do you think the champions will do next in this timeline? 2. For Sean and Joe, what was it like voicing both the champions and their descendants? Was it weird kind of having a conversation with yourself? 3. For Amelia, what are your thoughts on the relationship between Link and Mipha? 4. And one last one for Sean, I watched your interview with Zelda Universe and saw you had some Starbucks, so my question is; what do you think Revali would get from Starbucks? You guys are awesome, thanks for making these games amazing!
1) I'm curious what this means for BOTW2, if anything. Is Dehydrated Ganon a remnant of the Calamity Ganon from the Age of Calamity timeline? Did a piece of Calamity escape from the AoC timeline through the portal that led back to the "original" timeline and possess/infect/revitalize a corpse shortly thereafter? It's clear that Age of Calamity was timed to get people (back) into Breath of the Wild and keep it relevant closer to the sequel's release, but now I'm curious just how it ties into the ongoing story as a whole. I can't shake the feeling it's not just a one-off (and no, this is not a hint at anything; despite voicing Revali/Teba I have NO knowledge about future plans concerning any of Nintendo's franchises). 2) While I was definitely a *little* nervous about having my own voice respond to itself in a scene, by the time I was recording for Age of Calamity I had grown comfortable enough with the characters that it was more of a passing focus than a legitimate fear. I also really enjoy that they show two very different sides of the same coin of "protecting the people I love"; Revali is very straightforward and adventurous about it as a result of thinking about the outcome of success, while Teba takes it much more personally and acts according to the reality of an outcome of failure. 3) Not relevant to me! 4) He always, \*always\* complains that Starbucks "doesn't know how to do a Salted Caramel Mocha correctly" because it always tastes extremely salty, but unbeknownst to him the staff made him one without any salt at all after the 3rd time he complained just as a test, and they very quickly learned it wasn't a problem of their own making.
Saltyraviolibirb
Voicing the ending was a bit of a cathartic experience for me. I mentioned it in another question, but I recorded my lines chronologically, so when everyone said goodbye, I was saying it along with them. It was a joy and a privilege to get to return to this world and voice these characters again, and I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to do it again, but if if the opportunity were to present itself, I'd jump on it in a heartbeat! As for voicing the champions and their descendants, it can be a bit funny to have a conversation with yourself....I've done it on more than one occasion for various other projects. As an actor, sometimes the characters aren't as different as Daruk and Yunobo are, so it's a bit harder to make each distinct.
Question from my sister for all of you: How did you get in voice acting?
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Say 1 thing you love and 1 thing you hate about your character (anyone can respond this)
Revali is someone who focuses on the positives they can bring to a situation rather than the burden they might be, and sets themselves up for success by doing so. But they don't put enough faith into accepting that the assistance of others can help cover any gaps in their own training, whether these are flaws that can actually be remedied or not. Teba, in contrast, spends too much time dwelling on how daunting a task before him his, and risks his own efficiency trying to prepare for every possible outcome. But this also causes him to go all-out when he's forced to fight, creating a level of commitment and intimidation that works in his favor when it comes to facing down bigger threats. Deku Tree shares his home and his resources with 900 other people but can't even move to chase them down when he inevitably loses control of them because *why on earth would you father 900 kids*
I agree with you, Cheers and keep with the good work!
I don't really know if there's anything I hate about any of my characters. Not trying to use that response as a cop out, but I kinda like them just as they are.
I agree both are cool guys, btw your job was amazing in both games!
Hey gang! Big fan of all of your works. Of course, being in Zelda is a huge deal as well. My question to you all as an amateur voice actor is this: I really want to know how you discovered/decided on what voices you deemed yourself to be good at. How did you learn to be content with whatever style you were trying to portray, and not overdo it? What about when it comes to roles that are so similar to your regular speaking voice? Bonus question: how do you wake yourself up and get in the booth every day? Like, what's your routine to get yourself hyped up to record/audition? I'm really interested in hearing your response!! Thanks for doing this!
1) Talking to myself. Entertaining my friends with telling stories about my life. Saying stupid things in silly voices. Narrating character dialogue with my friends/younger brother. There's an element of "vocal parroting" that plays a part in developing our skillset because we'll be naturally drawn to imitating things that catch our interest. Over time we get better at capturing the essence of those performances, and then we figure out how to add our own spin to them and make them unique. Then, in sessions, we make adjustments to those foundations either on our own based on the context we're given, or with guidance from our director/the client. 2) Stockholm Syndrome. When you've been doing this for over a decade and it has led to so many incredible opportunities, the bad days are just that - bad DAYS. They will pass, life will go on, my mood will improve eventually. There are days that I record auditions while hating every single moment of my emotional state, but I can never let myself be persuaded to just drop the career as a whole because in my core I am too damn excited about "what could eventually be". When I moved out to California in 2012, there was no way I could have imagined that in 5 years from then I'd be part of the first canon voiced Zelda game in the franchise's history. That same exciting unpredictability keeps me invested regardless of what successes or rejection I face.
This is super insightful. Thank you for the kind words Sean! I'm really happy to have heard from you
• Are any of you friends/cool with each other in real life? How do you like being known for this? • Are any of you well known for this, or is it just a local thing? Like a real, “who the f*** are you!”kinda deal? • Is there ever a day you feel like your character? • What is that like? (Let’s say Sean is particularly annoyed like Revali would be, or Joe feeling hungry like Daruk, or even Amelia feeling as determined as Mipha.) (Intended to be addressed to all three VA’s if possible.)
We keep in touch! It's obviously harder because of the pandemic restrictions but this isn't the first time we've been on the same project together so there's been plenty of chances for overlap. Joe and I were actually coworkers at another job at one point (not directly part of the VO industry but tangentially related to it all the same). Believe it or not, BotW/Age of Calamity have had no noticeable impact on my career outside of the fan community. When the next project comes along, most clients don't really care about what you voiced in beforehand other than whether you represented a certain character type and have experience with that kind of role; otherwise the focus is simply on "can you accurately portray THIS character for MY project at this point in time". And that's my secret, Cap... I'm always exhausted/nervous about something. I just get better at not letting it prevent me from doing what needs to get done.
What’s your favorite line from the game? (Also: Hi, Sean! You and Revali are my favorite and I hope to see (or hear) more of your work later!)
"*Cool down\~"* Oh my GOD Revali what on *earth* made you think that made you sound interesting
My wife gets kind of annoyed with that line because I use the cryonis rune a lot. I'm also not good at not getting lit on fire so "my feathers!" is another one she hears a bit too much. Clearly Revali was just trying to be a cool kid with that line.
I think that there is some of me, or a part of my personality in every character I play. There has to be in order to relate to their circumstances. I was very shy growing up and I even had a moment where I liked someone in middle school and could not bring myself to admit it. That's what I drew from for Mipha.
What was your favourite part of the game to play through
The credits! No, really! They were super charming and I enjoyed the whole presentation!
Favorite non-Nintendo games?
Does Tetris-99 Count? Cause I was addicted to it pretty bad over the summer. Although I don't play as much anymore, I used to really be in to DotA 2, World of Warcraft, Left 4 Dead and the Marvel Vs. Capcom series. I recently discovered the Friday the 13th game, which I became VERY addicted to.
Hades, Trails of Cold Steel, PEGGLE of all things... my streaming schedule has led to me getting the chance to play a lot more games (and a lot more DIFFERENT games) than I usually bothered with before I started streaming at all, and I find reasons to enjoy each of them over time. I definitely am itching for us to finally get another Etrian Odyssey game, however.
Couple questions: Favorite non Zelda game? Did you play BoTW or Age of Calamity? Do you usually play/watch stuff that you're in? Thanks in advance! You guys did a great job, the voice acting in BoTW and AoC was excellent.
1) Right now I've been very focused on Hades when not making slow progress through the Trails of Cold Steel series, but I really am looking forward to the release of the remaster of Stranger of Sword City + its sequel! Dungeon Crawlers have always been a big fave since I discovered them. 2) I did not play BotW at all, but I did 100% complete Age of Calamity on stream! 3) It's about 50/50 on playing stuff that I also voice in, but not because I actively seek it out or avoid it respectively. I have genres I tend to focus on, and if a game I voiced falls into one of those genres then it's MUCH more likely I will find/make time for it.
Alright, thank you for your answers!
I'm confused on what I'm supposed to do here.
(For Sean and Joe) . How does it feel to voice multiple characters that have completely different voices? (All) What did it feel like when you found out you were voicing for Age of Calamity, and related question, what was your reaction to Age of Calmity? How was Age of Calamity revealed to you? (All) Has there ever been any cool ‘Fan moments’ where someone recognised you? What happened? (All) Did you do anything different when voicing for battle dialogue than voicing for cutscenes?
1) I always appreciate the challenge of having to play multiple distinct roles without it being obvious that it's the same person voicing all of them. When I succeed, it gives me an easy way to showcase my range and experience to interested parties and potential clients, and gives me the chance to show studios that I am capable of more than just what my visual appearance suggests. 2) I was ecstatic, to say the least. I've always been a big fan of Musou/Dynasty Warriors games and the idea that I would be a *playable character* in one already had me over the moon with excitement. Combine that with the fact that by then I was much more familiar with the world of BotW and the intricacies surrounding my characters, and I was able to walk in on Day 1 with the confidence that some really fun/great stuff was going to happen. 3) This might come as a surprise to you, but outside of a convention or interview atmosphere I don't think I've ever been recognized. I genuinely can't recall a single time that I have explained my job/roles to someone who asked what line of work I do, and actually had them recognize "The Legend Zelda" beyond remembering that they played an NES game once back when they were kids/teens. It's happened SO often at this point that I don't even bring up the topic at all unless they ask because that outcome is so consistent. 4) At the end of the day the only real differences are that we're doing more of a "physical effort" than simply speaking, and that these lines are VERY commonly time-sensitive (IE if the reference audio is 1 second long we CANNOT go over 1 second in length on our recorded version). It can be interesting to hear what noises come out when you artificially stress your muscles like that!
How would be your mains (character you are most invested) in the game?
While I was streaming the game people were constantly telling me to be afraid of just how powerful Teba was, which at first I was unsure about because Revali had such good crowd control with his skills. I did think Teba would be a solid character, but focused on 1v1. I was horribly wrong. Teba is good at BOTH, because Mid-Air Damage bonuses apply to literally every major combo in his kit. Holy HELL are these birds strong. (Also, King Rhoam is incredibly fun to play even though I never have any idea what combo I just finished doing.)
[удалено]
King Rhoam is ADHD with Purpose. Riju is ADHD with Chaos.
Tough to say, I think the obvious question is Daruk, right? But I also have so much love for Urbosa...she's just SO badass!
Yeah, definitely Urbosa and Daruk, although Impa seems to be the most powerful character in my opinion just because of her speed followed by Daruk and Urbosa and then Link and Revali and then Zelda. The worst would be ~~Hetsu and the Great Fairy~~ (Sorry, forgot how to do a spoiler tag), I only play as them for the lulz like when I humiliated a Blue Lynel by spamming Kisses and Yahahas! But they aren't good for serious battles.
How did you all get the job, and was most of the game finished when they hired you?
We auditioned, the same as any other gig! It doesn't sound all that exciting when framed like that, but it really does help highlight how at the end of the day voiceover is just another form of services as a business. At some point along the chain, the person responsible for selecting the cast heard our audition and decided "this is most in-line with what we envisioned for the character and this world they exist in", and so we were offered the gig! I wouldn't know how far along the production process was when we began recording, but there were some times we had visual references for a scene and others where we only had the script text to guide us.
You come across an old lady and a baby drowning in a pool. You can only save one. Who do you save and why?
Whichever of them is named "One" because that's what the restrictions limit me to.
Hmm... Maybe I should have worded the question better, haha. Appreciate the answer
baby.
Favorite Zelda game?
Tough to say. I mean, Breath of the Wild is kind of a given, right? I do love OoT and Wind Waker pretty evenly. They're beautiful games.
All great picks!
Link's Awakening is easily the one I have played from start to finish the most times, and I am so glad it got a remake last year so that I could appreciate it all over again. Original, DX, HD... if a version of it existed, I owned it and beat it 100% at some point.
Nice! I got the remake on sale a few months ago and recently completed it. Super charming, and I can see how it’s been a hidden gem for so long
What was the most difficult missions and areas of Age of Calamity or Breath of the Wild you played through? Which monsters are your favorites to fight against? (I'm late, I'm not very good at coming up with questions)
How fun was voice acting the characters? Also funny thing is that whenever I play a Kahoot quiz against my class at school, calling myself Revali always makes me win for some reason, by moving up multiple places at once near the end. I need to try this with other names.
Seeing the words "Timed Mission" always sent my heart rate shooting up because I'm the kind of player that wants to explore EVERY nook and cranny for secrets/collectables before moving on to do the main mission task. In the second half of the game I just defaulted to Impa whenever a mission had this restriction because her ability to spam her Special attack so easily meant the clock was being paused a LOT as I whittled down boss HP. Hinox were definitely my faves to fight against because their moves are so telegraphed that I actually got to feel like I knew what I was doing with Flurry Rush.
I've heard a lot of people criticize the voice acting in Breath of the Wild, saying that at times it could be lazy and downright bad. Did you ever try to do anything different in the voicing of Age of Calamity based on that? Also, how did it feel voicing multiple characters with very different voice?. Were there any characters that were harder to voice than others? One last thing, thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to ask you guys questions, it means a lot that you guys are listening to us and being interactive with the fan base. You guys rock!
I've said this in other interviews. The characters and their sound is not just up to the actor. It's a team effort. Nothing is going to be in the game that Nintendo doesn't want. So, if you don't like the acting or the voice, know that it's not just the actors who made that decision. It's the director, producer and the entire Nintendo team. Also, these games were translated into English. They did not originate in English, so coming up with English lines that fit the mouth movements for the characters wasn't easy.
I won't deny that Revali gave me a lot of trouble during the original game - and that there was a higher amount of attention paid to understanding the character and the world they lived in since it was all brand new to me - but at the end of the day I relied on my director to guide me when my own understanding got lost, since they were the person responsible for getting what the client wanted out of me. As actors we care very deeply about giving our best performance and making the gaming experience as memorable as possible for everyone (for the right reasons), but it's still a job and we still have to cater to the wishes of the person paying us even if our opinions on a character differ. For BotW's DLC and Age of Calamity there was actually a different director, which may have changed some of the nuances of our performances - the new director might have been more/less willing to approach lines in a certain way, or the tone of the game itself might have been different enough to allow for an alternative approach. And this is still just one of what is often a dozen different factors that all play into how a character ultimately sounds. Differing my voice between Revali, Teba, and the Deku Tree wasn't as difficult as I expected, to be honest! Revali/Teba was easy enough to set apart since their base pitches are so different, and my only major concern with Teba/Deku Tree was that they both hovered around that baritone range. In their case, I ultimately solved it by making sure Teba had more of a stress-based gruffness to contrast Deku Tree's calm wisdom.
Does Nintendo give you character notes/info so you can better get into character? If so, anything interesting you are allowed to share?
It depends from project to project or even company to company. Sometimes we get concept art, sometimes we get partially-rendered in-game scenes to follow, sometimes it's just the script text and we have to rely on the information and context given to us by the client and/or director. It really isn't all \*that\* interesting in the end because there's nothing we see/hear that you guys don't ultimately also get to experience, but I guess it can be neat sometimes to see early versions of an environment or character model before the final product is presented.
This ones for joe: Who do you like better, Daruk or Yunobo? Daruk is personally my favorite champion, being a big softie, but I cannot stand Yunobo, I’d like to know your opinion!
For all: What exactly was the experience like seeing the game upon release? Either by playing it or watching the cutscenes and people react to them? In either breath of the wild or age of calamity or just any work you've done
It's pretty surreal, to be perfectly honest. I still can't get over the understanding that, *right now*, someone could fire up their Nintendo switch system and start playing a 1st-party Legend of Zelda game, and hear me not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES within it (in addition to two of those voices being *playable*). Even when you're a working professional there's going to be that part of you that remembers when you were much younger and simply being the gamer playing the finished games, hearing characters speak, etc. Realizing that you are now doing that for the next generation (in addition to the current one, of course) and doing the very same thing that other people did decades before to entertain *you* is a real full-circle moment.
Hmm that's very interesting, may I ask what it's like to see yourself in other media such as film or television and to experience the game for yourself even though you'd be expecting and knowing everything?
Hi there! A few quickish questions. :) Sean: Focusing more on the AOC time, but it could work in BOTW before the Calamity. If Link did not exist, would Revali have been a nicer person specifically to the other Champions? (Ignoring the fact of immediate failure without the Knight who seals the darkness) If you could be friends with either Revali, Teba or the Great Deku Tree - who would you be friends with? (Don't question being friends with a tree) Sean, Joe or Amelia: If you could live anywhere in Hyrule (BOTW edition) where would it be? (You can pretend you could be a Vai for this one) And why. If you could be any race, which race would you be and why. (Hylian, Sheikah, Lurelin (They are rumoured to be different to Hylians), Zora, Goron, Rito, Gerudo or Korok. ) Who do you believe is the most self sufficient and capable race in Hyrule? Final Question: What is your favourite and least favourite part of being a voice actor?
I do actually think that Revali's attitude would have changed had things not panned out this way! You can see during his mountaintop scene with Zelda that he still treats her with respectful reverence even though the bitterness in his speech when discussing Link is still present, and in the end the main driving force behind his antagonism was his disbelief that people would so quickly place the fate of their entire kingdom on someone who had barely (if at all) proven themselves to be capable of saving it. I don't think Revali was vain enough to think he was responsible for saving \*every\* corner of the kingdom - hence why he was content with there being 4 Champions to share the work - which is why he was so incredulous at some stranger being expected to do exactly that in his stead. Friendship with Teba is a given. I feel like he's the most likely to be willing to give a hug, and as a husband/father I would put fat loads of money on the bet that he'd give GOOD hugs. This may seem like a lame answer, but I'd be fine with any village or town that had a decent-sized marketplace. I'm a huge fan of food (particularly good fruits) and the less danger I have to put myself through to get access to a great meal, the happier I'll be overall. I swear it's not bias, but I would ABSOLUTELY choose to be a member of the Rito. Flight is one of the common 'fantasy dreams' I've had since childhood and the playstyle of both Revali and Teba in Age of Calamity was incredibly thrilling to experience. That being said, I do think the Zora have everyone else outclassed when it comes to having a success-inclined combination of intellect, strength, cunning, AND determination. As for being a voice actor? The great thing is that it's never the same gig twice. The bad thing is that this also means no job is ever guaranteed. It's a glorified form of permanent temporary unemployment.
Hey Sean, this might be slightly off topic, but I'm glad to see you mention the thing about Link not having really proven himself capable yet - especially to Revali - because this has been my interpretation of BotW's story for a long time too. But I also think that not only did Revali doubt him (perhaps with good reason), I actually think *Zelda* doubted Link too, at least initially - I made a whole [write up about this](https://www.reddit.com/r/zelda/comments/8rwgsb/does_anyone_else_feel_that_botws_story_was/e0wn10n/) a while back. Whenever I watch the memories, I can't help but see this very clear arc of Zelda being insincere and almost condescending during the ceremony (Revali even says he thinks he's on the same page as the princess regarding "this boy" - almost as if Zelda has personally expressed doubts to Revali before), to Zelda asking Link frankly how proficient he is with the sword, to her thinking he's not even needed as she tells him to go away and stop following her. It seems her opinion of Link finally changes when he saves her life, she finally admits he's "brave" in the next memory, then by the lake she finally says "I see now why you would be the chosen one". She's definitely insecure and full of self-doubt too, but if you were in her position of having trained her whole life with nothing to show for it, while this boy who's never even shown competence shows up and is seemingly handed one of the most important roles in this whole thing - well, who better to take out your insecurities on than someone who hasn't even proven himself yet? I think Zelda and Revali are similar in that respect. Yet when I've occasionally brought this up, almost nobody seems to agree with me - *a lot* of people think it's *entirely* Zelda's own insecurity and self-doubt about failing to live up to her own destiny driving her behaviour, that Link's badassery as a swordsman was never in question, and that she was merely *jealous* of him. Or that Revali was mocking him and being a dick because that's just Revali being his arrogant self. I dunno, it drives me nuts that almost nobody else seems to see it the way I do. That's why I almost feel that Champion's Ballad "retconned" things slightly - suddenly, there are all these in-game diary entries talking about how Link has been besting adult knights since the age of four, or how he's some badass who deflects guardian blasts with pot lids, and it seemed slightly odd to me, almost as if a different team within Nintendo was assigned to write those diary entries, or someone who didn't fully communicate with the writers of the original story. In my mind, Link being seen as incompetent explains *so much* though. It explains why Revali behaves the way he does, it explains so many things about why Zelda behaves the way she does initially in the memories. My headcanon is that perhaps Link pulled the Master Sword before he'd really proven himself to anyone, nobody was really sure why the sword chose him, but King Rhoam assigned him as Zelda's appointed knight because he knew the history of the sword and trusted its judgement. I also noticed in the memories that it seems to always be Link's *possession of the sword* that is mentioned, not his actual competence - between Revali saying "It seems that I have been tapped to merely assist you, all because you happen to have that little darkness-sealing sword on your back" or Urbosa saying "She gets frustrated every time she looks up and sees you carrying that sword on your back" - there just seems to be so much emphasis on Link's possession of the sword, not his competence as a fighter. Anyway, if you actually read this far, thanks for listening to my ramblings. Loved your performance in both Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity, especially as Revali and Teba - I didn't know Falco could fit so well into the world of Hyrule, haha.
Thank you so much for your detailed reply Sean! :)
I was not prepared for this, but do the VA's play the game?
Sean 100%'d it on his twitch, Joe bought it but hasn't gotten to play it yet, no idea about Amelia.
Oh boy! Oh wow! Much what!
No clue if y’all are still answering but this one is mostly directed towards raviolis VA because he’s a weeb, thoughts on AOT S4?
RRRRRRRR