The Mute Protagonist

Well, it depends on what you mean by "mute". In your example where your character simply only says what you can choose, it can work out fine (for example Fallout or KOTOR where you always select your response, although sometimes you're limited to only saying one thing to progress the conversation). If you're supposed to "be" the character, then it makes sense that you'd envision your character saying the lines as you read them instead of needing to hear voice acting for them, even though every other character in the game has a voice (well in KOTOR, anyway). In non-RPG games like Half-life, a totally mute character will usually work as long as the interactions you have with others still flow naturally.

In RPGs with TOTAL mutes like Chrono Trigger or Chrono Cross, hmm, well it does get annoying after a while seeing everyone boss you around and tell you what THEY think without your character ever getting a word in. In that case, they don't really seem like characters as much they are shells, which kinda hurts the whole understanding-the-characters thing. I've never seen a case where it makes me "feel" like my character as it's supposed to, I guess my imagination just isn't wild enough to envision myself as a delivery boy that never talks. They could at least give a REASON for your character not talking though...old war injury, birth defect, whatever. It's a little strange thinking that you're supposed to be a character that simply refuses to talk.

It's even more bizarre when games like Shining Force 3 take the half-way route: your character DOES talk to others, but you can't see what they're saying. While I like it a bit better than mutes (at least they're doing more than just standing around waiting for people to tell them what to do), it still makes it a bit confusing since you have no idea what your character is actually saying at that point. However, in Shining Force 3, it was nice that you could at least see what the characters said in the scenarios that DIDN'T star them. So then you could usually get a good feel for what they were like by playing the other scenarios, and then when you played as them, you'd still have a decent idea of what they'd PROBABLY say in that situation. Sadly, since only Shining Force 3 Scenario 1 was translated and released over here, Synbios will forever be known to me as the character that speaks in dots and Japanese.

Jam it back in, in the dark.