Lessons In Design, Vol. 1: Personality
When someone asks me who my favorite game designer is, I don’t know if I can even begin to answer. I’ve been influenced by so many games throughout my life that it’s impossible to calculate which ones have made the greatest impact. But one of the first names that inevitably comes to mind is that of French designer Michel Ancel.
Working with Ubisoft, Ancel was responsible for the creation of the Rayman series, as well as the highly-rated-yet-criminally-unprofitable Beyond Good & Evil. Most casual observers will tell you that his games are colorful, exuberantly animated, and somehow distinctly “French.” I consider all of these qualities to be facets of Ancel’s core design philosophy: that a game must have a recognizable personality.
This can apply to characters as well as to the game as a whole. Rayman’s eponymous hero, for instance, is bizarrely devoid of limbs, sports a gigantic nose, and uses his hair as a makeshift propeller. He is the epitome of cartoony spunk, and quite unlike most of the other goofy mascot-types in the platformer world. But more than that, the world he inhabits has a personality as well. Colors are haphazardly brushed and swirled across the landscape, creatures of hilariously exaggerated proportions flit to and fro, and I guarantee it would take you quite some time to find a single pair of parallel lines anywhere.
Beyond Good & Evil is somewhat tamer in its approach, but the effect is similar. Characters address each other with familiarity, as though everyone in this quaint yet futuristic city knows everyone else by name - which many of them do. The game’s predominantly blue-green color palette and soft lighting create a lush atmosphere that stays with you for some time. Walk outside on an overcast day after a rainstorm and you might find yourself yearning to return to Hyllis.
But where BG&E shines is in the strength of its characters. A friend of mine once described the game’s heroine Jade as “the sort of hero you never knew you wanted to be,” and I think that’s pretty accurate. She is ethnically ambiguous, has a modestly attractive figure, and works as a photojournalist. But she has a life, a home (an old lighthouse), and a family (a small group of orphaned children and an anthropomorphic pig). She is, as far as the player is concerned, a real person with real ideals. Simply the fact that she loves and cares deeply about the other characters puts her in a unique place among video game protagonists.
Ask me about Super Mario 64 and you’ll probably get an overly excited analysis of all the little details that made it such an astounding achievement. Ask me about Beyond Good & Evil, though, and you’ll probably hear a wistful sigh. Because as great as other games may be, here is one world that truly feels alive.
I think Rayman’s cuteness seriously contributes to his personality and to how memorable and likable he is (much like Yoshi managed to do for me). Do you happen to know if the cuteness factor is appealing to the same players as, say, a game like Tomb Raider? I guess what I’m asking is, is Rayman “cool” enough for the average gamer or does he only have a niche following?
YoshiRider said this on July 19th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
While I wouldn’t say that cute characters like Rayman appeal to the same tastes as characters like Lara Croft, I do think they can still attract many of the same players. There may be plenty of gamers who would look at Rayman, shout “OMG GAY!1″ on 4chan and go back to Gears of War, but in my experience those individuals are in the minority.
Jade and Rayman have the same ageless appeal as Pixar films. They may appear to target a younger audience, but they are likable to all ages and have enough substance to keep an older audience engaged. Although doing that takes a lot more skill than just adding dismemberment and boobs.
George said this on July 20th, 2008 at 2:11 pm