Hero and villain

[Crystal]

If you were to create a hero or villain for any game. How would you create them?

In what genre game would you place them?
What sort of name would you give them?
How would they look like, what weapons / magics?
What kind of clothes? What colors?
Accessories? Tattoos? Scars?
How are their personalities?
What makes the hero good / villain evil?
Voice range?

Etc. etc =D

 

[Martel]

In what genre game would you place them?
I think I'd go with a proper, real-time battle-system RPG, naturally.

What sort of name would you give them?
For the "hero" of the story, I'd probably pick something either plain, or a reference to a questionable figure from something like an opera, such as Der Freischütz, to name but one of my favourites. The villain would be more obvious, a direct, blatantly obvious reference to a mythological or religious figure commonly believed to be evil, but with sufficient ambiguity to give people who had read up about the mythological figure pause in their analysis. I'd want the hero and villain to be polarised as such in the player's mind to begin with, and portray them in such a way that, if you cared to look closely, you'd realise that it wasn't so black or white and, if you didn't, the initial impression would be sufficient.

How would they look like, what weapons / magics?
I think I'd envision would be relatively bog-standard, although perhaps a little more flamboyant and grandiose than usual. A cocky swagger and an aura of self confidence bordering on arrogance, they'd be characterised by their personality and choice of accessories. The facial features would be definite, though - if its a man, then he'll actually look like a man, and same for a woman. None of this genderbender bullshit. Weapon of choice? A foil, and an old-fashioned rifle.
The villain, by contrast, would be a relatively normal-looking individual. Like Lezard Valeth, from Valkyrie Profile. Unremarkable in every way. Nothing that really screams "OMFG EVIL!" or anything like that. In contrast to the hero, he'd be quite reserved, and not particularly threatening. Weapon of choice? Words.

What kind of clothes? What colors?
For the hero, the colours would be bold and mostly bright. White and scarlet, with a little bit of brown leather and maybe some black.

The villain would be clothed in neutral grey, with perhaps a little dark purple.

Accessories? Tattoos? Scars?
Coloured rings, much like Balthier's, for the hero. Bangles, gaudy jewellry, etc.

Something simpler for the villain. Perhaps a silver or gold ring or pendant, with some deeper meaning for them.

How are their personalities?
I'd very much like my hero to be similar to Light Yagami, from Death Note, in the early episodes when he had just discovered the notebook. A plain, ordinary young man or woman, thrust into unusual circumstances and who is determined to exact their own form of justice upon the world. There would be several things I'd change - for example, s/he wouldn't be obsessed with becoming a God, her/his ambition would be a much more modest one - but the overall impression he would leave would be that of an earnest, honest young wo/man with a strong sense of justice. His/her decisions through the course of the game would have a very strong and firm rationalistion, but the point that you could rationalise anything would be made several times, to give the player pause and wonder just how righteous this character really is.

The villain would be characterised by their indifference. They would have their own goals that would run parallel to the hero's, and their paths would cross several times over the course of the RPG. Who is to say whose course is the right course, and whose is the wrong one? Who is to say that either of them are right? Does the world need individuals with hero complexes out to save it? Is saving the world any different from enslaving? Where is the line between liberation and enslavement, in justice and vengeance? The villain would simply be on the opposite wavelength to the hero.

What makes the hero good / villain evil?
Nothing more or less than perspective, as well as the character you'd play as. Everyone automatically assumes in RPGs that you're playing as the hero, but what if, just for once, you played as the villain, or as a dark horse character (for example, Yuri Lowell in Tales of Vesperia made some very questionable choices) who is masquerading as a hero and has you, the player, completely fooled, up until the end, where the full extent of their actions and the damage done is raised?

The villain would be made the villain solely out of either their indifferent personality, their attitude towards the hero, and their dialogue. They would be the villain simply because they oppose the hero and you, the player.

Voice range?
Oh, they'd have to have VERY specific voice actors. The villain character would need to be voice by Liam O'Brien or Crispin Freeman. No other would do. The hero would be...open for casting. I'd like someone with a relatively light-hearted voice, yet with a certain undercurrent of seriousness to it.