Symbolism is such a beautiful thing. Whether it be telling a story through similarities between characters symbolizing their connection, fights that symbolize the change that has brought the characters to this point or scars that symbolize the pain that lingers on from past failures and mistakes, symbolism persists to be a common yet wonderful storytelling technique in literature, movies and games.
I love symbolism with all my heart. My favorite way of creating symbolism though is probably through character design. To tell a story through writing is fun and all, but it is so much fun trying to come up with character designs that themselves tell a story.
Before I continue I must warn that this article will contain spoilers for the following games: Omori and Persona 5 Royal.
One type of character design symbolism that I love, though simple, is symbolism through a character’s color pattern. A great example of this can be found in the game Omori.
Omori is a game in which you play as a character known as Omori and another character whose name is Sunny, although you can change the name in game. Omori is a dream version of Sunny that you play inside his dreams. As you play through the game you learn about the death of Sunny’s sister and the grief at which all of his friends have suffered because of it. Sunny’s grief is mostly told through the events of his mindscape, also known as the Headspace.
One thing becomes apparent to the player when they first play the game. Looking at the designs of the Headspace versions of Sunny’s friends, except Basil to some degree, they all seem to have a purple color pattern. The meaning behind this color pattern only starts to reveal itself as the player goes further into the story.
Towards the end of the game we learn that Mari, Sunny’s older sister, was planning to dye her hair purple since it was her favorite color. This sadly never came to be though as she died before ever getting the chance. The abundance of purple in the color of the character’s in Headspace start to become more than just a color palette at this point, but rather can start to be seen as another form of Sunny’s grieving for the death of his sister.
Though using just a simple color palette for characters to tell part of a story may seem simple, it is such a great way to tell a character’s view of the world just as how it does in Omori.
Moving on from color based symbolism in design, I would like to move on and talk about another form of character design symbolism which is shown through the clothing a character wears, and what better way to explain this than through a game known as Persona 5 Royal.
In this game there is a lot of symbolism through designs as it revolves around you exploring the minds of people and fighting against them with these things called Personas which are a reflection of the person’s souls. When a character gains a Persona typically they get an outfit that, to some degree, reflects the user’s personality.
Dr. Maruki is a great example of this. As you reach towards the end of the game you face off against Dr. Maruki who has seemed to have acquired a Persona of his own as well as an outfit similar to that as the main cast. He has also gained the power to change the cognition of everyone in the world. With this newfound power he wishes to help people and remove any memories of pain and suffering.
Maruki’s design during the fight perfectly encapsulates his belief. During this fight he sports a giant gold mask and a white robe with a fully gold suit underneath. The combination of white and gold can be seen as symbolism for gods as white and gold typically are seen as heavenly colors.
Now as for the large golden mask it can be seen as a representation of his ego, seeing himself to be the one who must save everyone else. At the same time though, it resembles a deeper, more sympathetic meaning. It can be seen as a shield. A shield meant to show his desire for protecting others from all the pain and suffering in life.
His design shows the player both his mindset and his dreams with no more than a few aspects of his design. It’s an example of the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Lastly, I would like to bring up a variation of this symbolism where it tells something other than the story of a character. Rather outfit designs that serve to tell the story of time and setting. Where and when.
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a great example of this.
Taking a look at the outfits and overall look of the characters in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, it becomes apparent to the player that the game must take place during Victorian times in London. This can be shown by the color palette which is very akin to that of the Victorian era and by how each outfit in the game (besides the ones of those who are not from Britain) have a sort of fancy but rugged look to them like outfits from that time period.
In terms of symbolism it isn’t much but it still manages to give the player a story, not just about a character, but rather the world itself.
A character’s design can symbolize much more than just their taste in fashion, but rather who they are as a person as well as where they may be from. This symbolism may be difficult to some degree but with enough thought put into it as well as enough work and dedication, it can be an amazing and beautiful thing.