Character Ideas From Games

One of the best things about creating characters is the idea that creates them. For me, some of more villainous types come from bosses from video games. It doesn't have to be something particular about the boss or the fight itself, but rather elements that make up the fight that influences the creation.

One such boss that has influenced me into the creation of a character (or rather the creation of an alternate world version of a character) is the NME from both the original Rise of the Triad (a.k.a Rott) and the 2013 remake. NME (Nasty Metallic Enforcer) was a brilliant boss fight back in the day, a machine that chased you about firing all sorts of weapons that just seem to get harder the more damage you did to him. His death sequence involved his body exploding, sending his head into the air before it landed back down and then a second later it too exploded. Add to that the great boss music of the original Rott game had and it was easily one of my favourite bosses of all time (should really do a list on that). While the remake had a more menacing looking machine and the legs made more sense then the old versions wheels, it somehow failed to capture the feel of the original NME. Even it's death didn't seem as triumphant compared to the destruction of the original. Still, even that version still had some influence in the visual design of the character.

As it stands all I have is the head sketch and some background information on the character which is part of a collection needed for a commission I plan to get some great artist to do in the future, but I would like to finish the full body design and write a combat sequence in which he appears (although in that version his head would survive. Need him to return at some later point for another planned story).

Side villains usually only get one or two appearances in total before never being heard from again or a finally destroyed. Because of this, they should always do something that would impact on a character in a way that a primary/secondary villain could not. This is why game bosses are a great source of inspiration. They are usually nothing to note compared to the main villain, yet can still be a tough and memorable fight. Give it a shot. Find some of your favourite boss fights, find out what it is about them that you like (the design, their voice/personality, the music, etc) and then take those aspects and create a character from them.

You might be surprised by what you create.