In the dynamic world of gaming, realism often captures the attention of players. Developers invest significant resources to craft characters that mirror real-life intricacies.
In this article, we take a look at the 5 best game characters, known for their realism, and the techniques developers and 3d character designers use to bring them to life.
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Joel from The Last of Us
Joel from “The Last of Us” is a great example of modern character design. Players connect with his emotions, expressions, and actions, making the post-apocalyptic world and game environment seem very real.
His relationship with his daughter Sarah adds even more realism to the character. He tries to protect her from the difficulties of the world around her, although he rarely succeeds.
Creation Technique: Developers utilized advanced motion capture technology, capturing every nuance of the actor’s performance. This meticulous approach ensured that Joel’s reactions and interactions were genuine and relatable.
Creating a realistic environment around the character also plays an important role in character creation
“Our goal was to create the best game in a genre whose boundaries are not yet so clearly defined. “The ‘infected’ in our game are people who find themselves affected by an infection similar to that spread by the real-life cordyceps mushroom. The occurrence of such an epidemic is a believable scenario in theory, so it’s important for us to maintain realism and differentiate ourselves from other games where fictional epidemics are the result of something supernatural”
– Neil Druckmann, creative director of Naughty Dog.
Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn
Aloy in “Horizon Zero Dawn” is a mix of primitive and futuristic elements. Her detailed look and quick actions set her apart in the gaming world.
She’s brave, strong, smart, and can be friendly based on player choices. But no matter what, she always acts like a hero, trying to save people from danger.
Creation Technique: The design team incorporated detailed 3D scanning, ensuring every aspect of Aloy, from her hair strands to her equipment, was intricately designed.
Jan-Bart Van Beek, the art director, had a clear idea for the game “Horizon: Zero Dawn.” It would feature robot dinosaurs, a world after a big event taken over by nature, and the main character, Aloy.
Van Beek and his team wanted their game to stand out. They didn’t want to copy the look of other games. Van Beek even avoided watching game trailers to keep his ideas fresh. He believes that every part of the game should make sense for their world.
He explains: “It’s really important to focus yourself on creating that visual identity. Something that you’re confident that if you put it in front of someone, they would recognize it as the product you’re designing. It can’t borrow too much from other things, it can’t even be inspired by other things, it has to be its own thing. That’s hard, it requires a lot of work, and it often requires you to go back to the drawing board and reimagine it all over again.”
Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2
Arthur Morgan’s journey in the Wild West is filled with challenges and moral dilemmas. His deep character and the game’s big world make players feel like they’re really there.
Creation Technique: Developers employed a blend of voice acting and motion capture, capturing the essence of the Wild West era. The attention to environmental interactions further enhances Arthur’s realism.
Josh Needleman, Senior Producer at Rockstar Games, says: “One of the biggest differences between GTA and Red Dead universes is that you’re often speeding through or flying over a GTA world, whereas in Red Dead Redemption the change of pace elevates the intimacy of the overall experience.
Like the single-player game’s story of Arthur Morgan, we want people to settle into their online characters and feel like every activity makes sense for the character, the setting, and the time. This should feel intimate and personal while still feeling fun and action-packed from moment to moment.”
Lara Croft from Tomb Raider Series
Lara Croft, an iconic figure in the gaming industry, has undergone significant evolution. Her recent portrayals emphasize realism, showcasing her as a resilient and determined archaeologist.
Creation Technique: Advanced rendering techniques were used to craft Lara’s environments, ensuring her explorations and adventures felt tangible. Her character model was refined using detailed texture mapping.
Rich Briggs, senior brand director of Crystal Dynamics, explains the evolution of Lara Croft 3d character during the game series:
“Since a lot of Lara’s development and struggle had been about external forces pushing against her, we wanted to make her most difficult conflict an inner one. This was really important to us. Lara is at the height of her skills, being the most confident she’s ever been, gave us a lot of opportunity. It meant that Lara could now, instead of just being on this easy trajectory toward becoming the tomb raider, she has to decide what kind of tomb raider she was going to become.
Where we tried to end is Lara understanding what she has to let go of and what she has to internalize as being truly important in life.”
5. Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher Series
Character Overview: Geralt is a monster hunter in a world full of magic and political intrigue. His detailed 3d character design, combined with his moral compass, makes him a favorite among gamers.
It should be noticed that all the characters from our TOP 5 have elaborate and quite different environments. Heralt of Rivia is no exception, in fact, he is a mercenary who travels around the fantasy world and kills monsters for a reward.
Creation Technique: Developers focused on facial animation systems, ensuring Geralt’s expressions were in sync with the game’s narrative. The use of dynamic lighting further accentuated his features.
As time goes on, we see that you can make interesting characters perhaps not only in a realistic style.
The same AAA projects and big games come out every few years, so it’s much more interesting to see 3d characters in mobile games.
RetroStyle Games, an outsourcing game development studio, recently collaborated to create standout characters for the “Magic Arena.” mobile game. This game combines card building, battle, and MOBA features.
A key part of the game is its detailed character designs. The studio created six main characters with their own magic abilities. These characters are inspired by popular and traditional stories. The characters are a druidess, a character like Tesla, an ice ghost, a fire wizard, a unique alchemist, and Bony the Deathless.
The design process began with 2D sketches. After refining and getting approval, they made 3D versions of these characters. The studio also made other game pieces like character cards and app icons.
RetroStyle Games ensures high-quality game development and game art outsourcing services.
In gaming, making characters feel real helps players connect with the story. The characters above are some of the best examples of this. Developers use the latest tech and smart methods to keep pushing the limits, aiming to make future game characters even better.
