KHI makes a KH game! Discussion #2: Characters and Character Design

[Xehanort]

Characters
+ Who are the main protagonist and antagonist? What is there background and motivation? How do they develop over the course of the game in their roles?
I was thinking of having it be a one protagonist game. Multiple characters appear throughout the game to aid you (not world-specific) but generally, you're on your own.

I liked the whole idea from the storylines of having the bad guy be a person seeking abolute light. I also saw talk of some form of government formed of keyblade wielders. I thought of the protagonist having been a part of the government. He's sort of like a fallen angel because he sees that there is wrong in the idea of absolute light. There are three heads of the government who do everything possible to maintain this control over the light and Protagonist started to question this based on legends he had heard of Sora's generation. (The timelines are never specified to be in the past, present, or future) He was cast out of the government and was sentenced to exile outside of the collection of worlds of light. He starts out in a world of "darkness" and realizes how it's just the same as his and the evil in it stems from its isolation from the light.

Protagonist seeks to bring light to these worlds and eventually to overthrow the government in the worlds of light and create equality in all worlds to keep the balance. His journeys lead to his hearing of a X-Blade, a weapon he believes will have the power to combat the governments three leaders. (Possibly leading to a Keyblade War)

The Protagonist is essentially linked to the legend from the original KH, about a keyblade wielder who either brought chaos or saved the world (as that is up to one's perspective)




+ Aside from your main protagonist and antagonist, what characters support these two and in what capacity? How do their roles play into the themes of the game?

Other members of the government interact with the protagonist and fight him during the game. They are also Keyblade Wielders and serve as many of the games bosses. The Heartless-like villain would be something related solely to the Light and each member of the government would have their own unique forms of these creatures. The few officials that the Protagonist convinces of his views choose to join him and help him in his search. They do not journey with him but appear at various points in the game to assist him, often in battle.


+ How much is too much? Do you have many support characters or just a few? Do these characters have a defined personality and character arc? How do they play into the themes you've established in the game?

There are very few supporting characters. Antagonizing characters are numerous but only a few are given significant story arcs.

 

[pjoser14]

Well i just typed a wall and it all got erased so let me try this again... I liked what some1 said early that soras "pure soul" would be tested and temporarily broken, maybe by him losing some1 because of his actions. I think you should make it so sora would temporarily brought of to darkness and you'd have to use riku and some1 else pertinent to the new story to beat him and bring him back to the light. Also you should maybe have sora brought to a parallel universe were everything is messed up, if you do do this then you should really in depth with the story and put some really good twists in it. I think the reason KH is such a good game, for me at least, is because of the depth of the story and the emotion. Another direction you could go is having sora travel into the future were its all messed up because of his absence and he has to make everything thts wrong right. Sora's pure heart and urge to always do good should be tested, because he feels responsible for everything bad thts happened. As much as I like these ideas i dont think you should veer off to far from the storyline in the first two, but there deffinately needs to be some change. KH is my favorite game mainly because of the storyline and how much depth and emotion it has, as i said before, you should put some good twists in there.

As far as gameplay goes, you should try making it multiplayer/online capable, this way you would attract more people to the series. Another idea is making a mini game where sora and others have to fight off a never ending attack of heartless, like "horde" from gears of war or "firefight" from halo reach. Maybe you could make it tht you could choose what Sora gets to wear.

Lastly, I'd just like to add tht you should not include cards in any part of the game like you had in KH re: chain of memories, it just made the game a pain in the ass to play, and the song should be "Waiting for the End" by Linkin Park, it just reminds me of the series

 

[Twilightheaven]

I would say for the protagonist and antagonist can be what WOW did and that is you can creat your own character and chose to be for the light or the dark. Then based on which side you chose have a different story which leads in to the keyblade war.

 

[Comoman]

Wow, it all just got back into the story. Maybe we should actually pick a story and then we can get some firm sketches out there.

 

[Tenyas]

Okay, well, what is the general consensus upon the enemies? We're sticking with heartless/darkness initially is what I'm understanding, but what is the general view we want on them? Would we rather focus on the 'dark' side of them and get a more imposing theme going in their designs or should there still be a level of color and quirky cartoon attribute to them? I also heard talk of bringing in 'light' embodiments as enemies. What do we want those to look like? I was having a more animalistic idea for Heartless-based enemies, but I'm always better at creatures than humanoids so, yeah.

Personally, I can see the dark/heartless creatures being more animalistic and likely stronger/larger in size and bulk. I mean, if you don't have any people able to stop them as of yet and if they're leaking out somehow, they're going to be having a hay-day in the Realm of Light. Heck, how are they leaking out? If there haven't been any keyblades yet, than that means Kingdom Hearts hasn't been unlocked yet, which means that the Dark Realm hasn't been connected yet, which means that Heartless would still be roaming around the depths of the darkness aimlessly.

 

[Wehrmacht]

I think the light enemies should have an uncanny valley effect.

Uncanny Valley - Television Tropes & Idioms

Basically they should look human, but just inhuman enough to hit that spot where it's unsettling.

 

[Trilink]

Yea i always thought the story came first? rather than character design? i think a week for story is abit short tbh. Why not have 2 weeks for each segment, that way we get more time to share our and ideas, and be able to finalise each stage once agreed by the others.

^good idea man i like the sound of that,

 

[JerRocks2day]

Um, what? I don't think Tifa really even alive in KH, just an embodiment of Cloud. & her with Goliath is just too random. Let's just have a Gargoyles world for all the characters of the show while Xanatos himself pops up in multiple worlds.

It would only be random if we don't give her and Goliath a proper set up, or let the relationship between them develop. I had a set up in mind for how the two meet if you'd want to hear it.

I thought it would be easier to put the Manhattan Clan, Demona, Xanatos, and a bunch of other characters from the universe in Radient Garden because I thought it would it be a more suitable environment. I do like the idea of Xanatos popping up in multiple worlds.

Also, what do you mean saying 'just an embodiment of Cloud'?

 

[.Oji]

I suggest having a sentient Pureblood heartless that looks something like the queen from Ico. She has dominion over darkness and works with Chernabog.

[video=youtube;fDD2TnW5hog]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDD2TnW5hog[/video]

I also want the purebloods (namely Shadows ) to look more like children (see: Ico), and more smoky and/or inky just to further accentuate the darkness and whatnot.


Light enemies. I think we might need a Vanitas type of deal where one (or a few) guy or girl is creating these things. Some could be helpful (giving items and so forth) while others are attacking anything that has even a hint of darkness. I'm thinking cherubic or seraphic looking things―something with a halo... and maybe some wings.

I do like the idea of Xanatos popping up in multiple worlds.

He could be like the G-Man of Kingdom Hearts. :>

 

[Turn]

I'd like to see the light-beings single-mindedly driven to replace light where there is an altogether absence, and snuff out darkness wherever or whatever it may be. Maybe the worlds' natural defense system against the darkness gone awry. Naturally, they would target most heart-possessing things, being that generally they're inherently lightness and darkness simultaneously—they would always want for whatever the darkness in their target's heart to be exterminated. And if we decide to employ Nobodies, it would be interesting to see the light-beings attempt to possess them in order to fill the Nobodies' voids.

JUST PUTTING IT OUT THERE


P.S. They would also probs multiply the same as the Heartless do: born when one's heart is stolen by light.

 

[Relix]

Characters

+ Who are the main protagonist and antagonist? What is there background and motivation? How do they develop over the course of the game in their roles?

Main protagonist - I haven't decided on a name yet, but the characters appearance and personality is pretty much done. She is a teenage girl around the age of 16-19, whatever will fit the role better. She's initially withdrawn and doesn't talk to others much (during the beginning of the story, she'll be doing quite a bit of soliloquy) until she leaves her own world and embarks on all the other worlds, opening up to others whether they be Disney characters or original.

Just like her name, I haven't come up with a name for her homeworld, but I was thinking of it resembling a Victorian era steampunk world that would not only house other original characters but disney characters as well. Minor Disney inhabitants would make cameos and have some buildings to themselves but other disney characters may have their story unfold in this world, like the Great Mouse Detective. Have the female lead shrink down to mouse size and help out with that mini plot which would be based on the movie.

What I had in mind for her was to have a keyblade but she'll receive a bit later in the game. Not as far as the middle but not right at the beginning. In fact, I was thinking that she would actually start out her quest looking for the fabled keyblade wielder only to find out she is who she is looking for. Probably as early as the second Disney world she visits.

Despite her appearance (I'm thinking of drawing her up to have a sort of cold feel to her features) and attitude she's really kind. She's also quite naive, because she's going to put all of her faith into a man (that she'll eventually fall for), only to have her heart broken. She made a grave mistake when she was younger and has become an outcast really, hence her withdrawn and quiet nature at first. She has yet to forgive herself despite her kindness but doesn't show her true sadness. Secretly she wishes to save the universe as a way of finding redemption or forgiveness.

This is just a beta model of this character. I can fine tune her to fit certain changes to the concrete plot that will be decided provided we are all fine with this female protagonist.

Her Companion - Mickey Mouse. Yup, I decided to group her up with Mickey but I'm going to completely remodel him. He's not a King in this story, in fact Mickey and the girl are from the same world (that Victorian Steampunk world I mentioned earlier) and he is quite poor and rarely paid attention to. There is a reason for this however. In this version of the KH universe, Disney characters and worlds have created a truce with Original and FF characters and worlds, allowing them to live in harmony together. However after the main antagonist and their fellow baddies make some chaos the truce between Disney and Square will be strained to which the main protagonist and Mickey will set out to repair said truce and find the culprit behind the mysterious things happening in all worlds, along with the appearance of the long forgotten darkness.

This version of Mickey is not a keyblade wielder (perhaps he may be in the future) but as of now only fights with a wand of sorts (a homage to Mickey in the Sorcerer's apprentice from Fantasia). Along the journey Mickey will travel with the girl as well as being a sort of self proclaimed ambassador for the Disney side of the universe. Donald and Goofy are in this tale too. They are just not together and in fact have not spoken to each other for a long time. Mickey will be fighting the world as well as trying to repair relationships with his former friends and used to be love interest Minnie, so he is on a redemption path of sorts as well.

So this version of Mickey won't exactly be such a worshiper of Light like in the original KH and will actually be quite mischievous and cunning. He's still going to be caring and give words of wisdom now and then but he's preoccupied with saving his kind to be that goody goody mouse from the original KH.

Main Antagonists

Original (KH) Antagonist - I was thinking along the lines of some sort of Sage like man who is a strong believer in the Light of all creatures will triumph the newly introduced Darkness that plagues the worlds. His Light is rather powerful, as he will create creatures with it that don't look malicious but are quite deadly (he doesn't know that he is creating these creatures until late in the story and thinks they are affiliated with the darkness). It will not be revealed that he is the one creating these creatures until around the end of the story. He is actually quite wise and polite, however he 'campaigns' the Disney side of the universe is responsible for the rising Darkness and hence wants to severe the ties. He leads an order of sorts that act as a disciplinary force for Disney creatures and worlds. His obsession to get rid of the darkness will lead him to not only get rid of Disney individuals but FF and KH original people as well who he feels may also be a 'threat' to the (his) universe. His lust for Light has lead him to side with the other more traditional main antagonist. "The brighter the Light, the darker the Shadow."

Main Disney Villain - The Horned King. He will be commanding the newly introduced darkness and will create the Heartless (idk if I still want to call them heartless but meh). The Horned King is not the heartless of the other antagonist but they are connected in a special way. Ever since the Sage existed, so did the Horned King. Every time the Sage's Light grows, so does the Horned King's darkness. He is will be the leader of all the Disney villains and will assist any other evil original character or appear to anyone struggling with the darkness or clinging to strongly to the light.

The Horned King will appear as a mere shadow throughout most of the game. When he appears to the main protagonists he's just a walking, creeping, shadow that moves the shadows around him to create the heartless.

Both Antagonists want Kingdom Hearts because of it's overwhelming Light and because of its equally unmatched "Shadow."

+ Aside from your main protagonist and antagonist, what characters support these two and in what capacity? How do their roles play into the themes of the game?

I want a group of characters to assist both the Leading Lady and Mickey.

For the Girl - People like Terra(from FF VI), Vincent Valentine, Warrior of Light, Minnie, Jiminy Cricket, Daisy, some original characters I may draw up soon. Still workin out the supporting cast.

For Mickey - Donald, Goofy, Kain, Yen Sid, Oswald, still working out these people as well.

+ How much is too much? Do you have many support characters or just a few? Do these characters have a defined personality and character arc? How do they play into the themes you've established in the game?

I don't think a giant cast is the way to go because there would be a lot of underdeveloped people who would only take up space. But I also want a significant few that are not only characters but also ways of expressing the games theme.

That's what I've got so far. I'm still working on the girl and Mickey's character design and their personalities a little bit more. When I'm done I'll post up the finished products. I also have a bit of a plot thrown in there as well just to explain the characters better I suppose.

 

[.Oji]

I'd like to see the light-beings single-mindedly driven to replace light where there is an altogether absence, and snuff out darkness wherever or whatever it may be. Maybe the worlds' natural defense system against the darkness gone awry. Naturally, they would target most heart-possessing things, being that generally they're inherently lightness and darkness simultaneously—they would always want for whatever the darkness in their target's heart to be exterminated. And if we decide to employ Nobodies, it would be interesting to see the light-beings attempt to possess them in order to fill the Nobodies' voids.

JUST PUTTING IT OUT THERE


P.S. They would also probs multiply the same as the Heartless do: born when one's heart is stolen by light.

I think that poses a question(s): If Nobodies are infused with light, would they still be Nobodies, or something wholly different?

Nobodies are typically beings shunned by both light and darkness. With that in mind, why would the light suddenly seek to fill their void?

I'm thinking that perhaps a Nobody or group of Nobodies are in cohoots with a person with dominion over light. Maybe the head of that group thinks infusing other nobodies—followers or puppets in his or her view—with light would be tantamount to having a heart.

And I don't know about having light enemies being made in the same vein as the heartless. I still think one person—one delusional person should be responsible for their creation. Perhaps filling the heart with light—collapsing it—could lead to them self-reproducing. The light tries to fulfill the role of the heart. etc. etc.
--

As for Disney Villains: I love the Horned King. Really love him. But I need to see Chernabog in this in all his diabolical glory. Do I need to post the video?

[video=youtube;V8Ca_edg6RE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8Ca_edg6RE[/video]

Of course they could both be in. Just saying—having Chernabog as a villain is like the closes thing to having Dormin in Kingdom Hearts. Too good to pass up.

 

[Turn]

I think that poses a question(s): If Nobodies are infused with light, would they still be Nobodies

Uh. They wouldn't be, obvs; that would be the point.

 

[.Oji]

Would they convert to being light enemies or hybrids is what I was getting at. :/

 

[Turn]

Probably hybrids, assuming they wouldn't lose their sentience.

 

[MATGSY]

Yea i always thought the story came first? rather than character design? i think a week for story is abit short tbh. Why not have 2 weeks for each segment, that way we get more time to share our and ideas, and be able to finalise each stage once agreed by the others.

^good idea man i like the sound of that,

It's kinda hard to talk about 1 without the other. Especially when we still don't have an officially decided on plot. Very 1st post in the thread should've had a summary of the finalize story.

Anyway for main villain I'm thinking possibly the leader of the dark wielders army from the Keyblade War revived by Xanatos so Xanatos could profit from the his own attempts at claiming KH.

1. Main villain: Dark Lord of the DKbW army. Responsible for the creation of the Realm of Darkness & it's native heartless. Chernabog is in fact his heartless (the title of dark lord is a loose translation of the word Chernabog).

2. 1st general of the DKbW: Dark Lord's strategist & 2nd-command. He's design is design themed around the Horseman of War.

3. 2nd general: token female of the generals & the front-line commander who always led the charge. Themed around Famine.

4. 3rd general: The defense commander. Themed around Pestilence.

5. Final general: A nameless, always masked character that acts as DL's bodyguard. Unlike EM, BHK o any other hidden identity in the series, his is never revealed. The player will meet him, fight him & kill him without ever learning a damn thing about him.

Any names I tried to come up for any of them just sounded cheesy.

Can't wait to get to gameplay week, I already have ideas for how the horsemen theme is reflected in the boss fights as well as multiple forms of both Dark Lord & Xanatos.

 

[Comoman]

I like the idea of the girl being the main protagonist. But I don't really like the idea of having mickey, donald, and goofy come in directly. I like the idea of making mickey a bit more impish rather then him being a goody goody, but it may give a weird taste since he is already a major character in the real KH. Maybe we could think of other disney friends though. Like Goofy's son, Max. We could make up some thing about him trying to be independent from his dad or something.

 

[Wehrmacht]

Also, what do you mean saying 'just an embodiment of Cloud'?

An embodiment of Cloud's light, to be more specific. It was hinted by Nomura in an interview long ago that she might not even be a real person, given how only a few people interact with her.

 

[sora'sdarkerself]

As i said in the first week's thread, the main protagonist should be a keyblade master that you control
main antagonist: keyblade pupil who kills another pupil and gets banished.
partners to pro- i think it should mainly be just another made up keyblade pupil who goes with him who dies somewhere (i know, cruel) or just keep it solo.
partners to ant(tehe, insect)- some new random disney/marvel/pixar villans, like Zerg, or Magneto.
So far, everyone is un-named.

Edit: My story is going to be set up in the past, like 50 years ago.

 

[TerravsVentus]

Why do we have to recycle existing characters? They just end up being way too OP anyway. Just create some new ones and have some flashbacks about the original cast of characters. The only characters that have to be around are Disney and Final Fantasy characters.

http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/meaning_of_Yoel.htmlYoel - a young key bearer who is training to be a master.

Age 13
Side character
On the Side of Light
Leaning toward magic.
Balanced type