No video games exist without 2D characters. They are the heart of the games after all.
If you are creating a video game, you should have 2D artists who understand the story and the entertainment value. The first thing they should be apprised of is the plot.
The plot
When the artists understand the plot of the game, they will be better at crafting the 2D game art.
The story is the driver of the entire game. It will also serve as an inspiration for the artist to create the characters.
Is the story a fun one? Then the character design will also be fun, which can be gleaned from the construct and the colors.
Remember Pokemon GO? People had such a blast catching those Pokemons wherever they went. It really helps that the characters were also fun to watch.
Video games may be fun but the story could also be a dark one. Surely the Pokemon characters won’t do well in such a plot.
Grand Theft Auto is action-packed and thrilling. The characters in that game are quite apt.
Characters’ animation, too, have to be aligned with the plot. The way they move and the way they talk—if they do talk—should be in consonance with the story.
For those looking to outsource characters animation, Argentics is the game development company they should be looking for. The company surely knows how to create 2D characters that would match the storyline and everything else that completes a video game.
Research
Even if the plot of the video game is unique and original, it’s really important that the 2D artist research. Actually, a whole lot of research is needed.
First, while the plot is unique, the artist has to research what the general plot is about. This will give them inspiration when they create the 2D characters.
Second, they have to research other video games as well. It’s not just about scoping the competition but also looking at games that are totally different from what is expected from the game at hand. By doing so, the artist will have many perspectives when it comes to creating the best characters possible for the game.
It’s also really helpful to research good and bad 2D characters. This will help you figure out why some characters’ animation is good while others aren’t. Why do some characters work and some don’t? That’s a lot to figure out.
With research comes analysis. It would be very helpful to analyze what makes a good character design and what doesn’t.
There’s more, too. You don’t have to stop your research with video games and character animation. When the artist researches and creates 2D characters, they could also look around their surroundings. There is plenty of inspiration around and one should use anything to create the best 2D characters.
Creativity
Of course, with everything, creativity is an absolute necessity. Creating 2D characters, which would be the heart of the game, should be designed with a lot of heart as well.
One great exercise for creativity is just sketching anything until the story comes to life. Eventually, one would be sketching for the actual 2D game.
It’s hard to make creativity flow. When it comes to design, it helps to just create until something eventually makes sense.
Game art
The 2D characters may be the heart of video games but they are not enough to make the game amazing. It takes so much more than the characters to make people love a game.
The 2D game art, for one, makes the game characters so much better. If you think the character is great on paper, wait until they are in the total package. The game art will help elevate the characters.
It also depends on how good the 2D game art is. That is definitely something that a 2D artist needs to focus on as well.
Every aspect of the game, as well as all the things that tie to the characters, should be focused on to create a holistic game package.
Entertainment value
The characters make the whole game entertaining and the entertainment value also makes the 2D characters way better than they actually are.
It’s like a symbiotic relationship. The artists create 2D characters that match the concept of the video game, which was conceptualized to create entertainment value.
However, if the characters are not up to par, how much entertainment are players actually going to have? On the other hand, if the characters’ animation is amazing but the entire concept is not really entertaining, then the game will fail anyway.
The perfect game
What makes a good video game? The whole package should be better than the sum of its parts. But it also really matters that each part is great on its own. However, when together and united, it should be something magical.
Unity is an important matter that should be emphasized. There should be synchronicity and all aspects should be working together rather than just looking good together.
It is also important that each factor would stand on its own. For example, the 2D characters should be good on or outside of the game. Why? Because that could be very useful when it comes to marketing. Sometimes, you just want the characters on a mug or on stationery. There would be no game art to elevate it.
It’s the same with the concept or the gameplay mechanics. They should sound good as they are. Sometimes, you have to convince people with just the word of mouth and without the characters and the videos that make the game enticing.
Amazing graphics and storytelling round up the elements that make for great video games that people can just play for years to come. Of course, creators should also have the foresight to continue developing the game and providing updates so gamers would not feel bored with it.