Videogame characters are rarely heralded as style icons until their garb is turned into cosplay. Often overlooked are the intricate design choices made by character creators that really pull a look together. Ultimately, the style sense of a character can help or hinder a player’s investment in the storyline and overall belief in the game’s world. Here are a few of the looks we find most fashionable.
Zakariyya Ali: Batman from Arkham Series
When it comes to style, I believe that there is no one who rivals that of the Batman in the Arkhamseries. The visual metamorphosis of this devastating detective, who dons the cape and cowl as he glides through the streets of Gotham, may not initially scream fashion icon.
However, it can be argued that the Batsuit is perhaps the most visually pleasing piece of apparel that has ever graced the video game screen. It truly epitomizes the cold, calculated, and callous nature of the caped crusader whose blacked out attire serves to strike fear in those who dare to impede his quest for justice.
A suit made of kevlar, weaved with ceramic plates centred around an imposing bat symbol, and furnished with a metallic glaze that catches every last drop of rain that falls from the clouds, has often prompted me to take intermittent breaks from smashing and bashing thugs in order to truly appreciate the swagger of the protagonist. If billionaire-gone-ballistic was an outfit, then the developers at Rocksteady have certainly perfected the art of design.
Wing See Li: Ratchet from Ratchet & Clank
I’m not sure what possessed Ratchet to have a keen eye for his recent out-of-this world fashion, but back in 2002 he started out in just a harness and a pair of dark green trousers. Nowadays, he’s known for wearing cutting-edge, high-tech clothing and epic, space-age suits of armour which could make any space-faring astronaut or alien green with envy.
My personal favourite is the pilot suit he wears in Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One. It looks empowering and I’d love to try it on myself, even though it may double as a wardrobe malfunction. He didn’t begin to wear armour until Ratchet & Clank 2: Locked and Loaded and he even started wearing various kinds of pilot suits in Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction.
His fashion sense varies from game to game, but his suits of armour and his clothes are always tailored for possible intergalactic travel.
Mary Helen Josephine: Lara Croft from Tomb Raider
Considering how many different renditions of Lara’s character there are, it’s understandable that every player has their own opinion on which of her looks epitomizes the essence of a tomb raider.
Her style has ranged from a blue tank-top and brown shorts with pistols as accessories, to a puffy red snow jacket and beanie with two climbing axes.
Personally I find her best outfit to be one that’s skin-tight but functional: the black and blue stealth bodysuit from the DLC for Tomb Raider: Underworld. Reminiscent of Charlie’s Angels, this sleek outfit allows for covert operations in and out of water, flexibility when enemies need to be subdued with a roundhouse kick, and she looks absolutely rockin’ while taking care of business. What more could you ask for?
Megan Roxburgh: Aveline du Grandpré from Assassin’s Creed: Liberation
When it comes to style, the protagonists of the Assassin’s Creed franchise all bring something different to the table.
Throughout the series, each protagonist has added their own touches and stories to the iconic hooded robes of the Brotherhood. Altair’s simple version suited his nomadic life, Ezio carried his family’s legacy while Conner paid tribute to his origins and his tribe while Edward used the robes to start a new life.
Shay combined his past and future with his robes while Arno was perfectly suited to walk the streets of revolutionary-era Paris with his tricolour take. Evie and Jacob brought Victorian era tailoring, with Evie using this to her advantage as the ultimate camouflage.
Although the armours of Bayek, Aya, Kassandra, Alexios and Eivor may not fit into the more recognisable look that we perhaps expect from an Assassin, they show an evolution from the very beginnings of the Brotherhood to what we have now. For these earlier eras, it was more a melding of what already existed in terms of armour with the emerging elements that would become the staple.
However, the standout for me is often overlooked—Aveline du Grandpré from Assassin’s Creed: Liberation (depicted overleaf).
More than anyone, she uses her style as a weapon and a shield. By creating three different personas with her looks—a highborn lady, a slave, and a trained assassin—this Creole chameleon weaves her way through the society of New Orleans effortlessly.
Each ‘persona’ also gave her a unique skill: as a lady, her Charming Dress lived up to its name by allowing her to disarm her targets with flattery and wealth. Her slave attire allowed her to go unseen in the masses as she went anywhere and everywhere, while her Assassin outfit harnessed her true skills as a warrior and defender of the people.
But each outfit also gave her limitations. This added realism is something rarely seen since the days of Ezio, and his notoriety being determined by his choice of cape. Aveline’s wardrobe may be a little simpler by the standards of later games—each guise only had a few colour options rather than alternative pieces—but this also suited Aveline’s personality and her determination that the mission was the most important thing.
She truly understands the power that her clothes give her. A power that, on the surface, has been reduced by her mixed-race heritage in the 18th century. Yes, her outfits might not have the iconic flair of Ezio, the ruggedness of Edward or the nobility of Evie but Aveline is head, shoulders, parasols, and fine hats above the rest by combining stealth and subversion with her adaptive attire.
Words by Megan Roxburgh, Mary Helen Josephine, Zakariyya Ali, Wing See Li
This article was published as part of The Indiependent‘s May 2021 magazine edition.
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