Character design is a difficult task. It’s already hard enough to convince high-level executives to put more diversity in their games, let alone give artists the freedom to make a character that breaks the mold. Making a character stand out enough to be appealing, but not enough to draw away attention is essential.
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Scars are an incredible, if somewhat conventional, way of showcasing this. It adds a bit more depth to a body, sure, but it also lets a character’s body showcase their history without ever having to speak about them. The body can be a canvas in that regard, and a great way to make your character more unique and be an effective storytelling technique.
10Mass Effect - Garrus
When it comes to beloved video game characters, Bioware has plenty of favourites. They come in many shapes and sizes, thoughMass Effecthas the benefit of havinga wonderful variety of alien races.
Take fan-favourite Garrus. Featured in all three games, he only gets his scar in the second game. During his recruitment mission, he’s shot badly enough by a gunship to leave scarring across his face. It gives him growth as a character, but also gives him the chance to exclaim that scars are sexy, actually.
9The Witcher - Geralt
The Witchergames are wonderful adaptation of the original books, as well as a great insight into the folklore of Eastern Europe. But as much as they are known for that, they are known for their fantastic characters.
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Namely, Geralt. He doesn’t need much introduction, being one of gaming’s most iconic protagonists. Those scars though? Unlike many other characters with small but significant gashes, Geralt’s whole body is wrought with scars. Most of them were acquired after his escape from the Wild Hunt, and would remain the sole reminder of who he was until his memories returned.
8Assassin’s Creed - Ezio
Across Ubisoft’s seemingly endless historical romps,Assassin’s Creedhas still managed to churn out quite a few endearing protagonists. Bayek and the way he channels his rage, Kassandra and the wonderful delivery of her great plethora of dialogue, but Ezio remains as the symbol of the series.
Unlike most of their other protagonists, you spend decades ageing with Ezio across the games, and so his scar becomes all the more prominent. What was caused by a tossed stone during a petty street fight, would remain as a hairless patch on his adult face. It served as a reminder of how far he’d come, how his morals evolved, and just how far away his innocent childhood was.
7Twilight Princess - Ganondorf
Few series have managed to tell almost the exact same story with almost identical themes across so many games and decades asZeldahas. Ganon, Zelda, and Link are the core of every game, the righteous duo sealing away the Prince of Darkness and saving the world.
Twilight Princess takes the world in a slightly darker direction, showing the torture Ganondorf is put through during his imprisonment. He was executed by the Six Sages at one point, or they at least attempted to. They failed, with Ganondorf simply shrugging off the attempt and leaving a vast chasm of light peering out of his chest, almost as a warning that no power of light could truly defeat him.
6Metal Gear Solid 5 - Venom Snake
When it comes toMetal Gear, it can be hard enough to keep track of the vast cast of characters considering the layered motives, changing wars and general hectic, complex nature of how the games' stories unfold. It only gets harder when you bring up Snake. Which Snake, exactly?
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In this instance, it’s Venom Snake! First appearing in the original Metal Gear games, it’s not quite evident you’re even playing as him until the game ends, but that doesn’t reduce his scar. Incurred during the assault on Mother Base from Ground Zeroes, Snake has a massive scar and shrapnel adorning his face the whole game. It even grows with evil actions, so don’t kill people.
5Final Fantasy 10 - Auron
Final Fantasy 10is one of the best Final Fantasy games there is. It signified a major shift for the series, with full voice-acting, more traditional turn-based combat, and the first Final Fantasy without Uematsu as the primary composer.
It also comes with some of the best characters too. Tidus and Yuna are obvious, but Auron is especially tragic. Though he attempts to hide it, he features a pretty prominent scar over his eye. It could almost be seen as a simple warrior’s heritage, but he actually got it fortrying to defy the fate dealt out to himand his friends. It was left as a reminder of what he’d done, but only strengthened his resolve.
4God Of War - Kratos
TheGod of Wargames have undergone a rather dramatic shift with the most recent entries, bringing Kratos to the home of Norse Mythology and away from the metaphorical scars of his past. It’s a new beginning for him, though old wounds heal slowly.
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Much of his time is spent trying to ignore this past, rather than reconcile with it. He has plenty of scars from the earlier games, but the most prominent of them are those along his arms caused by the Blades of Chaos. They’re wrapped as if to repress them, which we’ve seen doesn’t exactly wash away his past.
3Kingdom Hearts - Saïx
Kingdom Heartscharacters are a special breed. They defy logic in many regards because what you know about them might simply always be false, and neither you nor they may even know it. Everything in Kingdom Hearts functions on the basis of “trust me, it’ll be explained at some point”.
That’s why Saïx’s scar is so interesting and funny. It’s a massive x-shaped scar right across their whole face, yet, thus far, there is no explanation for it. But, and this is the real fun of Kingdom Hearts, it’s an X. X is an absurdly important letter, one that forms the name ofevery member of Organization XIII. Undoubtedly we’ll get the answer, eventually.
Rockstar, aside from making some of the most detailed and lived-in open worlds out there, also has a habit of creating some truly iconic characters. The likes of CJ, Trevor and Arthur Morgan are special characters that have been written with a wonderful purpose. Some are deeper than others, but they all fit their world.
Much in the same vein as Arthur, John Marston is an incredible protagonist. He’s not a ‘good’ person, but he knows that. He just wants to settle down and be happy. So much of his life is portrayed as being terribly storied, and the scars across his face are a testament to that.Red Dead Redemption 2actually gives the answer to those scars, though maybe it fits better to leave it in the past.
1Deadly Premonition - Francis York Morgan
Deadly Premonitionis a game simply unlike anything else out there. It’s a game that wholeheartedly wears its inspirations on its sleeve, yet it may also somehow manage to out-weird them, while still being perfectly succinct. It’s an incredible diamond in the rough.
Francis York Morgan has two distinct scars. This is important, as he is constantly quizzed on the rather large one across his hairline, yet he always responds as though it’s the smaller one on his cheek. This might seem like odd aloofness, but it’s actually because it’s, well, not his scar. It’s Francis Zach Morgan’s, who is either his alter ego, or an actual other person living in his mind palace. If that sounds confusing, it’s because it is, yet something you should still play to uncover for yourself.
