Games built around characters/settings and vice versa

[winstein]

When it comes to the creation of a game, it could go both ways: one is that the character is the basis of the game's existence, or it could be that the game is built first, with characters finding their place later. To use an analogy for the former, it's like the creation of the stuffed toy: the outward appearance of the stuffed toy is what drives its creation, and what happens inside doesn't matter because not as many people care about the insides of a stuffed toy as much as its outward appearance. To use an analogy for the latter, this is like the building of a machine. A machine isn't quite attractive to look at if it's just the inside mechanism, but by putting it an attractive and easy-to-use "skin", other people are attracted by its look and benefit from its function, like a car. Both of these have their uses, so it's unfair to regard one as absolutely superior over the other.

As an example on the former philosophy (game built around the character), there are the numerous licensed games that you see. After all, the licenses are from properties that are attractive, so having their face on the game sells, even if the results are mediocre. It could be a movie tie-in, but it could also be original games based around the character, like Disney Infinity.

One example that follows the latter philosophy (character built around the game) is WarioWare. The creation of a game featuring rapid-fire microgames is not because of Wario's popularity, as much as Wario is prominently featured. In fact, this concept is just a side-game on a Nintendo 64 game called Mario Artist: Polygon Studio, in which players could create their character to use in said microgames. In fact, the designers didn't know they wanted Wario to be the titular character until much later in the first game's development (basically, a game just made out of microgames).

There could even be games that are built around both character and game that to determine the origin of the game into either game or character/setting is to do injustice to this game's origins. An example on a game originating from both game and character is Sonic the Hedgehog. Sega wanted to have a new mascot to be the face of Nintendo, so they put their designers to work. The designers wanted to build a game around speed, and Sonic best illustrates this concept.

So, what other examples are there for games built around the character, and vice-versa? (Or, if you could, a game built around both from the ground up)

Thanks for reading.

 

[Rainami]

pokemon is very much the former, and it's annoying because they think they can allow the actual game quality to be neglected as long as it contains their little mascots (which I love, but the game's "quality" shouldn't revolve around their mere inclusion).

fire emblem is becoming this more and more, but I don't think it's a problem here

characters built around a game....xenoblade might be a good example of this. I love the game, but there are only a few characters I'm a particular fan of, the rest are just sorta okay. I get the idea that the plot/gameplay was established and the characters were just sort of written in after. Besides Riki. Riki was always there.

Luigi's mansion could be an example for either of those, depending on which idea they started with ("game starring luigi" or "ghost catching game")

Hyrule warriors is a good example of both, cause it's an obviously blatant combination of a game (dynasty warriors) borrowing characters from another series (zelda), and the game's literal foundation is both of these concepts together.