Black and Rad: : Movement Design as Characters’personality in Hollow Knight and Hollow Knight - Silkson

Sammanfattning

Abstract: This study aims to establish a link between character movement design and game narrative.Using close reading as its primary method, the study takes the two protagonists from HollowKnight and Hollow Knight: Silksong as case studies. Under controlled conditions, it analyzeswhether the movements of the two characters within a non-combat platforming level cancommunicate their differing character personalities.Both characters are designed with distinct movement abilities and mechanics, resulting insignificant differences in their bodily expression and gameplay feel. Drawing primarily on Klevjer (2012)’s theory of embodiment, together with Lankoski (2010)’s framework ofcharacter design, this study employs close reading as its research method. The study uses anon-combat platforming section of the game, the Mount Fay level, as its experimental setting.By recording and closely observing this author's own playthroughs of this level whilecontrolling each character, the study collects data for analysis through close reading.Since embodied cognition suggests that different bodies give rise to different experiences andperceptions, this author arrived at a clear realization during the late-game stages of both titles:these are not merely two mechanically distinct player characters, but two embodiedpersonalities with fundamentally different characteristics. The differing movement systems ofthe Knight and Hornet shape the player's experience in unique ways, contributing to theconstruction of distinct character identities through gameplay itself.