No matter your gender, for those who’ve ever created a feminine or femme-presenting player-character–especially in an RPG–you’ve nearly actually encountered a problem that has been plaguing the style since video games first made the soar from 2D to 3D: actually, actually, actually dangerous coiffure choices for feminine characters. And look, I get it. Animating 1,000,000 little strands of hair is tough and time-consuming, and devs do not at all times have the funding to make a ton of flowing coiffure choices with lengthy, luscious locks.
However that does not cease them from making an attempt to painting longer hair–it simply tends to be styled in a convoluted up-do that claims, “See, this character completely has loads of hair, she simply spends six hours each morning following intricate Ye Olde Hair Tutorials to make sure her locks is not going to transfer regardless of what number of heavy assaults she takes.”
Now, RPG gamers are bringing these off-the-wall hairstyles to life through tongue-in-cheek movies depicting the battle gamers face when attempting to create a feminine character with lengthy hair. From lengthy ponytails that don’t react to physics in anyway to site visitors cone-shaped up-dos, listed here are a few of our favourite player-made takes on feminine online game hairstyles.
1. Cursed pigtails
Irrespective of when or the place an RPG is ready, for some cause there at all times appear to be at the very least six completely different pigtail-style hair choices, all of which in some way handle to each suck and look wildly misplaced, particularly when your character is absolutely decked out in heavy armor.
2. Messy buns
Nothing says, “I’m the chosen one, right here to avoid wasting the realm!” like rocking as much as the battle trying like an Owlbear simply tried to construct a nest in your hair. Why precisely emulate the look of historic hairstyles when you’ll be able to simply give ’em the ol’ “haircut courtesy of my five-year-old sister” particular?
3. Lengthy, but impervious to physics
In case you do discover a lengthy coiffure, make no mistake: It completely is not going to transfer. If, by some miracle, it does transfer, it’s going to transfer as one singular mega-hair quite than a head of particular person strands.
4. These frickass bangs with a random braid
Nothing says “elegant badass” like a single, tiny braid in the course of your brow.
5. Lengthy hair, however make it look quick
Inevitably, if you do discover a longer hair model, devs can have gone out of their approach to verify it seems to be bizarre from nearly each angle, with strands which have been twisted, braided, and wrapped round themselves to the purpose that even getting hit with Storm of Vengeance would not blow a single hair misplaced. These kinds are sometimes very tall or extensive, to offer the looks of size, whereas making certain no person truly has to animate it.
On the intense aspect, issues are positively getting better–as a lot as I struggled to get pleasure from Dragon Age: The Veilguard, I do have to offer credit score the place credit score is due: My character could have appeared like a half-melted Bratz doll, however each single strand of her hip-length hair moved individually, and responded appropriately to wind, physique motion, and adjustments in inertia. Essentially the most enjoyable I had with that recreation was watching my Rook’s hair flip round as she dove and dodged in fight. Veilguard additionally had an outstanding number of POC hairstyles, going far past the same old “generic fade for males, afro or quick braids for girls” choices present in most video games. (EA’s Frostbite Engine is the supply of the magic behind Veilguard’s nice hair physics.)
Nonetheless, there’s positively room for enchancment in terms of hair animation within the video games trade. As a lot as I get a kick out of seeing what lengths studios will go to as a way to keep away from having to animate lengthy hair, I do hope that extra studios–especially these engaged on RPGs with customized player-characters–take the time to animate hair with the care it deserves.
Within the meantime, I will be over right here attempting to determine the place I can get my arms on a few of this magical, gravity-defying hairspray that appears to be out there to each feminine NPC in each RPG recreation ever.
