While I played Julian’s latest update, what REALLY grabbed me was Valdemar.
I mean, of course this character was supposed to be creepy. But do not tell me I was the only one that got goose bumps throughout chapter 2. Or even each time that we see this character. I truely did NOT want to be anywhere near this character, as they put off such a heavy air of uncomfort.
I personally think that it comes down to visual and body language. And not the actual look of the character, but how they are presented.
Look at our “villains” of the moment. Lucio, Volta, Vulgara....so many of them are facing a certain way in their pieces.
Volta: Perceived as coy, timid, front facing. But the body expression says it all. Covered up in posture, as if to protect herself.
Vulgara: While looking at the player with a fairly menacing expression, I feel that it is less strong then Valdemer’s because of the body posture. While the face is turned towards the player, the body is not. There is a curved posture, rather then liner. And the eyes are pointed up at the character instead of down.
Lucio: Yet again, similar to Vulgara in the sense that the body posture is key here. And not to mention Lucio is meant to look as a “white knight” style of character. And yet, he is indeed a villain.
Towards the left side of the screen, with the gaze either pointed away or shooting out from the corner of their eye. While eerie, it does not pack as much of a punch as Valdemar does, in my opinion.
Valdemar is positioned in a way that the character is straight from head to toe facing the player, with their red eyes facing downwards on the character, whereas the rest were facing up or exact. This is a very fascinating visual to me, because in comparison to the others, this creates an air of “no escape.” That the gaze traps the player, rather then examples of Lucio and Vulgara, where they are being peered at from the corner of these character’s eyes. The visual of being stared down upon is quite frightening in its own right, but giving the visual characteristic of this character being much taller then the player, coupled with the oddities of their demeanor and visual shape, I think the devs have a powerful villain here!
Truly to me, I feel that it is all about body language!