Kyle Hyde (Hotel Dusk/ Last Window: Secret of Cape West)
Kyle Hyde is characterised by his very simple and plain appearance. He is a Caucasian male in his early thirties with short hair and some stubble on his chin. He will either wear a suit or have ‘red crown’ sales Jacket thrown over the top of it. His gestures are very simple, with slight nods, an outstretched hand or hands on his hips being his range of movements in conversation. He is heterosexual but does not actively chase a relationship in both of the games (commenting more than once about his own ‘type’ when dealing with female personalities). He is intelligent but does not actively seek to strain his intelligence with tasks despite his role as the protagonist in a point and click puzzle game – the narrative will often sweep him up without his interest. Beginning as a detective, he quit and became door to door salesmen to aid in his hunt for his former partner, not necessarily enjoying his new career path in the process.
Kyle has a very frank and sharp personality, at times being very confrontational if he does not agree or like the person he is talking to. At points this has led to the tears of a child and the bewildered look of a failing author although more often than not this has also led to the conclusion of peoples troubles. Despite his rough personality Kyle is fair though, and will help others when it is necessary. If someone has a likeable personality and doesn’t pry into Hyde’s life he is not adverse to making friends – although this is very rare.
Kyle’s values are pretty simple; so long as people stay out of his business, he will stay out of theirs. Due to his profession as traveling salesmen, Kyle is frequently travelling and living out of backwater hotels although in actuality he lives in the Cape West apartment block. He does not purchase fancy items although he does enjoy a good meal and a stiff drink at the Bar.
Kyle’s true character is very much as he is characterised. At times where he has a gun pointed at him or he is trapped in a room running out of air, his reaction will still be calm yet frank. With Kyle Hyde what you see is what you get.
“Ace” – 9 Doors 9 Hours 9 Persons
Ace is an interesting character of the interactive novel; 9 Hours, 9 Doors, 9 Persons, whose Characterisation and True Character couldn’t contrast more – making him the perfect example to explore McKee’s definition.
Ace can be characterised at first by his large build and older age to the other central characters. He has mature face (roughly around 40 – 50 in age) which is framed by a mass of flowing hair. The protagonist when he first meets the character makes a mental note referring to him as a Lion before the code name ‘Ace’ is created. Ace appears as one of the most calm and collected of all the characters in 999, with his gestures and general mannerisms seeming kind. Ace is also intelligent, offering assistance when he is around with a good general knowledge. It is revealed at a later date that he is the head of a pharmaceutical company that has created a miracle drug and with that it could be assumed he lives a good lifestyle but this isn’t actually shown in the game (neither is reflected by his clothing)
Behind the mask of “Ace” however lies his true character. His calm nature is still at the forefront but his kind actions take a much darker tone as they are to aid his own personal goals by manipulating everyone with the veil he has so carefully laid down. Under pressure from the Nonary game scenario he will always choose brute force to get the outcome he desires – at two endings coercing central characters via a weapon while others he kills characters that stand in the way by using a knife. At the root of all of his actions lie a desperate yet simple goal, to be gain the ability to distinguish between human faces, but the way he carries these goals out is in no way relative to the characterisation and kind manner in which he presents himself to others. The true character of Ace is a contradiction of his characterisation – acting as a figure that the player should trust.
Miles Edgeworth
Another interesting character to examine in regards to Characterisation/ True Character would be Miles Edgeworth from the Ace Attorney series. Miles is a 26 year old prosecutor for the American courts. He is considered to be Handsome and impeccably presented, wearing a red suit which is embellished with a flowing white cravat. At the beginning of the game Edgeworth is referred as a demon of the courtroom and this is shown in the way that he acts. His gestures and poses can range from rigid, to courteous to even derisive. They are also almost theatrical, with Bows, disapproving shrugs and a singular wagging finger all being prominent actions when he makes his point. His personality reflects this also. Edgeworth will be ruthless when it comes to getting a guilty verdict for the defendant but will treat witnesses and the judge with the utmost respect – often to gain favour and in return make Phoenix Wright, the protagonist, suffer additional hardships. In his early exchanges with the protagonist he is harsh and unforgiving, keeping his professionalism as the opposing Prosecutor above his status as a childhood friend. From these points it is clear that Edgeworth is an exceptionally intelligent but focused individual and this is also shown by his in game reputation as a prosecuting prodigy. Not much is mentioned on how Edgeworth lives other than his love for fine teas (having a hotel bellboy personally delivering him Tea in his office) and that he must have a reasonable amount of money to his name by his bright red mustang car.
Edgeworth’s true character is buried deep underneath the ruthlessness that was beaten into him by his mentor, Manfred Von Karma. While he was taught to strive for perfect guilty verdicts, after his first surprise ‘loss’ he began to question this – more than once assisting Phoenix to discover the truth when he realised who truly committed the crime. It could be said that when he is under pressure he will make the morally correct decision and this in turn became more and more prominent throughout the series. Initially Edgeworth’s interest was purely in getting a guilty verdict (with the first case involving attempting to prove Phoenix’s guilt for a crime that Edgeworth knew he didn’t commit) but by the final game in the Ace Attorney timeline (Ace investigations for which Edgeworth is the protagonist), his mantra becomes discovering the truth.
Like Phoenix Wright, and any other character in the series, under pressure Edgeworth’s disposition will change dramatically depending on the plot development. Unlike Phoenix’s expressions of Shock and Bewilderment, Edgeworth will appear startled and then furious – quietly muttering bemused comments to himself for having overlooked something.
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