“Fashion experiences itself as a right, the natural right of the present to the past,” said the critic Roland Barthes in his 1967 book The fashion system. Likewise, I’m saying that an outfit change can completely take over a video game, push yourself to the front of the crowd, and null all previous outfits and vibes. With that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of nine of the most memorable outfit changes in games.
While you might not directly notice a game’s fashion as you play it – at least not as much as you notice more obvious things like the controls and how many enemies are on-screen trying to eat you right now – important style moments play a big part setting a tone and expectations of the game.
I’m serious. Think about it. If kirby uses a copy ability to don a nifty little hat, he also gains formidable powers and his previous existence as a defenseless gumball of exposed flesh is completely replaced. If individual 5‘s Joker awakens as a phantom thief, a bat-winged mask over his bleeding eyes, it’s impossible to imagine him still an inept high schooler. And can you even remember Bayonetta being introduced as a veiled nun if the catsuit she transforms into looks like The?
Probably not. Oh la la! Read on to learn about these unforgettable outfit changes and a few more.
