Characters should age over time

[MetroAndroid]

Characters aging from game to game makes for a world that feels alive. This rarely happens in games nowadays and the possibilities that stem from this seem to endlessly expand (insert tasteless joke). For instance doing a prequel story of one game where you interact with the younger selves of characters from the first game (though not in a forced "LOOK IT'S A PREQUEL!" way) while meeting new characters. Another result of this is that eventually, characters die; however, this can lead to more interesting story opportunities as well.

[Alph]

I agree. I love when games have characters age between installments. However, I also think it should be done in a very controlled fashion. After all, you've got to allow for the possibility that these games will hopefully become successful franchises, and you want the characters to last a long while without getting too old too fast.

[TheMasterDS]

Rare's previous games totally had that. Banjo-Kazooie games especially.

[Jellyfunk]

Remember, this is a team of 7? people. The first game can't be too ambitious.

[polomi]

[Taylor]

I somewhat disagree. I think the characters should become known and lovable -- frozen in time just like Mario, Donkey Kong, Sonic, The Simpsons etc. (I know there's occasionally some ageing, but they don't change much).

Sure, we could have flashback/flash-forward games in the future, just like Grunty's Revenge, but that's thinking way ahead.

[Exaskryz]

Aging enough to have characters die would be too much I think.

But being able to piece together a timeline based on the age of certain characters would be really fascinating. Maybe it doesn't have to be limited to age, but it can include relationships too. Two romantics in Game 1 can be married in Game 2, and then you play as their kids in Game 3 on a mission to rescue their parents. Of course all of the NPCs are lending you their support because they were good friends with your parents in Game 1. Stuff like that would be really interesting.

[Krockhead]

[Nightpaws]

Ageing in games doesn't have to work like it does in real life remember. If you want to age characters to make the plot of the game more plausible, you can. If not for the next 10 years, you don't have to.

Banjo & Kazooie aged two years between games. If they were to appear in another game they'd look much the same age they did in Nuts & Bolts probably despite near 20 years passing since their first adventure. Isn't technology wonderful. Non-linear ageing is great :3

It's all a big Wibbly-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey ball of stuff anyway.

[Taylor]

Touché, Krockhead, but look at Donkey Kong nowadays. He's arguably the exact same age from his Donkey Kong Country days, as is Diddy. I support ageing in the sense of "this game is a prequel" or whatever, but y'know...

[ottake]

It would be ok to do it as long as it's funny and as long as they don't restrict themselves because of it.

[Jellyfunk]