Summary
From pixel-perfect hand-drawn movements to 3D first-person animations, the breadth of the video game industry ensures that almost every title is distinguishable from the next. However, suppose a player were to set their controller down and let the characters sit still. In that case, they may well find that the characters who were once completely under their control are no longer reliant on their input to walk and talk around the game world.
Ranging from the sarcastic 90s charm of Sonic the Hedgehog to the finicky twisting and pressing of knobs and switches in a first-person shooter. These idle animations are fun easter egg moments for keen-eyed players that also act as nuanced elements of character portrayal.
Despite a video game industry filled to the brim with mascot platforming characters, the run-and-gun antics ofEarthworm Jimare a unique remnant of the fourth console generation. Shiny Entertainment’s 1994 tongue-in-cheek title satirizes"the prime era for the side-scrolling platformer"by sending the eponymous hero to save the appropriately titled Princess What’s-Her-Name.
However, in between genre-bending levels and toilet-humor-named boss fights, if a player was to leave their Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Sega Genesis controller for long enough, Jim takes the time to entertain himself. From using his elasticated head as a jump rope and blowing up his firearm in his face to accidentally exposing his underwear,Earthworm Jimdisplays a level of character and personality that few protagonists of the time could rival.
With players having to go 11 years hoping to see even a glimpse of the Master Chief’s exposed face, much ofHalo: Combat Evolved’s portrayal of the character is done through dialogue and in-game idle animations. While Captain Keyes and Cortana get their chance to shine through heavily emoted conversations and animations, John-117’s first-person perspective restricts the player.
Yet, by twiddling the knobs and inspecting the design ofHalo: Combat Evolved’s arsenal of UNSC and Covenant weapons, players can immerse themselves further in the 2001 title. Alien firearms such as the Needler are given a closer look, while human heavy-ordinance such as the Rocket Launcher spin their barrels and provide more context to the FPS action on screen.
With such an arguably immovable reputation as one of the best video games of all time,The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Timenot only revolutionized the video game landscape but set Nintendo on a trajectory it has seemingly stayed true to into the 21st century. Bolstering its position as"a bonafide classic", 1998’sOcarina of Timeemployed the burgeoning 3D technology of the Nintendo 64 to portray Link and Hyrule in a way that had never been seen before.
This jump into 3D not only provided a polygonal physique for Link but allowed Nintendo EAD to employ idle animations in the Hero of Hyrule’s child and adult forms. From fixing his belt and kicking off the mud from his shoes to shivering in the cold and wiping his brow in the sweltering heat.
Considering British video game developer Rare’s family-friendly output on fifth console-generation systems, the fact that they simultaneously created a character who arguably became the"symbol of darkly comedic gaming"is commendable. Conker - a boozy, foul-mouthed red squirrel - commanded his eponymous title,Conker’s Bad Fur Day,with such charisma and personality that the title soon became a cult classic N64 title.
This charm is continued with Conker’s idle animations that occur if players leave him standing still for long enough. Ranging from reading a pun-titled adult magazine to breaking out a Game Boy exudingKiller Instinctsound effects, Conker’s metanarrative movements are just another way thatConker’s Bad Fur Daywears its tongue-in-cheek tone on its sleeve.
The prevailing popularity of Games Workshop’sWarhammer: Age of Sigmar&Warhammer: 40,000properties have continued for nearly 40 years, and in that time they have spawned a"near-endless library of video games". These have ranged from third-person action RPGs and 4X Strategy crossovers to boomer shooter FPS titles like 2023’sWarhammer 40,000: Boltgun.
Set within the grimdark world of theWarhammer 40,000universe, players take first-person control of Space Marine Malum Caedo as he battles against factions of Chaos. Despite the aesthetic of Auroch Digital’s title,Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun’s DOOM-esque visuals are bolstered by modern enemy AI and contemporary elements such as modern user interface and idle animations. Arguably the most notable of the animations is the presentation of the Space Marine’s Codex Astartes, which he proceeds to read silently - complete with the flipping of pages.
With the 2017 launch of the Nintendo Switch, the century-old Japanese company brought their flagshipThe Legend of Zeldafranchise to both their failed eight-generation and newly-released hybrid consoles. With few titles available at launch,Breath of the Wild’s exploration of both the franchise and the open-world genre was able to shine.
Even with other stand-out launch titles throughout the years,“there may not be many games as celebrated as Breath of the Wild”. With an attention to detail and refreshing deconstruction of a minimalist Hyrule,Breath of the Wild’s depiction of Link continued the series' history of a mute protagonist but injected his interactions with a level of personality and charm arguably never seen before. This can be seen through Link’s interaction with his environment, which is made all the more dynamic by his reactive idle animations depicting the temperature of the climate or even Link’s ego-driven muscle stretching.
With 14 years between the last of Rare’sDonkey Kong Countryinstallments andDonkey Kong Country Returns' 2010 revival of the series, the video game industry had evolved through multiple generations of Nintendo home console systems. As such, what may have been introduced to theDonkey Kongseries on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System could now be expanded as Nintendo began to create titles in the 21st century.
These developments can be seen through the lens of the Donkey Kong crew’s evolving idle animations. From a simple scratch of the head or hat flip on the SNES to a fourth-wall-breaking animation in 2010. In theduology of modern DK titles' adaptations and re-releases, the Donkey Kong troupe proceeded to play a host of Nintendo titles on a progressively evolving slew of Nintendo handheld devices; from the DS and 3DS to the Nintendo Switch.
With a legacy spanning nearly 35 years and a position as the mascot of one of the video game industry’s landmark publishers, SEGA’sSonic the Hedgehogfranchise has been at the forefront of hardware and software development since its inception. From 16-bit platforming and early 3D technology, SEGA has seemingly used Sonic’s fast-paced platforming adventures to evolve the medium.
Such development can be seen throughout the Blue Blur’s history, but the gameplay-focused idle animations from 1993’sSonic CDare atypical of SEGA’s tongue-in-cheek Sonic persona and the company’s technological triumphs. Instead ofcombating Metal Sonicor rescuing Amy Rose, players can instead leave Sonic waiting as they set their controller down. After roughly three minutes, this sets off Sonic proclaiming; “I’m outta here!” before jumping into the foreground, triggering a game over screen.
