Killzone 2 : Hierarchy, Individuality and Symbolism

Killzone 2 is a great example of how humanism and individuality can be used to relate a player to a team, whilst secluding them visually from the other...

Case Study : Killzone 2 Character hierarchy analysis

As one of the initial flagship releases for the PS3, Killzone 2 boasted an immersive and graphical experience brought forward through realistic visuals and iconic character design, namely the antagonistic Helghast race the player must fight throughout the game. The purpose of this case study is to examine how visuals reinforce character abilities and how it links with the hierarchy of units within both fighting factions within the game, analysing the elements that make the helghast faction both iconic and memorable.

AESTHETICS AND INDIVIDUALITY

The design of the 2 opposing factions varies greatly within the Killzone universe. The design of the Helghast characters revolve around aesthetics that create a very dark atmosphere. For example, Guerrilla games wanted the sniper character to be designed in a way to make him feel as inhuman as possible. The idea behind the character was to create a very ghostlike adversary with a cloak and backpack which created a hunchback like pose, and extended hood which blends into his torso and hides his face to create a very sinister, non-human feel with only the glowing red dots of his mask piercing through the shadows. In single player these dark, inhuman like elements create characters that a player may find alien and hard to relate to on a human level.
To comply with the alien atmosphere, the sense of individuality is removed completely within these characters; the face masks aiding the removal of personality and units sporting a very limited unified colour pallet, where the characters act as more of an asset of war rather than a living being. These aesthetics are consistent with the helghast team culture of an efficient and merciless war machine. 

The ISA on the other hand are designed to feel a lot more relatable to the player. Visual elements are more human which makes it a lot easier for a player to relate to. The player’s squad in which he works with throughout the game all have faces with distinguishable features, which define them more as an individual with a personality rather than an asset. The human association with the ISA drives immersion as the ISA character hierarchy and team culture are together more relatable than that of the Helghast, usually forcing the player's perspective of the ISA in a positive light.
However, the ISA protagonist's short-sighted view of the Helghast people as inhuman beings additionally making them difficult to relate to, being seen as a negative trait by some. Following the release of KZ2 and 3, a minority has come to favour the Helghast. The storyline ended up working against the character design, as players sympathised with the antagonistic faction, seeing them as misunderstood and oppressed. (r)

Killzone 2 enemy types grouped in order of appearance

Enemy Type                               Health                  Level of Appearance      Occurrence in Game

Assault infantry                          50                           CR                                           Very High
Rifleman                                    50                           CR                                           Very High
Support Trooper                          50                           CR                                           High
Shock Trooper                            50                           BM                                         Very High
Commando                                100                         SD                                           Medium
Grenadier                                  100                         SB                                           Low
Advanced Assault Infantry           75                           SV                                           Medium
Sniper                                      50                           SV                                           Low
Advanced Shock Trooper           75                           TR                                           Medium
Pyro Trooper                            150                         TC                                           Very Low
Elite Shock Trooper                  100                         TC                                           Low
LMG Trooper                             75                           VP                                           Low

RANK

One of the defining factors of the helghast is the structure of their military hierarchy. In this case, hierarchy refers to the characters in terms of level. In Single player, enemies are gradually introduced to the player in a sequential manner. Characters are categorized in a hierarchy of ability and difficulty; the lowest, most common enemy is at the bottom and more specialized or difficult enemies higher up. Traditionally, it is common for the lowest form of enemy to be introduced first, which in this case is the Assault infantry. Further up, we are introduced to increasingly difficult characters as well as specialist units such as the sniper and the pyro trooper. It appears that the higher the unit appears in the hierarchy, the more they deviate from the common grunt (the Assault Trooper) visually. This hierarchy pushes imbalance between units, allowing the enemies to be introduced in a way that allows a gradual increase in difficulty comparative to the players increasing skill level.

SYMBOLISM
Helghast Hierarchy

Political 
Scolar Visari
Admiral Orlock
Chairman Stahl
Board of Chairmen
Military
Colonel Radec
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Military officers
Infantry

The separation of class within society plays a large part in defining the helghast as a group. Throughout Killzone 2 and 3, the common working class character differs greatly from the Helghan leaders, with no middle class present. Powerful characters, such as the board of chairmen in KZ3, and Scholar Visari all have a design that is a lot more decorative and symbolic, with slick attire coated with medals and helghan décor which represent the wealth and power of the helghast nation. The lower class however, have attire and accessories that are purely functional. One of the easiest identifiers of class is the iconic mask, which represent the working class profession according to the official killzone timeline (r). This is further established through in game cutscenes and promotional artwork depicting the helghast wearing the masks in harsh, poor environments. These identifiers form a useful tool that enables a player to easily identify a character with a position of power in the game.

The design of the main antagonist of Killzone 2, Mael Radec, takes these elements into account and uses them to establish his high ranking position within the hierarchy. It is clear that he is in a position of power through elegant and ornamental design; suitable for his role of military advisor; however, the presence of the iconic mask still places him in the category of soldier. This is reflective of his personality as an outstanding tactician, but not one of a political leader. 

However, on the multiplayer side, all sense of rank and hierarchy are eliminated, or rather, flattened to give players an equal ground. By removing rank, each character focuses more on a unique ability. In a way, there is no longer a common unit in which ranks compare themselves from visually and therefore each character stands out a lot more individually, however, by giving each team an identical counterpart on the other side, the sense of individuality is broken down as it puts emphasis on the player’s role rather than character. The class based system doesn’t stress the importance of one character over another, but rather forces individuality through select abilities. This focus on an imbalance of ability opens the game to more engaging and evolving game styles.  In a sense, the idea of individuality, or lack of, is blurred in multiplayer as the focus is shifted as a team from that as a rank system to that of a class system and is dependent on if a player chooses whether or not to stereotype themselves within their class.

CONCLUSION

It has been identified through this case study that Individuality itself can linked to the hierarchical structure of the team, where symbolism can be used to further categorize characters in the hierarchy and reinforce a character's position, rather than personality. The large gap between classes, and hierarchy that stresses functionality rather than personality helps develop an iconic antagonistic group identity which is quickly and easily identifiable. It was also observed that the level of human association with a character helps prompt favourability, as seen with the inhuman elements on the Helghast and ISA characters; not just aesthetically, but additionally through team culture.