I see. Could you give an example of a character that does it all right, in your opinion?
Does it all right is subjective to preference on some levels but if I was to choose someone whose physique, posture and general way of moving conveys what they'll be about without resorting to grapplers (which is easy mode lol) I guess a good example would be Glacius on the current X1 version of KI.
- Tall with a very upright posture and long limbs. This implies his limbs and attacks would be good for keeping people out.
- Smaller physique than the rest of the cast...muscular but lanky. This implies he's not a powerhouse per move and that he'll have to chip and poke away at people implying a run and gun mentality.
- Very alien looking. This implies his attacks would likely not be standard punch kick martial artsy in theme but something else...given its alien looking often this refers to projectiles, lasers, or abnormal powers.
- Since Glacius is ice themed in textures and in all the spiky ice shapes on him and even in name it conveys that his alien moves will involve a lot of ice oriented attacks. Ice is spiky...so is Glacius honestly. This conveys to the player they will see icicle attacks in some manner. Possibly at long range.
- When Glacius moves he is very upright as I mentioned before...not hunched. When thin characters hunch over it is to make themselves look smaller to make themselves less of a target. This usually conveys speed and agility to folks. Also on the flipside if large brutes do this it implies pouncing and ground and pound like a gorilla or linebacker. Since Glacius is thin, but upright and walking chest thrust out without anysort of defensive posture it conveys a sense of power and confidence implying at a glance someone with tricks that I've already mentioned seem otherworldly, ice themed, possibly icicle based, and ranged in some manner due to his lankiness and somewhat due to the analgous aliens=pew pew attacks thing.
- He definitely does not look generic and passes a silhouette test.
He's a good example of someone who was designed properly both for their theme and for their fighting style as a collective piece. There are lots of characters that do this. I didn't want to go easy mode though and choose a grappler...you can lurch and be buff as shit to convey that.
Thought you'd enjoy the breakdown of Glacius more. Hope this clears up where I'm coming from. Body language, physique, textures, shapes on the character, facial expression...these all convey a lot and create very memorable characters. Its just something you need to work with or you get very samey designs...which is what I'm really lamenting in Arcana Heart right now since I love the metagame but loathe the art lol. At a glance I know where to look in the cast in KI for certain sort of characters in general. At a glance in Arcana Heart I can't tell who does what which is why I'm having to dig through the roster so much and test everyone. Nothing is implied in generic schoolgirl outfit stuff.