We all like a little style in our characters. You don’t want to spend an entire game looking at a bland character. The thing is, it takes a lot to make a great character design. Not just a great, detailed outfit, but something that looks practical in-game, fun, and instantly recognizable.
For some characters, you don’t even need a full outfit for the design to work. Sure, it’s easier to make a whole multi-piece ensemble stand out, but sometimes all you need is a little something. Kind of like shoes! They keep your feet protected Y the best ones can introduce a character or a game instantly.
7 The Legend of Zelda — Boots of Pegasus
The Legend of Zelda is a household name in gaming, making up many of the oldest standards in the industry. The Zelda series has always been famous for its puzzles and temples that are great (and some a bit more nefarious), though the devices that make them up are just as important.
Everyone knows the hook, the bombs and the boomerang, essential tools throughout many of Link’s adventures. However, sometimes there’s a passage you just can’t jump over, and that’s where the Pegasus boots come in! Known as the Hover Boots in Ocarina of Time, they appear in many entries to save Link from the dark abyss of a dungeon, with tiny wings that keep him afloat.
6 Rachet and Clank — Gravity Boots
Classics of the Playstation generation, the Ratchet and Clank series is much loved, colorful and destructive in such a whimsical way. Each game is packed with magma-firing weapons to transform your enemies, but there’s no shortage of tactical gadgets either.
Ratchet and Clank is very fond of environmental puzzles, taking you through areas and defying gravity. One of the most emblematic are the Gravity Boots. There are plenty of different boots in the wide series with similar effects, but the Gravity Boots, which let you walk on any supported surface at various wild angles, are perhaps the best known.
5 Pokemon — Running Shoes
Did you know that Pokémon is the largest media franchise in the world? It’s a bit strange to think about when you’re just looking at the main games, however Pokémon is in just about every aspect of life. It was actually quite difficult to search for “Pokémon shoes” for this item, for example. But Pokémon does have some iconic shoes!
Do you remember when you were a child and alone Really Did you want to go for a run but your parents said you didn’t have your running shoes? Any player of 2D Pokémon games knows this well. You can’t have a true Pokémon adventure without running shoes first that allow you to speed through tall grass.
4 Jet Set Radio — Inline Skates
Before becoming the main character on Twitter and a fan of Family Guy, Hideki Naganuma was the famous composer behind Jet Set Radio, a game that popularized cel-shaded games. He had such beautiful artistic expression and so few games since have come close to the exact vibe that he had.
Jet Set Radio’s gameplay reveled in the graffiti culture of the late 1990s, scoring points and battling rival gangs while gliding on your skates. They’re definitely not your average shoe type, but they’re not your average game either, and an exception can be made for such a cool experience.
3 Bayonetta — Gun Heels
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There is a lot to say about Bayonetta. There’s the exciting and stylish combat, the upbeat jazz music, and the humorous twist of the angels who are the true antagonists of the game. Bayonetta commits sacrilege on a daily basis, to be honest. All that said, the most iconic part of it all is the witch herself, the intense design of her to be precise.
Although it has two wonderful and different styles between each game, there are always shared elements. The butterfly-winged glasses, the clothes made from her own hair, and of course the high heels made from guns. While her heels would still remain intact with the weapons removed, it’s pretty handy (football?) that you don’t even have to take them off to shoot them with ease.
two Sora — Clown Shoes
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Kingdom Hearts is a series that, on paper, doesn’t feel like it should have ever been made, or at least lasted as long as it has. Yet here we are, 20 years later, and it still exists. The worlds of Disney and Final Fantasy are in no rush to end, and that’s a good thing, too, because Nomura has nowhere else to design such wonderfully bizarre characters.
Kingdom Hearts’ beloved protagonist Sora is a lovable little jerk. He is not the brightest of brains, but his heart does shine. He is an electric personality, with a style to match. He’s been through quite a few redesigns in games, and even in concept, but the one thing he’s never lost is his clown shoes. They are too big for him.
1 Sonic — His slippers
Sonic is a bit of a fun character in the gaming sphere. Made in an attempt to rival Mario, his games have never achieved the same acclaim, and 3D games are far from universally beloved. Regardless, however, Sonic is a much more beloved character than Mario, and just as recognizable, despite wearing roughly 99 percent fewer clothes.
Sonic has gone through a ton of different looks in every medium he’s been in, but he’s never lost the one piece of clothing he’s always had: his sneakers. Red shoes with white stripes and that little flash of Ring Yellow complete it. If there was any character that was instantly recognizable just by his feet, it would be Sonic. Which is a bit awkward fact to write.
