The Silhouette Test is one of the easiest ways to figure out whether a character's design is distinct or not. After all, these outlines should be more than enough to let people recognize certain characters, especially if they play a lead role in the medium they're featured in. This is especially true in the realm of video gaming, which is populated with so many titles that certain characters tend to blend into each other.
This is why it's important to create characters with distinct styles that can be recognized from their silhouette alone. This is easier said than done, with the vast majority of popular games featuring protagonists that aren't really recognizable from their outline alone. The following video game protagonists fail the silhouette in spectacular fashion, which is almost an achievement of its own given how iconic some of these characters really are.
10 Nathan Drake (Uncharted)
Nathan Drake is one of PlayStation's most iconic video game protagonists of all time. However, even his most ardent fans will agree that his character design isn't really all that distinctive in the slightest.
Rather, it's his infectious personality and witty nature that make him such a popular character. Suffice to say, Nathan Drake will be remembered fondly by many fans of the Uncharted series in spite of his cookie-cutter design.
9 Default Male Commander Shepard (Mass Effect)
Commander Shepard is another character that is considered by many to be a notable video game protagonist in his own right. The story that takes place over the course of the original Mass Effect trilogy is pretty incredible, with this character being a major driving force of the same.
Most people play a male Commander Shepard and use the default version of this character, who is considered by many to be the face of the franchise. However, his design isn't really all that iconic, and most people would genuinely struggle to identify his silhouette.
8 Adam Jensen (Deus Ex)
Adam Jensen took over the helm of the legendary Deus Ex franchise during its prequel installments. Just like JC Denton, Adam Jensen was known for his no-nonsense approach to any situation and the unintentional hilarity caused by his deadpan dialogue delivery.
To be fair, Adam Jensen's character design is certainly pretty unique in a lot of ways. However, his silhouette is going to seem similar to every generic character around, which leads to him failing this test in a definitive fashion.
7 Joel Miller (The Last Of Us)
Naughty Dog is known as a master of its craft, and this could be seen in the amazing production values of both Uncharted and The Last of Us. The latter features Joel, a worn-down protagonist who finds something to look forward to in his life once again after Ellie comes into his life.
Troy Baker has done a brilliant job of voicing this protagonist. However, his character design isn't exactly the most notable thing around and doesn't do justice to his legendary stature as a protagonist.
6 Franklin Clinton/Michael De Santa (Grand Theft Auto 5)
Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the greatest open-world games of all time. All three protagonists of this game are pretty notable in their own right and are one of the major reasons why this title was such a masterpiece.
However, while Trevor's silhouette might still be somewhat unique, the same can't be said for both Franklin and Michael. Their designs almost blend into each other when perceived as silhouettes, to the point where both characters seem almost similar!
5 Booker DeWitt (BioShock Infinite)
BioShock Infinite is one of the greatest story-driven first-person shooters ever made. The story of Booker and Elizabeth as they fight against all the odds to fulfill their mysterious goals never ceases to be entertaining.
Since this game plays out from a first-person perspective, perhaps Booker didn't really need to have a really distinct character design — Elizabeth more than makes up for it. Regardless, his silhouette is pretty unremarkable and is a perfect candidate for this list.
4 Marcus Fenix (Gears Of War)
Gears of War is one of Xbox's flagship franchises, pretty much introducing the concept of cover shooting itself. The character that spearheaded the majority of events in these games is none other than the legendary Marcus Fenix himself.
This character might've taken more of a backseat in later games, but is still one of the more notable characters in the series. However, his design is pretty similar to the rest of the characters in the series and absolutely fails the silhouette test.
3 Arthur Morgan (Red Dead Redemption 2)
Red Dead Redemption 2 features one of the greatest single-player campaigns that Rockstar has ever made. The story of Arthur Morgan as he becomes disillusioned with Dutch's gang makes for a great character arc with a pretty tragic ending.
However, Arthur Morgan doesn't really have the most notable silhouette around, as is to be expected from a hyper-realistic character design. Of course, fans need only hear his gruff voice to recognize one of gaming's most iconic characters.
2 Lee Everett (The Walking Dead)
There was a time when Telltale reigned supreme as the developer of modern adventure games with great narratives. This studio skyrocketed to popularity with their incredible work on The Walking Dead, which remains their most popular video game to date.
The protagonist of the first game in this trilogy, Lee Everett, is easily one of the most iconic video game protagonists of all time. No one really cares if his silhouette blends in with other video game characters since his impactful performance and tragic ending have immortalized him in the realm of video gaming.
1 Kiryu Kazuma (Yakuza)
Speaking of iconic characters that fans absolutely adore, Kiryu Kazuma is another character that deserves all his plaudits, and then some. His stoic attitude and admirable chivalry make him a pretty engaging character indeed.
In terms of character design, Kiryu's silhouette blends in with other realistic characters, which is slightly surprising given the Japanese roots of the Yakuza series. However, this is a minor issue, with his powerful voice and immense strength being more than enough to let people recognize this amazing character.