Presentation Schedule
Visual Representation of Character Archetypes in Mystic Messenger: A Comparative Study of Zen and Seven (707) (110915)
Session Chair: Lung Ghi Roger Lin
Thursday, 12 November 2026 11:10
Session: Session 2
Room: Room D (4F)
Presentation Type:Oral Presentation
Character archetypes play a fundamental role in shaping personality, behavior, and visual representation in interactive narrative games, particularly in otome games, where archetypes influence initial player perception through visual design and narrative cues even before direct gameplay. As a result, visual character transformation reflects emotional development and narrative progression. However, limited research has examined how different archetypes shape visual transformation within comparable narrative contexts. This study conducts a comparative analysis of two characters, Zen and Seven (707), in Mystic Messenger, who represent contrasting archetypal foundations within comparable route-ending structures. Using a qualitative approach, the research integrates archetype theory with a visual grammar framework, focusing on facial expressions, gaze, posture, color tone, and composition within the good-ending routes to capture final character development. The findings indicate that archetypes function as a structural basis for visual transformation, with Zen exhibiting direct and explicit changes characterized by openness and emotional transparency, while 707 demonstrates more subtle and layered transformations marked by restraint and internalized expression. This study demonstrates that visual transformation is not merely driven by personality traits but is systematically shaped by underlying archetypes, offering a clearer and more structured framework for analyzing visual representation in interactive narrative games, as well as practical implications for character design by suggesting that visual expression can be deliberately constructed to convey deeper narrative roles and emotional patterns.
Authors:
Angeline Emmanuelkoku, Dongseo University, South Korea
Seul Ki Lee, Dongseo University, South Korea
About the Presenter(s)
just a graduate student in Dongseo University, South korean
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