Palette swap
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The palette swap is a practice often used in video games, whereby a graphic that is already used for one element is given a different palette so that it can be reused for other elements. The different palette gives the new graphic a unique set of colors, which make it recognizably distinct from the original. It is commonly used to distinguish between first and second players, for creating visual hierarchies, and for making visually distinct areas for the levels in the game.
For example, in the first Super Mario Bros., Luigi (the second player character) was a palette swap of Mario (the first player character); Koopa Troopa enemies were palette swaps of each other; the bushes were palette swaps of the clouds; the underground levels contained palette swaps of all enemies, power ups, coins, and bricks.
One reason for palette swaps is to save memory. In earlier computer gaming, when cartridges were the main storage medium and memory capacity was both scarce and expensive, the same sprites could be used over again by only changing their palette.
Because of palette swaps, an object needs not to be redesigned from scratch but rather can be implemented by using an old object. This saves both production costs and development time.
Sometimes palette swaps are used to signify a character's status. For example, in the Mega Man games, Mega Man has different palettes depending on which weapon he is using. Another example from Super Mario Bros. is that when Mario or Luigi gets a fire flower, he will get a palette swap to show that he has the fireball power. In Sonic and Knuckles, Hyper Sonic is a palette swap of Super Sonic, but his palette rapidly changes.
This is a very common technique used in many RPGs, such as the Final Fantasy series and the Phantasy Star series, to increase the number of monsters to fight. For example, early in the game one might fight a grey dog called a "wolf", while later in the game fight a red dog called a "hound." Typically, a palette-swapped enemy contains a strength or ability which is greater or different from that of the preceding differently colored creature. As games have moved to 3D, this is often enhanced by changes in textures, patterns, or the addition of extra features. In Tales of Symphonia, for example, humanoid enemies are usually given entirely different sets of clothing.
The second generation of Pokémon games (Pokémon Gold and Silver) introduced Shiny Pokémon, a palette swap of each Pokémon sprite. Although Shiny Pokémon do not have any altered stats, they are extremely rare and often considered aesthetically pleasing, and are usually considered trophies.
Palette swaps were formerly extremely common in sports games. Players of differing teams would be the same sprites, with their uniforms in different colors. As gaming advanced, sports game palette swaps included additional "trim" colors and occasionally swaps for skin color as well. Early 3D sports games used a similar technique, with the same model representing all players and differing uniform textures and/or skin colors used to differentiate the players. Most modern sports games now use unique models to represent each player.
Although 3D games don't really need to use this method, it is still common. In the first Time Crisis, the standard enemy type had five different versions that were identical other than their color. The blue enemy was the easiest, brown enemies were slightly harder and commanded groups of other soldiers, and the red enemies were very accurate at hitting the player. This is possibly more of a conscious decision than a decision made due to time restraints, as the difference in colour was instantly recognized by the player.
In many fighting games, palette swaps are usually used to allow two players to fight each other using the same character. As fighting games moved to 3D, much like RPGs, characters would instead wear entirely different outfits, such as a character who is a soldier or police officer appear in uniform.
Some games, such as Mortal Kombat, multiple characters have been created from a single set of sprites by applying a different palette. Some examples from the Mortal Kombat series are listed below:
- Male Ninja - Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Reptile, Rain, Ermac, Noob Saibot, and Chameleon.
- Female Ninja - Kitana, Mileena, Jade, and Khameleon.
- Cyborg or Robot - Cyrax, Sektor, and Smoke.
Again, with the switch to 3D, a new character could be made by giving the motion data of one character to an entirely different character model.
A similar technique, called the head swap, was used in games such as the early Street Fighter series and even relatively recent titles, such as Unreal Tournament 2004. Characters such as Ryu, Ken, Akuma, and Dan all have similar or identical styles, and their sprites typically differ only in the color of their gi and small differences such as their heads, hands, or sleeves. Almost all fighting games, however, allow different costumes of playable characters, partially to differentiate between two players using the same character.
In the original Tekken, Devil was a palette swap of Kazuya Mishima.
In Samurai Shodown, Galford and Hanzo are head swaps of each other, albeit with different poses.
In Dynamite Cop, sub-bosses Alexander, Jumbo Matsu and Master Yang are palette swaps. The only differences are their garments and their background music.
All playable characters in M.U.S.C.L.E. are palette swaps.
A more general term for the technique is "recolor." Within the sprite comic and pixel art communities, recolors are looked down upon as amateur work, requiring little or no effort.
