Here are some examples of character design that I admire and use as inspiration for player and enemy designs.
The pixel art in Owlboy is amazing in general, but I like how expressive the characters are and how distinct the characters are. The unique details of each of the main characters also reflects their function, in addition to making them easy to identify. I’d like to make a character that can reflect that much personality, even when adapted for pixel art.
In general, I love the character designs in Studio Trigger shows/movies. Their characters are bold and dynamic, with unique easy-to-identify silhouettes. In a majority of their animations, they prioritize motion, and I feel like that goes a long way to informing the character designs. These are traits I’d like to emulate.
Kill Six Billion Demons is a fantasy web comic I really enjoy that excels at lore and worldbuilding. The designs for the human and non-human characters are unique and detailed. Not detailed in a “realistic” since, but rather they have a intricacies and details that reflect their origins, story, lore, etc.. I’d like to set a game in a world that rich, with character designs that build out that world.
So anyway, my character is a fast food worker who got hit by a dump truck on the way home from work, sent to hell for some reason, and teams up with a bored Devil to break into heaven.
Also, she has a gun.
Like a reverse 2D Doom, perhaps.
Hopefully those inspirations I mentioned will eventually manifest as I work on the game… ?
