Hello again, heroes! 👋
(Get it, like… Hiro? I dunno, we’re trying it out. If you have community nickname ideas, leave them below!)
We’re back with another developer diary for you all, and this time we sat down with Hirogami’s Lead Game Designer Yi Han Yong to discuss the character designs and inspirations behind Hirogami. Let’s get to it! 🌸
Crafting a Hero Hiro: Papyrunia’s Protagonist
Can you tell us about how the design for Hiro came to exist? Were there any specific inspirations? Any ideas you liked but didn’t use in the end?
YI HAN YONG: Hiro’s visual design came from our attempts to balance look and function, following the superbly-designed concept art from our Art Director, Gary Choo!
Following the creative brief to borrow a lot of inspiration from Japanese and East Asian cultures, Gary considered the in-game abilities of Hiro, ensuring the design wouldn’t be in the way of the actions. For example, there were a few iterations originally, and one of them was to give Hiro a really long scarf! It looked super cool, but we scrapped it in the end to keep the silhouette simpler and keep Hiro’s transformations swift.
Speaking of those transformations, how did you decide on the four animals Hiro can transform into? Were there other possibilities that didn’t make the cut?
YI HAN: For most part, gameplay came first, really! We brainstormed a lot on what kind of gameplay would benefit by the ability to transform at will, then we kind of narrowed that down to specific actions that Hiro can do, and what kind of challenges can be solved by those actions. After that, we worked backwards to figure out the appropriate animal forms for each action.
At some point we also considered non-animals forms, like giant mecha, weaponry, and other fun silly things, but in the end we stuck with animals as they strike that sweet spot between gameplay, whimsical appeal, and of course, origami art!
We (okay, well, I) also wanted a cat form, too! But in the end, we all agreed that a cat would just be too OP for everything, hahaha!
Sculpting the Supporting Cast: Friends and Foes
Let’s talk about the supporting characters - Shiori, Ruz Pappy, Ama Jii, etc. - where did they come from?
YI HAN: So before we designed the characters’ visuals, we already had the narrative outline set up. The supporting characters complemented Hiro’s own personality and helped make sense of his character development throughout the game. Gary (the same Art Director from before!) and Wendell, our sole 3D Character Artist, worked together to combine all of that with their lovely artistic touches to bring the characters to life.
What about the enemy and boss designs in Hirogami?
YI HAN: I’d answer that, but it would spoil too much! 😉 In short, they’re deeply inspired by the theme of tension between natural, organic creativity and soulless, cold digital precision.
Is there anything about the overall character design process you’re excited to discuss that we haven’t asked you about yet?
YI HAN: Animation! Beyond just looking like something that belongs in an origami world, we tried to make the characters animate like that, too.
Our awesome animators put in a lot of effort to bring the characters to life - not only in the obvious ways, but also in the subtle (and adorable!) movements, like idle animations, that sell the charm of the characters and their world. The process even included a bit of stop-motion animation to really nail that handcrafted feel!
Last, but not least… Of all the characters your team designed for Hirogami, who would be your favorite?
YI HAN: Each of us has our own favorite! I can’t say too much for now, except that many of us feel like the badass Shiori (fiery friend to Hiro) deserves her own adventure someday! 😄
We hoped you enjoyed this peek into the pages of Hirogami’s character designs! Do you have a favorite character yet? Let us know in the comments below! 💖
That’s all for now, but we’ll see you again soon when we delve into the details of sound design! 🎵🎶 Thanks for all of your continued support, and don’t forget to wishlist Hirogami to be ready for launch!