Hello everyone 🌟
Today, we're going back to EONA's roots to tell you the story behind the creation of our protagonists and how their designs evolved over time.
At the very beginning of development, the puppet didn't exist yet. The main character was originally a small fairy capable of traveling between two different worlds: a ruined world and an enchanted one. Each world had its own atmosphere, as well as a unique antagonist to face.
As development progressed, we wanted to preserve this idea of dual perspectives while making it easier to implement. That's when Eona was born, allowing players to experience the world from a broader point of view than the fairy alone could provide.
We also wanted both characters to share a strong connection. The fairy was gradually replaced by the puppet, leading to the body-switching mechanic: whenever one character is being controlled, the other remains inactive, forcing players to carefully think about their movements and actions.
When it came to the puppet's abilities, we explored several ideas. Our first concept revolved around sewing tools: needles, scissors, threads, and other accessories tied to its appearance. Looking back, we realized that, as our very first game, implementing such mechanics would have been quite challenging for a result that might not have felt polished enough.
Eventually, we came up with a new mechanic: the grappling arm. This ability allows the puppet to reach areas inaccessible to Eona and explore paths that would otherwise remain out of reach.
As mentioned earlier, Eona was created to preserve the idea of two complementary perspectives: one offering a wider view of the environment, and the other allowing access to narrow passages.
However, it was important to us that her human form also had its own unique ability. Without one, the balance between the two characters would have suffered, making one significantly more useful than the other. We therefore focused on one of the game's central elements: the Puppeteer's Cross.
We needed to find a power directly connected to this artifact. Our first idea was to let Eona move small objects from a distance in order to distract enemies. While interesting, the mechanic felt too weak and overly situational.
Then we looked back at the game's story: since Mélusine transferred Eona's soul into the puppet, why couldn't Eona manipulate souls as well? This idea eventually became her current ability: taking control of the puppets created by Mélusine.
We continued refining this mechanic until it became what it is today. Combined with the puppet's abilities, Eona's power not only helps solve puzzles, but also opens new paths throughout the castle.
Creating this new character also meant finding the perfect name. For that, we drew inspiration from our local heritage, specifically the famous Chevalier d'Éon. We simply added an "a" to give the name a more feminine sound.
Eona went through many iterations during development, most of them visual. Our first version no longer matched the artistic direction of the game, and her face lacked expressiveness.
Discovering Character Creator allowed us to design a second version of the character. This new iteration gave us the opportunity to experiment with different hairstyles and further refine her appearance. Even then, Eona was still missing a distinctive feature. That's when her witch-like hat was introduced, eventually becoming one of the most iconic elements of her design.
And that's it! We hope you enjoyed this little trip back in time. In the next character design post, we'll talk about Mélusine and several abandoned character concepts.
— The EONA Team 🌙