Flash Diary #2 | Birth of a Firebender Heroine (Character Design)
As the latest update is online, our brand new character - Tong, has finally arrived at the party. Her appearance unveils the mystery of a new world. What is the story of Tong, who has traveled all the way from the far East to Metropolis? Today, let's talk about her origin and the story behind her character design!
(One of the early designs)
Tong is a heavy character at the party. At the beginning of her design, we envisioned three directions: A youth possessed by a ghost of wine, a passionate and bold brewmaster, and a demon who was cast out for stashing wines. After discussion, we all agreed that the image of a forthright big sister would fill her character better, and thus the 2nd direction was chosen.
In Tong's early design phase, we had a heated debate on Tong's brewing styles. When the development circle progressed, we decided that neither Tong as a character nor her wine-making should be restrained. As a result, Tong is naturally a master of the traditional eastern brewing techniques as a tavern owner. But she's also interested in Western liquors and always willing to try new things.
In terms of her art assets and combat animations, the team picked many fiery elements such as flamethrowing and explosions. For the same reason, we decided that red would be her main color scheme, which was also the origin of her name, Tong. At the same time, we are introducing a new concept, Chi Masters, to Flash Party. According to legend, the grand martial artists in the East channel Chi in their bodies to manipulate the power of elements. Tong, as a Chi Master herself, is capable of controlling fire:
Although Tong's design was decided a long time ago, she went through a remake right before everything was about to finish. And when it happened, there was only less than a month left before the launch. Because Tong's body type and moves were not even close to the heavy fighter that we visioned initially.
(Left - Original / Right - Final)
In combat, Tong is a heavy character who packs powerful knockbacks at the cost of her movement speed. But her initial design looked more like an agile lightweight hero. After considering the consistency of her appearance and abilities, we eventually decided to adjust her look from the left image to the right one. Her new look features more masculine muscles, and the arm wraps and gauntlets will make this new hero's role easily recognized.
(By the way - see the symbol on Tong's back? Do you know what it means?)
On March 23, Tong will finally meet everyone. And her sticker skills will be available in one of the future patches. We heard that Tong got greatly inspired when sparring with other heroes in Metropolis and is now working hard on some new moves. What other surprises will Tong bring to us? Let's wait and find out together at the party.
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