The Birds of Cui Cui

This is Cui, the player-character. She is a a tiny and benign bird, made of shadow. She aims to brave the savage light and save the world from impending heat death.
(Concept Art by Liz Davis: https://lizdavislda.artstation.com/)

One of our team's goals was to incorporate as little to the HUD as possible. To do this, we tried to use Cui's head feathers as an indication of health and stamina.

The ides was that as your health & stamina went down, your head feathers would burn up until depleted (when your health and Stamina were at 0%). The player would then die and be brought back to the last checkpoint.

Above are several iterations on the depleting feather Idea. We quickly realized that the head feathers were too hard to see from the player's standpoint to be of any use. We then tried adding on tail feathers to use as the health & stamina indicator.

While this method worked better, we were still unsure of the character's design. Once we were certain we wanted a more memorable character, I worked with a dedicated concept artist to hammer down a new design, which I'll dive into later.

This is Azhar, the majestic guardian, who was driven to Insanity by his infatuation with the sun, and who threatens to scorch the lands and skies asunder.

Azhar's design took inspiration from "Imperial" birds: Swans, Secretary Birds, and peacocks. We needed him to feel intimidating, beautiful, and, ever so slightly, vain.
(Concept Art by Liz Davis: https://lizdavislda.artstation.com/)

As the game evolved, so did Azhar's Textures. This was don to better convey narrative and mechanics and create contrast within our out door levels. Eventually, the goal was to attach a mist-like partial trail to Azhar's tail to further her ethereal-ness.

These are A.I characters affectionately named, Buddy Birds. Their job is to help Cui navigate in the harsh environments of the game.

They serve as the player's "Flock", protecting her/him from the harsh light and banding together to manipulate assets.

The design of the Buddy Birds is meant to evoke the feeling of safety. We deliberately used soft, rectangular shapes to make the player feel secure and welcomed by the Buddy Birds.

The textures were designed to quietly compliment the environment and add depth to the narrative.

The "final" character created for Cui Cui was ReCui (Cui again, Cui #2, the "I can't believe we got away with implementing her so late in the process" Cui).

After the decision to redesign Cui, I contacted one of the most talented concept artists I know, Liana Cannon:
https://lianacannon.artstation.com/.

Together, I worked with her to make sure that new character would 1.) stand out against the environment, 2.) deliver the narrative that she was a "shadow Bird", and 3.) convey that even the smallest of beings can be mighty.

ReCui went on to earn the title of the Coolest, Cutest Character in the Intel 2020 Student Games' Showcase.

additionally, here are some examples of assets I provided for the game. I am absolutely so proud of my team. I'm so humbled to have worked as the character and set dressing artist of Cui Cui and am so lucky to have worked with my amazing group of friends.