Why do all these Sonic inspired indie game protagonists have such weird shitty designs man. The reason they aren't more successful is because they aren't marketable or striking even if the gameplay is solid Its like they can't strike the balance of conventionally cool so take the easy cute route, and it fails every time
furry tears thread
>>726975217Spark would be okay but the Ristar ass face ruins him. I have no idea what they were thinking with Penny, looks like a homunculus that's constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown
Nobody wants to court zoophile freaks, who would've guessed
the designs fucking suck, theres so much pointless detail. much like gacha characters that have a morbillion leg straps or bows or whatever accessory the designers tack on
Spark actually looks better with the jacket
>>726975217Sonic has a number of things going for him. He's an animal which is easily understood an relatable. He's an animal doing something completely unrelated for his species like being a hedgehog that can run really fast. His design perfectly indicates that he's all about running fast.A lot of these characters are just strange creatures and their designs don't really indicate that they're all about going fast.
>>726975217Fark has a really nice design I think.
>>726975801>pointless detailI don't think it's that. Both Penny and Spark are pretty simple designs.The problem is the detail they have is aimless. Their designs tell you nothing about the character or their personality. They superficially copy their inspiriations without any understanding of character design theory.i.e, Penny just looks like a teenager was really into Mischief Makers as a kid and wanted to make their own OC Marina.But when you look at Marina you instantly kinda get an idea of what she's about.>looks like she's wearing combat armor and generally looks pretty confident, so she's probably a rough-and-tumble type>her hands are chunky and have blue gems on them, while her legs are stick-like and slim below the knee, so she probably likes to use he hands more than anything>dangling helmet strand thingies add a feminine flair to the design in combination with the big cute eyes, so it's probably a girlMeanwhile nothing about Penny's design says she spends her time swinging a big-ass yo-yo around. And nothing about Spark's design indicates he's an "electric" jester (nor does he really look jovial like a jester should outside of the literal jester hat).
>>726976421that name, thouever...
I don't see anything wrong with Spark's design. It's certainly not overdesigned.
>>726976510>The problem is the detail they have is aimless. thats what i mean by pointless detail. theres no reasoning to adding certain types of detail. doesnt tell us their character or personality like how you described it
Really makes you appreciate the fact that Sonic is one of the most well designed characters in fiction.
>>726975217spark is decent. it conveys the sonic plus kirby intent perfectly.
>>726975217Spark is fine. His only issue is that his game is made by like 2-3 guys. Not much room for promotion. Penny is ugly.
>>726976510>you look at Marina you instantly kinda get an idea of what she's about.No I don't
>>726976904I thought it was made by 1 Brazilian.
>>726976126He does, but it's still bad. The problem is his featureless face. There's a reason Sonic characters have interesting faces.
>>726976510i dont look at marina and think "jet powered strangle bot"
Enter
Pic related is good mascot design. I actually think the second player looks better than Hat Girl, since she gets a skirt.
>>726977256Nothing about her says she spends her time traveling through space with magic time distorting hourglassesBad character design
Sonic was designed by an actual designer meanwhile these guys were designed by programmers.
>>726977478Plenty of artists create bad designs. See: every recent Western game.
>>726977478Nothing about him says he runs a super sonic speeds
>>726975701For me it’s the stupid hat. I grt that it’s the most iconic jester accessory, but it still just doesn’t look good. Shoes jacket and gloves work I guess, but the solid yellow body is too plain. >>726976126Nobody would disagree with this, but the clash of aviator jacket with jester hat make it feel very unfocused. >>726976421Still dislike the hat but everything else is better. Fark with a jacket like Spark would be great.
>>726977195>>726977256These aren’t from Sonic inspired projects, are they? Also how hard is it to ask for a FUCKING COOL MALE CHARACTER DAMN
>>726976718Because it's literally modified from Sonic with a Kirby Beam hat from his earlier fan game After The Sequel.
>>726976510penny if she japanese
>>726977801Have you never heard of A Hat in Time? Which is built more like Mario, btw. The black lady is supposed to be for a Sonicy game.
>>726977837everyone here has played sonic bts, ats, and chrono adventure. you aint gotta tell us about it little bro
>>726975217Because character design ain't easy. And it takes many people to get something good.
>>726977115What does she come across as to you then?To me, the bulky looking appearance and emphasis on her hands (being the only point on her outfit that deviates from the White/Red colour scheme) indicates that she's a fighter that likes to use her hands. Whether it'd be grabbing or punching things.>>726977432>flappy cape invokes the idea of a super hero - i.e., she flies around and it flaps in the air>loose-fitting pants tucked into boots and large coat suggest she's a travellerThe only real random-ass design point is the top-hat. But it kinda makes her silhouette look like an hourglass.
freedom planet has some good character art
>>726975217>Mario inspired indie game protagonist>is a massive successReally makes you think.
>>726977008Exactly one Brazillian and Kickstarter money was primarily so he could pay musicians for the soundtrack.One of my favourite soundtracks by the way.https://youtu.be/2gayKFSQZvs?list=PLTsPmYOQxpNZ4e8khiUgJTqBskoSq-06Thttps://youtu.be/gjksUmQzo0Q?list=PLTsPmYOQxpNZ4e8khiUgJTqBskoSq-06Thttps://youtu.be/3-l-why2csk?list=PLTsPmYOQxpNZ4e8khiUgJTqBskoSq-06Thttps://youtu.be/1zgEAV4C2Us?list=PLTsPmYOQxpNZ4e8khiUgJTqBskoSq-06Thttps://youtu.be/Gbi4lpLIa6w?list=PLTsPmYOQxpNZ4e8khiUgJTqBskoSq-06Thttps://youtu.be/TGC4ce_AVcc?list=PLTsPmYOQxpNZ4e8khiUgJTqBskoSq-06T
>>726978095That's not inspired by Mario.
>>726977801>how hard is it to ask for a FUCKING COOL MALE CHARACTER DAMNplay literally any western AAA game
>>726978078I like both art styles but prefer Tyson Tan’s redesigns minus lilac. The OG designs have their charm.
>>726978063she looks like a nurse
>>726977195>>726978203chocolate
>>726975217firstly its because sonic attracts autism due to the japanese influence. Its not just clasically cartoony like mickey mouse its that combined with autism. Second, the sonic fans who are also skilled in creativity enough to make a game are going to be psued lib arts type people and thus incapable of self reflection. Hope that clears things up.
>>726978063>What does she come across as to you then?nta but she looks like some kind of robot like Megaman>>726978063>>flappy cape invokes the idea of a super hero - i.e., she flies around and it flaps in the air>>loose-fitting pants tucked into boots and large coat suggest she's a travellerNone of that is implied at all, she doesn't fly or 'flap in the air' at all. And how does baggy pants imply space traveler?
>>726978291Yeah imo these are the best designs from a sonic like so far
>>726976630the hat is too much
>>726975217Westerners simply can't replicate the look of "Japanese artist trying to appeal to the West." It always turns into cereal mascots.
>>726978142Spark 2 is the greatest Sonic inspired game to mehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7MfPu-R3uIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ_rIiC30ro
>>726978161>fat portly Italian man>not inspired by Mario.
>>726978291Those are just semi-furry anime girls.
>>726978095I’m pretty sure that’s more Sonic inspired. >>726978203I mean in the sphere of Sonic related projects. I want to get into more of those indie projects but I am constantly repelled by the protag designs.
>>726978463Yeah, it's not a Mario, you dingus. Everyone knows who really inspired Pepino.
>>726978161Pizza tower is clearly inspired by a sub series of mario, the wario land series.
>>726978463wa
>>726975217Because sonic itself has weird shitty designs? How is this hard to figure out.
>>726978291Shame Tyson Tan wasn't paid for his work. But the retarded VAs get residuals.
>>726976126The jacket and art style change for 3 half-rescue the design, yeah
>>726978291sex with milla!
>>726978647>an indie game gave voice actors residualsExcuse me? Even AAA developers are not that stupid.
Reminder that you should play Jazz Jackrabbit.
>>726978303That's interesting because she's actually a maid. So that the design made you think "hospitality" is one strike for it being a good design.>>726978382>nta but she looks like some kind of robot like MegamanShe is!>None of that is implied at all, she doesn't fly or 'flap in the air' at all.She spends most of the game airborne, constantly jumping around.> And how does baggy pants imply space traveler?Not literally "space traveler" (which would be infered by some kind of spacesuit or otherwise sci-fi looking gear). But just someone who's often on the move, going places. You'd tuck your pants into your boots to stop them getting excessively dirty or stuff from getting in them if you were say, going through a sandy desert, or a mucky swamp.
>>726978540PT doesn't play like Sonic. The only thing they have in common is speed but how they use and work with it are completely different. And there's no alternate paths or routes in PT witch is a huge part of Sonic.>>726978573Which isn't Mario. Because Mario isn't charming.
>>726978630nta you can say whatever negative thing you want about Sonic and his games and I and many would probably agree but having a shit design is not really one of themSeriously the design is so good that the IP didn't die even after years of garbage games simply because the character was liked enough for fan content
>>726978540>I am constantly repelled by the protag designs.Are you saying this doesn't have the gravitational pull of a black hole?
>>726978467Eh fair enough won't argue that Fredom planet isn't inspired by anime too.
>>726978764I replayed it recently and it's not very good. Jazz's design isn't very good either, since green protag on green stages is bad for visibility. There's a reason why Sonic and Spyro are blue/purple.
>>726978630They have decent designs up until they started adding characters like Silver or the Zetis, let alone weird shit like the Black Arms.
>>726978760It's hard to find the interview since the tweet was deleted but articles are still up.https://gameworldobserver.com/2022/10/17/how-much-video-game-voice-actors-get-paid-hellena-taylor-bayonettaJust so we're clear, Tyson Tan got paid NOTHING while the VAs all get residuals.
>>726979054Zetis were just an attempt to nintendofy that specific gameIt was on the wii u after all
>>726978031I have not cool your fucking autism. That shit is not nearly as well known as you think in your sonic bubble safe space.
>>726975217What's more ridiculous about Penny is that everything in the game is quite beautiful except her.And I don't mean the typical turbo autist critic that a nice design equals a sexy bitch, it's just everything about her design is off putting, her colors, weird proportions, facial expressions, uniform. I just don't get what the fuck they were thinking.
>>726978801>Not literally "space traveler" (which would be infered by some kind of spacesuit or otherwise sci-fi looking gear). But just someone who's often on the move, going places. You'd tuck your pants into your boots to stop them getting excessively dirty or stuff from getting in them if you were say, going through a sandy desert, or a mucky swamp.Yet she's a space traveler flying around in a space ship. She has the least space themed outfit possible
>>726978741calm down tails enjoyer
>>726978993The 2nd game is way better than the first cause it isn't limited by MSDos hardware (low resolution, graphics cards weren't a thing yet). Even then, the cutscenes in the 1st game were very nice. Also Eva's rabbits tits.I miss when games could have pretty women in them.
>>726977801>These aren’t from Sonic inspired projects, are they?A Hat in Time is Mario-inspired, which is why the characters are cute and don't look like a nightmare turned into some furry's fetish.
>>726979168Cuz they are level designers, not character ones. Reason mania was good is cuz they didn't have to to like 80% of the work and could focus on thrir strengths.Penny is just a victim of "oh we don't have sonic, quick make a replacement for our platformer".
>>726979354>fetish>he doesn't know
>>726979168>I just don't get what the fuck they were thinking.Yoyo
Penny is cute and I'm tired of pretending she's not
>>726978410He's a jester. He needs a jester hat.
>>726979343The 2nd game is still not good. Three-button platforming does not work. It's objectively worse than console platformers. Its only appeal is the niche of being a PC mascot platformer.
>>726979617my condolences for having such shit taste
>>726978095Pizza Tower feels inspired by actual cartooning rather than just inspired by the game it's copying. If it was just trying to be "indie Wario" it might have a worse design, but it's "indie Wario but cartooning inspired by 90s cartoons and Euro comics", and that makes it work. Just like how Sonic wasn't just "fast Mario", it was "fast Mario but with 1930s cartoon inspiration". Just like how Mario himself isn't just "short Popeye" but has elements of pop culture of its time.
>>726979549Penny is so uncanny. She looks like an old granny + circus performer + sad mime + random plastic crap.
>>726979513>creepy troon flag hidden at the bottom of a dark corridor as a warning for those who wander alone
>>726975217Something about the jester guy always annoyed the fuck out of me. His plain yellow body and stupid gay hat. It just screams deviant art OC.
>>726979630His game has nothing to do with being a jester. It's unrelated background trivia at best.
>>726979681>/v/>in charge of having good taste
>>726977195I need a black mommy gf so fuckin bad
>>726977195>>726978826There's too much emphasis on her cleavage to the point that as a player you should be insulted that the character becomes all about "HEY, LOOK AT MY CLEAVAGE!"
>>726979653>Three-button platforming does not work.I don't even know what you mean by this ergo I'll assume you're wrong.
>>726979839It's literally just not sonic with kirby hat.
>>726975217Penny has no sex appeal and is a god awful color blind color scheme. Spark is ok if he didn't have the hat and had a cool pose or some kind of powerup.
>>726979617She's got cute body language and acting, the animators understood the assignment, issue is the designers. If those are the same people, then the problem is they're better animators than character designers.
>>726979819>She looks like an old granny + circus performer + random plastic crap.And she is all those things. The "random plastic crap" are the yoyos she performs with
>>726979630Just recently played 2 and nothing about him or the game theme is even vaguely related to it. The jester hat is actively working against him
>>726980043THAT'S how her hair looks like?
>>726979952But enough about gacha games
>>726979986Doesnt look like sonic to me? Maybe you need to get your eyes checked
>>726979617this looks like something Reboot would make fun of in 1999
>>726980043>>726980126White shit emoji
>>726979685Most good things tend to have more than one inspiration, otherwise it ends up being just a copy.
>>726980259no it's more like clouds, but the design could have been way better
Can someone post a 4+ hour long video essay response on exactly wtf this is? Is it a pirate? Is this a grandma who really likes yoyos or something? I dont know
>>726979957The game has a shoot, run, and jump button, all of which you have to hold at the same time. A game should never require you hold down three buttons.
>>726980137Their character designs are guilty of that too. I mean I like sexy women in games, but there's a point where it actually becomes obnoxious. A little subtlety goes a long way.
>>726979873>>726980061I really don't see the problem with it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvY4OrozBrg&t=10sIt looks fine in-game.
>>726980043Why did the devs think you'd want to play as an old lady?
>>726980337And I think that's the issue with Spark. Technically it's got more than just one inspiration- Sonic, Kirby, and kind of generic cartooning of the 90s- but there's not enough variety there and the elements that aren't Sonic are too superficial- the hat, arguably some of the scenery. The games overall look like just "someone tries to recreate Sonic Heroes"
what even is penny supposed to beSome sort of yoyo race?
>>726980379What really gets me are the eyes. They simply do not work.
Is this a good character design for a platformer?
>>726980394
>>726980432oh I see the hat is just Sonic spines, but uh where the fuck are all the enemies?
>>726980379It's a vague mashup of circus performer and related designs. A bit of jester, a bit of harlequin, a bit of Punchinello. It's just not done in a cohesive way.
>>726980491They assumed players had good taste
>>726975217Spark is fine, but his actual body could use an extra detail so it's not so plain.Penny's is just BAD. It's ugly, disproportionate, and just... fucking awful. It's salvageable though, but requires a lot of changes.
>>726980393Sounds like you don't know how to game on a keyboard. Also not true on controller given given Megaman X with its Shoot, Jump, and Slide bits.You can also just remap the buttons in Jazz 2 so the run button is on a bumper/trigger. You know, like how Spark puts his dash button on Right trigger (which Sonic Frontiers copied).The whole thing sounds like a YOU problem.
>>726980597Passable and unproblematic at best which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
>>726980583they just split sonics eyes at the middle and flipped them
>>726980635but why does she have an archers hat?
>>726980061The jester hat genuinely is just because in Kirby when he has the beam power up he's got a jester hat. It's a meaningless signifier to a meaningless signifier, which is why it makes no sense unless you know Kirby, and just looks weirdly specific and out of place if you do. It's an element of a dropped quality of the series as it went on (that it started as an indie reworking of a Sonic + Kirby fangame), and even within the games themselves, be it contextually in-universe or gameplay-wise, it barely means anything anymore- Spark 3 has little use of the forms which were the whole Kirby element that had lifted and which the hat signified.It's comparable to something like, dunno. A movie series where the first movie is called something, and then the sequels are no longer about that something, but it's the name of the series so they keep using it. Pink Panther, for instance.
>>726978801marina is a good design, but i dont know what shes about instantly by looking at her. nor would i know mario is a superhuman athlete.
>>726980784Slides/dashes are fine because you don't hold them. You also can't remap the controls in Jazz 2, because it messes with the cheat inputs. It's clearly not a me problem because Jazz is a dead franchise. There's a reason it's obscure.
>>726977837>Sonic with a Kirby Beam hatyes that was my point
>>726980379The fact that there's a character called Pomni made almost at the same time as the game released that is basically the same concept but done right and that ended up being massively popular really drives the point across on how much of a flop Penny is.
>>726980869I think it's just meant to be calling back to a tricorn hat like worn in a Carnevale di Venezia or medieval street performances, it just does a bad job of it.
>>726980597The weakest part of this design is the proportions, needs to be a bit shorter with stubbier limbs.
>>726980874Yeah this the kirby hat made sense for the first game but it's out of place for the rest.
ENTER
>>726979952GOOD. I WANT EVERY DETAIL TO BE OVER THE TOP AND OVERLY EMPHASIZED
>>726981008Anon, you don't get it. Pomni would be so much better if she was also a plastic furry grandma.
>>726981019maybe, I'm pretty sure it's a bycocket though, not a renaissance tricorn
>>726980393I've played this game with people splitscreen at several friend meetups and none of them got as filtered as you did unc
>>726981081wtf is that, a sparkplug? a whistle? Man, this thread is making me uncomfortable
>>726981081This game looks really good, but god fucking damnit the designs just fucking SUCK. What the fuck is that thing?But the animation flourishes when flying through the air are great and something Sonic should do as well.
>>726981034Even in that game it barely made sense- they justify it as "he's an out-of-work Jester" but it's clearly just Lake finding an excuse to keep the vague design of "Sonic with the hat from Kirby", rather than it making sense for the story inherently. Otherwise he'd actually have jester elements incorporated to the character, moveset, animations, beyond just "has the hat".>>726981008Pomni is simplified, and that works.Unironically think they should've tried doing Penny as a sprite game mockup first. Not for the game itself- but it might've helped them notice "oh, this is busy as fuck". But to be honest Mania's pixel art is overdone sometimes too so I don't know if it would've solved much
>>726980432Can’t tell if you are being stubborn or dense ‘in a gameplay sense it looks okay but still out of place for the world and has no connection to the character himself
>>726979617I can't even tell what she's supposed to be. There's no theme, she's just a random thing with random shapes that don't go together at all. Objectively terrible design.
>can't remap the controlsWhat are you, retarded?
>>726981081This one's weird because I think it looks fine. Not amazing, but fine enough. But clearly by the reaction a lot of people have, it's not that fine. I think the fact the art style pulls it off makes me more forgiving of the design being weird.
>>726981179You can still have fun with badly designed games. The way the controls work just means that optimal play feels like shit. Doesn't matter much if you just mess around.
>>726980627Speed-focused levels are generally light on enemies. Combat is usually done in its own stages.
behold the ultimate example that a striking design can lead you to stars even if the games are dogshit
>>726980379Thing is you can justify each element, individually. Her body looks like a top and jester outfit. Her hair is rolled up like a wheel with little speed lines. The hat is whipped back like she is always going fast. Her arms/leg have a toy quality like a yoyo. Her eyes have built in jester make up.But it is all too much, no one element really stands out and defines her. Sonic's defining traits are his big head with quills slicked back and his red shoes. At opposite ends of his body we have two elements that says speed. The rest is so simple that a child may forget what colour his arms are. That simplicity makes it really easy to pose him in lots of ways and not lose his quintessential elements.
>>726981279He does this every time this thread comes up, he's just autistic and likes the hat. Things like being thematically or stylistically cohesive doesn't matter to him.
>>726981081>toriyama ears
>>726981382>an ancient evil awakens
>>726981081I knew I was forgetting something The shoes are really cool and body portions are okay but I can’t tell what that thing is supposed to beBut it’s the best between Spark and Penny, gets closest to the cool/cute blend
>>726981279>>726981425I'm not being stubborn, I think you're too hung up on it.Mario is a plumber wearing overalls, yet that has absolutely nothing to do with how the game plays.
>>726981382The exclamation mark tie is genuinely inspired. That's an actually cool design.
>>726981382The re-design was excellent but I'm not a fan of the animations.
>>726981376SA2 was light on enemies in speed sections too but not completely vacant
>>726981382Yep...Hopefully his game doesn't suck. I tried playing The Woolies Strike Back and not only was is shit but buggy as all hell. It was clearly a mobile game that got ported to PC.
>>726979617Ohh i get it nowShe has the hermes hat because she's fast and has yoyo..Ok nvm it still doesn't make any sense
>>726981480The purpose of Mario's outfit is to make the sprite stand out. It works, Mario is very distinctive. It also makes thematic sense, since he's a working man regularly going into pipes.
>>726981546SA2 doesn't have a DMC-lite combat system like Spark 3 does though.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JYG44Bf-LgCombat is typically relegated to its own stages so it doesn't slow the game down too often during the speed levels.
>>726981480
>>726981480His design made sense for his first games though. His first few games are all about a man doing construction jobs and related, and that's what he looks like; and SMB is about a man in those circumstances being thrown into a fantasy land. If you want to complain about coherence there, it only starts mattering once you get SMB2, 3, etc, where that element of him not being a member of this land gets lost; but by that point, his simple and appealing design has already cemented itself in its own right anyway.
>>726981081you know when they were designing this they thought this was the coolest shit ever lol. he looks like a mega buster on crash bandicoots body.
>>726981081It makes me think the designer really likes football.
>>726981480The overalls are fitting for a plumber The universal presumption is that he is a plumber for Peach’s castle that just answers the call to duty each time. Although this has never even been alluded to in game it isn’t too far fetched at allThe same cannot be said for the jester hat
>>726981480>Mario is a plumber wearing overalls, yet that has absolutely nothing to do with how the game playsI'm revoking your video games loicence.
>>726981691He was supossed to be a plumber but they quickly forgot it and made him either a typical hero or even more jobs like kart racer and doctor.
>>726975217Didn't the Sonic mania guys freak the fuck out and get mad at people who didn't like the weird brown things design
>>726981684I see, still though, should have had a homing attack section or at least some enemy set dressing so it doesn't look dead.
>>726977195
>>726981081>Imagines getting pegged by Brisk
>>726980627It's a game for Sonic speedrunners. The enemies are there, they're just being raced past because the game's about obstacle traversal in a course instead. If it were a more honest game, the enemies wouldn't be there at all, relegated to bosses or something, because they're not what the game is about. It definitely feels very "ok but it's a 3d character platformer, those have enemies, they gotta be there, right"
>>726981837Did they? I’ve never heard of that happening
>>726975217Because Sonic hit the nail on the head in terms of simplistic "chibi" animal designs with an autistic levels of modularity.These mascot designs want to imitate him, but understand that it's easy to fall into modular design (I.E see Freedom Planet designs and how they changed them for the second game to be even less sonic) so they change things up and it ends up looking like complete shit.
>>726981669I'd argue Spark's hat works fine and helps define the direction he's facing, even in stages with heavier shadowing.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BonAZQ2dnc4>>726981691Well, Spark started out as a Sonic + Kirby hybrid, which is where the hat came from. It might just be a design artifact at this point, but I really don't think it's a bad design.>>726981797Isn't Spark's deal that he lost his job as as a Jester?
>>726981081he looks like as if they wanted to make a sonic character but also wanted to make a dbz inspired one so they came up with a compromise
>>726981878There are homing-attack sections in the game.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CCHV1rwer8
>>726981837No. They were just super depressed cause everyone got fired/laid off.
>>726981815He was a carpenter first. He was also in a wrecking crew. He also generally did change design to match the role- he's not in the overalls when being Dr. Mario, he's got a hard hat when in wrecking. The overalls only got fully cemented as being what he wears no matter context once you hit SMB, which again, made sense there, and by the time it stopped making sense, you had about a decade of consistent appearances just establishing that's how he looks.
>>726978291They all suck except the panda girl who was made more attractive than her original design.
>>726981953>It might just be a design artifact at this point, but I really don't think it's a bad design.I don't think it's bad per se either, it's just useless. It's not bad but not good, and he doesn't have much of anything good either until the bomber jacket, which feels like the first time his design had anything to make it work.All this is moot if Spark 4 will be about the animal Fark anyway, who looks more coherent.
Mario's design only stops making sense in the RPGs, where he's a generic JRPG world-saving hero. Even then, it's a normal enough outfit that it can stand in for "plucky everyman".
>>726982018so there are, that looked a lot more fun
>>726982247>Mario's design only stops making sense in the RPGs, where he's a generic JRPG world-saving hero.No it doesn't
>>726978291Cumming buckets in Carol
>>726982309NTA but for all we're shitting on the choices made in the franchise here, do consider that this is a fun game and series. And even creatively, you've got some pretty good levels and setpieces, and an interesting enough plot. Just also some creatively bankrupt elements
They should get one of the old animators of sonic and ask them to draw it.
Why did Penny's Breakaway bomb?
>>726982325Really? You didn't find somebody as goofy as Mario being a harem protagonist unimmersive?
>>726982247if one never heard of mario they would think he's some kind of tiny npc that pops out to help the player by fixing the machinery that run the platforms or their vehicles or some shit, hell he looks like he would have hundreds of him working together on projects
>>726982523mario absolutely smashes gash are you nutsmario fucks
>>726982479well, it's a nitpicky thread
>>726982523I don't have autism no
>>726981081When it comes to design there is technical proficiency and there is style. The most well thought out design can flop if it just doesn't appeal to any style. While a design that plays super hard to someone sensibilities can work despite there being ways to improve silhouette or whatever. Basically, a lot of these devs have no style. For comparison look at Bombrush Cyberfunk. Frenchie knows the streets and they were speaking to him. While you could breakdown while mascot characters like Sonic or Mario are more technically perfect in conveying information.
>>726982489that's Naoto Ohshima posting pics of his animation cels
>>726982491Shadowdropped and was priced outside of impulse buy territory
>>726982694anon, that's hisashi eguchi (the animator, not the manga artist)
>>726982491Same reason Vertebreaker failed: Sonic fans only care about Sonic.Devs thought they could use their reputation to get guaranteed sales/funding. They were wrong.
>>726982647also depends on who you're marketing to, kids for example need to be able to draw your mascot with little to no talent. That was one of the reasons Pokemon took off like it did when over-designed Digimon didn't.>>726982808are you sure?https://x.com/NaotoOhshima/status/851816000127250432
>>726982523Compared to the usual shit of fantasy/isekai manga? Not at all.
Counterpoint:
>>726982852Man I've never even heard of that. They're really unlucky.
My character design is also a Jester girl, who plays the role of a real Jester, being paid by Oligarchs to make fun of them while internally wanting them all to die.
>>726982981That game wasn't inspired by the Hedgehog.
>>726983021Also my character has to be a girl be cause she gets raped by them too lol
>>726983021Can she light speed dash?
>>726982852Vertebreaker was asking for a lot for a pixel-art game with bizarre controls. Not that you're wrong in that Sonic-related devs shouldn't count on Sonic fans to just want anything they do, but there were more factors there, just like how I think for Penny the way the release was fumbled is a bigger factor.>>726982940Ok, yes, maybe sorry. It IS Ohshima's cel, as in he owns it, and if that's what you meant then you're right and I suck cocks. But it's not Ohshima's art- we know it was done by a smaller studio called Junio and headed by Eguchi, who's posted production materials before etc. Ohshima's just talking about how he got to own some of the cels as the director of the game the animation was made for.
>>726983021That should in theory work, down to the execution
>>726983121ah I see, I'm not so good with japanese these days
>>726982940>kids for example need to be able to draw your mascot with little to no talentVery true. Sonic is a very satisfying character to draw, there's something special that I think gets people really addictive. I've never been able to quantify it. But perhaps it is simple enough, with a few interesting details that feel good to get right.
>>726975217Who is that character on the left? I swear I remember this one
I'll take it from here.
>>726983229Spark the electric Jester
>>726982491>only selling point was “from the creators of sonic mania”>was only ever shown off precisely twice: once announcing the game and once announcing its surprise release>shadowdropping it when it’s a brand new game
>>726983121>there were more factors thereThere is ALWAYS more factors but its the, not even narcissism but the belief that working on a Sonic game has some kind of prestige to it. They don't. Working on Sonic won't open doors to anywhere.Ian Flynn found that out when nobody bothered with his Drogune comic.
>>726983254Lol
>>726981968I don't get why sonic fans think their bootlegs have to be in the same artstyle as sonic anyways. the best looking sonic game is SRB2
>>726983254
>>726983254Why would you go half-Rayman? What is the logic in that?
>>726983254>>726983370KEK
>>726975217Nah Spark is sick
>>726983254>>726983370>Same hair>Same weird scales>Same color scheme
>>726983346people did like this Superman comic though, and it led to the DC crossover.
>>726983362I didn't say he has to, he certainly looks weird a bit though, too much dbz for a character with no intense moments
>>726983254I appreciate that it's not going for Sonic that much, at least, but yeah, that's a weird design.Also, thanks doc
Sonic team tried to make another sonic themselves back in the genesis days, called Ristar you probably haven't heard of it.If they can't even replicate the magic, i dont think anyone can.
>>726983370I forgot this shit existed
>>726983346Comics-wise the Drogune relaunch seems to be doing better, as did the Endless Fantasia kickstarter. Basically the lesson is that you have to sell the product on its own terms and not just expect Sonic fans to show up because it's Sonic-related. Even Endless Fantasia, which heavily compared itself to Sonic and Kingdom Hearts, went through the trouble of multiple promotional artworks and comics, and a couple years of pre-campaign promoting of the characters and the concept, to give it time to snowball.
>>726975217>Sonic inspiredThis intrinsically means that the creative direction of these designs are dependent on minds that are inspired by Sonic. We all know how "creativity" in the Sonic fandom goes down. You're posting some of the more innocuous shit out there.
>>726975217Penny's design is the reason I didn't play the gameFucking ugly
>>726983724>>726983346Penders is a far FAR better example of that than Flynn
>>726983254Thanks doc
>>726983550I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about the orignal image. This guy is built to have a sanrio/animal crossing face, that's why he looks weird
>>726983896Pardon me man, my badbut yeah you're right
>>726983021Doodle her. The key of good "mascot characters" is that they are easily recognizable even in doodles made by kids (or retards, in my case).
>>726982392raising kittens with carol.
>>726983021>>726984181Or for a similar effect, make a sprite, a small one, like Sonic or Mario. It forces the same results of "simplify the design to its core elements"
>>726980237WHAAAT?!
>>726981081mc hammer pants.
>>726984181>shota>shirtless>collarErm....
>>726978291Honestly, FP's character lineup is pretty solid as far as these games go.Too bad the games themselves are just ok.
>>726983846Fuck
>>726983254The more you look into this the worse it gets.The first Kickstarter was a failure, and they scraped by their second campaign.
>>726983845Penders is insane and also a waste because he probably could make all this work if he stopped his stupid tension of "I don't need Sonic (I totally need Sonic)" and just developed his original concepts by himselfhire some furries to make better designs and art for his characters, etc
>>726983346His most recent go at Drogune isn't as much as a failure, as weak praise as that is.
>>726984478because those games have more blah blah blah than they should and levels are to long, longer than CD long.
>>726981362>I'm shitStop talking down on yourself man
>>726983254Isn't this game in development hell because the devs are addicted to FF14?
>>726984702The first game at least had an arcade mode that skipped the cutscenes.Too bad the second one forced you to play through the story first before unlocking it.
>>726977195>literally none of the image searches come up with anythingOK what fucking game is this
>>726982491The main character is fucking ugly
>>726982981Pizza Tower has god tier design philosphy though, not really a counterpoint
>>726985161>literally none of the image searches come up with anythingAre you retarded?https://twitter.com/Cornf_BlueI'm only spoonfeeding you because I like to promote indie devs.
>>726978203>boost gameplayThrow it into the trash, then throw the trash into an incinerator.
>>726984478Lilac's butt...
>>726981081He would be infinitely better with a front hair tuft like his sister. Lean more into the>we want the anthro shotafag audienceBut he's nowhere near as bad as Penny or Spark
>>726985626
>>726985626Those are drop dashes, you dumb normal.
>>726985371well me (op) saying that they all have bad design and that one having a great design would be a counterpart that I agree with
>>726983254the late game plot twist will be that he doesn't have arms at all, not as a design choice. the hands were actually a naked invisible guy wearing gloves following you around.
I would make a redesign of Spark with a different jester accessory but it would just be a waste of time since that is the "anchor" point of the design the creator would never change, so there's no point in it.
>>726981312She's like a jester doll acrobat yoyo. Or something.
>>726980379She's meant to be vaguely young but for some reason they gave her George Washington hair.
>>726986453Why is she a grandma?
>>726979168>everything in the game is quite beautiful except her.The other character designs also suck. The only half decent ones are "generic cartoon king" and "vaguely attractive elf witch lady who was clearly meant to be the final boss before they ran out of budget or something"
Someone fix it. Thoughts?
>>726986360and again, the setup for spark 4 solves this problem a bit anyways
>>726986606Like >>726986546 said I think they just didn't realize that fluffy white hair just looks like old person hair.
>>726984181Sora absolutely before this statement.
>>726986850*destroys
>>726986850>>726986941must we incur your kind on every thread
>>726976978That means you are gay. Anyone would *shake* *shake* *shake* to that design
>>726986746It's better, but the face is still too plain.
>>726986746Its an improvement but for me personally, I just don't like the hat on a conceptual level. But everything else like the hand/shoe size and especially the face are way better. >>726986784Didn't play Spark 3 yet but thank fuck they're moving away from the hat. The actual body portions could use some improvements though. Man, this guy takes one step forward and back at the same time...
>>726984478Personally I think they're a better trio than Team Sonic. Knuckles is supposed to be watching his rock and I don't remember him and Tails ever talking in any game.
>>726987078>Didn't play Spark 3that's some pretty big spoilers, consider leaving the thread if you care
>>726987043The overabundant yellow is balanced with what are essentially upside down Sonic eyes with dark outlining, so I don't see how thats plain.
>>726986980It's fucking true and you know it. It's extremely successful and has one of the most complicated designs in video game history.
>>726987247sorry I thought you meant sora the ai slop machineSora kind of still fits for the first game- ignore the surface detail like the zippers and it's a fairly simple designThe sequels lose that but then again he's not really a mascot character aimed at kids
>>726987103Tails and Knuckles rarely ever talk to each other, and I can probably count on one hand all the lines Tails or Knuckles have ever said to Shadow. Sonic is the center of all their lives.
>>726977195There should be an emphasis on her ass since we're always playing with the camera facing behind her.
I still need to play Spark. I liked Sonic Chrono Adventure more than I expected to.
>>726987242People are naturally drawn to faces. Spark's face is a blank, round, attention vacuum. It feels off.
>>726987358I remember Knuckle's line from Shadow's game and how fake he felt lol>"Hey Shadow! It's me, your friend Knuckles!"
>>726987776Kirkbybros...
I fucking hate how Spark looks, everytime I see him I can only think of this fucker.
severe lack of bunny ears
Hey guys somebody redrew an oc I made. Do you think his redesign of my oc could be a scrimble bimblo?
>>726988313is this danny phantom homestuckgiving it an actual answer, the art style is there, the design isn't offensive, but it's blandthere's some appeal missing
>>726988313He looks like the nerd from Teenage RobotAlso I have no idea what he DOES seeing this design
>>726979617I still love my ugly pug yoyo girl all the same, but I think her design works better as 2D. I was actually really thrown off when I tried to draw her recently because there are several very minute details that are different between the animated trailers and the 3D model used ingame and I'm not sure why they're there
>>726988313he's just some guy. even the version to the left with the obnoxious oversized grin and shades is better because it has more character
>>726977195This game is never coming out
>>726988538that's already inherently simpler and better
>>726975217>>726977837>>726986746Why don't they just replace the hat with this?>But he wouldn't be a jester anymoreJust change the word for the 4th game and imply that this is a new trio of games
>>726988769because if they follow the setup from the third game, we're playing as a reborn Fark and no longer as Spark anyway
Yeah but the games are fun so I don't care. And they both have excellent soundtracks
>>726977604the only reason why he has the hat is because the dev has sonic/kirby autism and his original character do not steal was a yellow sonic wearing kirby's beam/mirror hat
If they were going for a racoon girl they should have used something closed to pic related.
>>726975217The left one looks ok. The right one looks like shit, the eyes look like shit and the angled "clothes" look like shit.
>>726988375>is this danny phantom homestuckLol no. That's not even the inspiration. He's supposed to be a rabbit with lighting bolt shaped ears. The artist didn't fully draw ears,I must have confused him with the original drawing.
>>726989080Anon, that's literally a Homestuck troll.
>>726989080Gonna be honest, the notion of it being an anthropomorphic animal did not come through at all, anon. Genuinely just looked like Danny Phantom-style normal teen human dude to me, and then with a squiggle indicating maybe a Homestuck-style horn
Rate my Scrimblo duo.
>>726977837Wow, what a shitty inspiration. So Spark is basically Sonichu. Neato.
>>726989347finenothing immediately absolutely insane about the designs but that's fine, it's fine to have more bland characters if the game and setting and world is appealingIt feels kinda weird that... Cobalt I'm guessing is the leftmost. Kinda weird his wings are so static in the movement when the tail and the limbs and so on are moving
>>726976630The Jester hat, Fighter Plane jacket, and the Pure yellow body invokes too many concepts to get a sense of what he's supposed to do. It would read better if the hat or jacket was his hair but the original silhouette same; and the hair could puff up when building a charge, which would tie in to his electric powers.
>>726989269I can understand that. I'm not really an artist. I just asked him to redraw an oc I drew for fun.
>>726981008Pomni's pupils are weird but the shape of her eyes don't freak me out like Penny's
>>726989347Draw an archnemesis for Geo and you'll know exactly what's wrong with having a regular guy with jeans.
>>726981008I jerk off to this character and never watched her show
>>726977195>Huge emphasis on boobs>We'll we seeing her back 99% of the timeShe better get a costume that fixes this glaring issue. Anyways:https://files.catbox.moe/dembqb.jpg
this one's a cute design
>>726989960Literally made by a porn dev. The coom content is offputting.
>>726990031oh no! haha
>>726990031the coom isn't in the game itself so I'm fine with it
Make the hat brown and that solves everything.
>>726980061Spark is an out of work jester. The hat is what gives him his little zappy powers and it was intended to just be for entertainment, then the robot stole his job
>>726979617Penny isn't cute and I've never pretended to have this opinion like you.
>>726990361he doesn't act like a jester, there's no jester aesthetics, and jesters aren't known for superpowered hats that give them non-jester related abilities, though. what does "becomes shadow the hedgehog" got to do with jesters?I know the in-game justification, the point we're making is it doesn't flow correctly. It's very clearly something added to justify the hat, rather than the hat flowing from the story. He could have a military helmet and say he got fired from being a soldier, and it'd be the same thing.
>>726975217Both of these designs are cool and I will never understand why they get shitposted so much on /v/.
>>726990031
>>7269836952016 > 2003 > 2018 > 2014 > 2015 > 2019 > 2010 > 2013
>>726989347i want cobalt to sit on my face
TRUTH NUKENot trying to excuse op's pic but it doesn't matter how good your design is,what matters is marketing and advertisement. So much indie games with good art fail because devs can't market.
>>726975217The one on the left would look good without the retarded head shape and hat. The jacket and scarf are cool and it would look a lot better with a mask like a Rider.The thing on the right is visual vomit and whoever designed it should never be allowed to work again.
>>726990464Ultimately it has as much justification and importance as the Kirby beam hat it's stolen from, which is none. And who cares? Sonic's one justification for being a hedgehog is that he can turn into a ball, nothing else about him is relevant to hedgehogs. Mascot platfotmer design is always filled with shit like this.The game is fun and the design is passable. That's all I expect from a lone Brazilian man
>>726990839Anon, no need to kneejerk go "uh well it works fine and who cares it's a lone dev anyway"the games have been praised in this thread already, it's fine, they're not being shat on, no need to come save thempeople are also just pointing out it's not a thought-through design
>>726990889I just don't get why we get so many threads scrutinizing indie designs when mascot platformer designs are never thought through. One justification is enough for almost all of them and that includes Mario and Sonic. And for the record I'm not saying that anything in this thread is as good as those two, I'm just saying that arguing about thematic reasoning for this is asinine
>>726988060HE'S IN
>>726975217Enterhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X-j7Y6xcrQ
>>726984478>>726985492Why is it always chicks. Even with new Sonic characters it's always lame ass chicks.
>>726992102anything else aside, for the better part of a century, characters like this for games or cartoons were guys. That means if you're wanting your character to stand against them, going "ok it's a girl" is a common first point. Doesn't even have to be about representation or whatever you're imagining, it's just a quick first step to distinguish them from what they're based on.
I made a better mascot
Just make a cute animal or blob with shoes and a random accessory traveling through a colorful world. Mario-inspired games do this all the time and nobody complains. Why must Sonic-inspired games overcomplicate everything to the point of being ugly?
>>726991376I don't know about other threads, but this one's being reasonable, I think. These can be useful discussions to learn from. I don't think it'll matter much for Spark- but I do think Penny was genuinely damaged as a new game by the unappealing character design, for instance. Might be good for onlookers to learn from.
>>726986850>>726986941Sora isn't a mascot character, but his original outfit with red puffy pants and huge yellow shoes is unique enough to work. Can't say about the rest of his attire tho.
>>726989347The internet wizard is way too serious to be a "scrimblo". Remove the hoodie and give him the smile and spiky hair of the dragon, or turn him into a small creature so his serious face comes out as silly.
>>726975217Don Patch is cool, not sure why he's wearing a jester hat though.
>>726975217Because any retard can make slop indie games nowadays.Back then you actually had to know your shit so you could only daydream and post your OC on Deviantart.
>>726978291the green cat thing looks a bit out of place compared to the others. why is she the only one who's a traditional furry cat person and doesn't have human hair when everyone else does?
>>726993803This was a fine, solid design and I would have loved to see how it evolved if the game was a success.
>>726986850>>726986941What? Sora's attire is very distinct as well as his choice of weapons.
>>726990540https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHJxTcI4jzg
>>726986746It's dogshit
>>726975217if the clown on the right wasn't brown and had fair skin and maybe a skirt like Amy rose it would have been far more successful. This ugly gender-less thing appeals to no one.
>>726976510Marina actually looks like a rabbit
>>726975217I think Penny is cute.
>>726975217Spark looks fine but Penny I think her name was is really ugly
>>726995808she's a tomboy with cropped hair, wouldn't make sense to give her a separate "wig" when the short hair would just be the same overall as the fur
>>726995808You see other felines with normal hair, she and her sister just keep it short cause they're boyish.
>>726982647Don't speak too soon because Hyperfunk character design looks like ass so far
>>726979617The hat, hair and eyes are irredeemable, no one's gonna see that and gain additional interest in the game. That's the kind of thing that kills sales. It's no wonder his game flopped
>>726977195>>726978203This is the only one of these games that looks decent gameplay wise. Which means it'll never come out.
>>726983050Its sawnic mixed with wario land
>>726988903
>>726975217Cause retarded millenials think people still want Sonic-esque 90s mascot characters (no one does). You can see a lot of these retards in the /v/ and /vg/ "amateur dev threads"
>>726995808Yeah bald people look out of place in real life too
>>726986746this would get me to play his games. My issue was always that I didn't like his face and he didn't lean hard enough into being a jester.
>>727001848she's not bald.....
>>727001696No it isn't.
>>727002267are you sure?
you have this guy
Early 90s millenials didn't get the memo that nobody wants this Sonic-esque mascot shit anymore and that pic related could even mog their ideas. Not cause pic related is inherently outright amazing but because said mascotshit just sets the bar so obscenely low.
>>727002390Even if she was I'd still love my bald kitty wife.
>>727002645gato sex
>>726975217Sparks always struck me as a kirby enemy just with sonic oc flavoring
>>727002841you'll never believe what he's based on
>>727002645same, she rocks my world
>>727002870a fucking kirby enemy
>>727002645I keep hearing there was a falling off with Tyson Tan which is a shame because I think these characters look their best on his take. I'd love a remake of FP1 with these designs and a higher res like FP2 (and some of the cut content from FP1), but considering it'd involve a lot of spending money on something unproved and getting two different Chinese artists to agree to it, it's not happening
>>727002841>>727002870>>727003171the first game is literally sonic with kirby powerups, even the tutorial area was taken from superstar
>>726975701Spark literally looks like 3 designs crammed together. He looks retarded as fuck.
>>726975217Left doesn't look too bad but it also fails to feel cohesive. Feels like a character trying to wear 2 costumes at the same time.That thing on the right looks hideous though.
>>726976510I look at Marina and think 'cute robot girl'I look at penny and I get annoyed. Like a tryhard copying anime without being able to draw anime. Needless unappealing shapes everywhere and a hideous face.
>>726975217Agreed. This isn't a problem exclusive to the indie scene. I don't care how unpopular it is to say it but I hate games like Banjo Kazooie because I don't like the way Banjo himself looks. He looks like a furry gay bear stereotype. No one likes playing as lame looking characters. The only times a character can get away with not looking good are iconic examples like Mario. Seriously the most acrobatic platforming hero is an overweight Italian stereotype with a high pitch Mickey Mouse voice? If Mario wasn't iconic due to being introduced at the right time he would have failed like all these indie characters.
>>727001528It's literally just using the same engine a Sonic GT, Spark, and this thing's game >>726981081Except unlike all of those it doesn't have a single actual level designed, just a test level and a bunch of coomer alternate designs
>>727003237I wonder if the webcomic getting canned was also part of it. I was looking forward to it too so it sucks extra hard.
>>727003538What's next, the lives system is still in these games because it was in After the Sequel?
>>727004497There was a webcomic??
>>726985492This is what it fuckin' gives me
>>726975217they avoid human characters because the main market of Indie games are Arabic countries and India, where Idolatry ( worship of human figures "idols" ) is a sin
>>727004814Only pastey white nerds like indie games.
>>726987078>>726988769Why don't you like jesters, anon?
>>727004619Supposed to be, iirc they reached the kickstarter goal.
Why is Mario being a plumber ok but Spark being a Jester is not?
>>727005340Plumbers have no ambiguity about their genders.
>>727005340He was supposed to be the everyman i.e. a blue collar wagie but they stopped at him being a plumber and it stuck since.
>>726986746give him a stupid upturned nose that accentuates the jester hat
>>727005524But what does that have to do with jumping on turtles and fighting apes?
>>727005340Are you in the habit of not reading threads before posting
>>727004983None of the bosses are Jesters so him being a Jester looks like a random decision.The biker coat fits the robot filled world with robot bosses much better.
realising that story-wise, would've made more sense for Spark to be an engineer or mechanic
>>727006348>would've made more sense for Spark to be an engineerHe was, but the robots took all the jobs so he had to settle for being a performer, then the robots took that job too
>>727006448Sure, but again, that's getting into the weeds of the in-universe plot, I'm talking from an out-of-universe perspective of making the concept understandable easily
>>726976510I'm sorry, but Marina just looks terrible. Character design has never been Treasure's forte.
>>727006574But you literally just said you were talking story-wise
>>727006678Ok, let me rephrase. "The story of the game would make more sense if he was an engineer that lost a job and was fighting against a robot occupation, as opposed to an engineer that lost a job so became a jester then lost a job again to fight against a robot occupation". The jester bit is just bizarre
Rate my mascot character
>>727006894the only really bad thing about this is the placement of the "shoulders" and legs But its not bad, as a black and white draft
>>727006759In that case you're not wrong. It really is just a justification to reuse the "Beam Sonic" shit. That being said though I do enjoy the leap from "robots are taking all the jobs" to "they made a robot specifically to take my job" that the jester thing provides
>>726983021>Americans can only see clowns and jesters as vindictive, misterable, or some kind of childhood traumaI'm waiting for the day somebody creates a harlequin or bozo protagonist that just enjoys what they do and bringing smiles to others without the edgy 2004 myspace undertones.
>>726978291
>>727006894seems a fine enough design at a glance, context will make it or break it
>>726975217It’s funny how Penny excels in everything except character design. Everyone either looks bland, uninspired, corporate at best and downright ugly at worst.
>>727007494I love snouts, but not every girl needs them
>>727007002Huh, thanks for the critique. I wanted to see if I could make a mascot character based on the rubberhose artstyle that Sonic is based on. Because one thing I know is that rubberhose characters make for good mascot design inspiration. It worked for Cuphead, too.>>727007698I don't have any context for her. She's a silly rubberhose character. Maybe, a lovesick girl that wants to save her hubby or something.
>>726975217Why are Sonic fan creators so obessed with Jesters? Is it because of NiGHTS?Shit feels kinda tranny-coded.
i feel even shitty retro sonic clones had more charm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se98BaSMG28https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2scu8SWktchttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z92SnkwEAZEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-eVBInv99Mhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-KLDmcOMawhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiVEDmaYrvg
>>727007494
>>727008505
>>727008115Jesters would be fine if the you fought other jesters. Meanwhile Penny gave you a Yoga Instructor as a boss,
>>727008505milla you don't look so good,,,,
>>726975701All they had to do was take the stupid jester hat off and he would’ve been fine. It’s completely lacking in thematic consistency
>>726983695>that fucking 2015yuck!
>>727008115>Is it because of NiGHTS?Yea
>>727006647agree to disagree, I like Treasure's character designs. I also think Marina is a cutie.
>>726983695>That teaser at the end of the teen titans go movie they never delivered onI wish stubbed toenails to all involved.
>>726986746at least he now has the face of someone who lost his job
>>727008115Jesters are cool, wdym?
>>727008505Milla if she kemono.
>>726975217What's the villain (i.e. Eggman stand-in) designs like? Or do they just not have any?
>>727005340Because Mario began as a regular worker with jobs where his attire is seen as normal, and by the time Mario moved from working in the human world to rescuing princesses in a fantasy land everyone had already associated his overalls and his jobs as a plumber with him, and changing his image would hurt his visibility more than anything. Plus his clothes are still normal enough to fit in the many settings in which he appears.Spark, in contrast, has never looked like a real jester or as someone related to electricity, and between games all he gained was a jacket that still has nothing in common with the original premise of the character. IMO, Spark should have been a rabbit with long ears instead of a hat.
>>727009549For Spark, it's basically variations of DBZ Cooler
couple random things I just found on google images
for me it's sfarxjust kidding he'd pretty bad, I like Formie Fark a lot though
>>727008560I also fixed Neera
>>727009549This is Penny's
>>727009943He looks more friendly than Penny does...
>>727009549Metal Spark is called Fark, there's not really an evil overlord kind of dude
>>727009549These are the bosses from Penny's game (one isn't actually a boss)
>>727010074It's Freom, Freom is the one fitting the role
>>727009997>>727010074Ironically, his design fills the role of "electric jester" much better than the actual protagonist. He's a robot (electric) painted and dressed like a clown (jester) who apparently found his world too silly and now wants to fix it.
>>727009937i like the part where they called her fat twice in the second game
>>726975217I'm surprised that this thread is still upThey should've gave Penny big boobs
>>727009943>Hehe get it, he's King Dedede but we removed his Penguin parts and routed that to his henchmen
>>727011030big boobs, a fat ass, and a little potbelly.all with jiggle physics.
Some couple weeks ago I saw people posting redesigns so I tried making my own bargain bin one. I feel like if they just made the hair less granny-like and made the eyes less weird it'd already be a big upgrade. At least it'd fix my main issues with it. Not trying to say my pic's an amazing example of a fix, but I spent 20 minutes making it so I'm posting it>>727011030I 100% agree
>>727010224christ, why did they not hire an actual character designer for this game?
>>726980597Looks fine but also looks like some amateur blender user's first project or something.
>>727011196You can't handle fat Penny>>727011335Nice redesign, more boob
>>727010224Those are some real memorable designs.
>>726989347If I saw Geo as a playable character in a game, I'd wonder what Youtuber was funding it so his avatar could be playable
>>726982981Pizza Tower is more in line with "irreverent" 90s cartoons rather than trying to be Sonic. The fact that the characters are meant to look like something you'd laugh at is a strength rather than trying to make something "endearing and cool" for kids that are never going to play your game.
>>726984478If it wasn't for Gashi Gashi's artwork I would've never bothered to look at this game.
>>727011468>you can’t handle fat pennyi’d like to try
>>726986746That face makes it look even more troonlike
>>726986746It still feels like two characters mixed into one. His face doesn't fit a jester yet he is dressed as one.
>>727011669>i’d like to tryI warned you
>>727011335Nice
>>727011736TToTT TUMMY EROTIC
>>727009883looking at this makes me angry
I only ever played Sonic Chrono Adventure. That was like a metroidvania that used Metroid-style abilities to affect Sonic-style momentum that would let you get to new places. Are the Spark games like that? Aren't the newer ones 3D and more similar to Adventure--does that still carry over?
>>727011797>TToTT TUMMY EROTICYou can't handle this
>>727009883Wait a minute, that art style…
>>727011030>>727011196I will now play your game.
>>727011879no, the first is just a Sonic-like platformer with kirby powers, 2 and 3 are basically Sonic only portions of the Adventure games, they slowly lose the kirby powers thing and add DMC-lite combat
>>727011949I will now buy your game
>>726986746Huge improvement.>>726986784This looks like ass.
>>727011949Lol, did you just make that edit?>>727012084Why does everyone want her fat?
>>727012219>Lol, did you just make that edit?Yes. I wouldn't mind if someone made a proper edit or drew her like that.
>>727011030this is a better design and not just for gooner purposes
>>727010064Well he literally does nothing wrong.
>>727012275Sounds good, I'd also like to see that>>727012315Big boobs give her a better silhouette
One example of a good sonic clone design is Tyson tan's work for freedom planet 2 effectively galaxy trails last game of note and it wouldnt surprise me if they die off in a year or two freedom planet 2 is one of the few examples of 2d excellence of indie shit its not "so retro" its got high detail and animation
When making a character consider two things:1. Would anyone buy a plushie of this without context?2. Would a majority of any random panel of /v/ posters put their dick in it?You can get by without 2, but you gotta have 1 solid.
>>727011335She's kinda cute but now she looks more like she'd be in a game like Psychonauts or some Sony first party platformer.
>>727012559The Lilac changes are weird as hell, but I can empathize with wanting to get as far away from Sonic-style meat tendrils as much as possible.
>>726993154That guy's pretty slick, anon.
They just put sunglasses on a peep and it's better than Penny (mostly because the gameplay is better)
>>726993154>>727012817We know it's you, Parappa.
>>726975217>>727012559>Make Sonic inspired game>forget to make the characters appealing>forget to make the story interesting>game is not successful or well rememberedPeople just don't understand, the reason Sonic was ever successful is because of the characters and later on the story.These games are made by people who actually liked the mediocre gameplay of Sonic and think that'll bring in players.
>>727012701By meat tendrils do you mean his "quils" or his arms?
>>727013008No it was the level design.
>>727012559>>727012701I want Lilac to wrap her tendrils on me
>>727013087The shape of the toilet is not why people shit in it, they shit in it because it's clean and the bathroom doesn't reek.
>>726988538Finally have access to my terminal I swear I'm not crazy the hat shapes are subtlety different
>>727013008Freedom planets art is good, but the story is nonsense and the sequel was less fun since it distanced itself from sonic gameplay.
>>727013195Nice, but you should've gave her big boobs
>>727013172A Sonic game with good level design is a functioning toilet, a Sonic game with bad level design is a hole in the ground, you're just quibbling over the color of the toilet paper.
>>727013008I mean there is a president for that, spark has more than just sonic before the sequel but with ocs after all freedom planet 2 even exists and whilst Anton blast and pizza tower don't fully fit that mold they're still physics and speed based platforming
>>727013172Can you actually explain how Sonic 2 is a bad game?
>>726978291Sexo with them all! Especially Lilac paizuri!>>727008505>>727009937These are cute and I like them, but I'm not sure if it's IDEAL snoot. Again nice stuff anon (assuming you're the artist).
>>727013279Anton and Pizza Tower are Wario World clones, different gameplay with a different audience.
>>726975217I've never played the games but spark actually looks pretty cool with the jacketpenny is just downright awful, throw the whole fucking design away there's no saving it
>>726975217>>726976713>>726977092>>726977478>>727013008>Sonic is a well design characterAre you sure about that?Monoeye, unexpressive brow, resting bitch face, side mouth?
>>727013031These things.
>>727013267>no argument>>727013281The entire game is focused around memorizing the level layout for future attempts and mastering a split second reaction time, it's complete shit and appeals to an incredibly small amount of people.
>>727013574yes. be a contrarian all you like, at some point you have to agree the sky is blue. If a character can survive the shit games it's had for decades and still be popular and immediately liked by kids, it's because it did something right.
I don't know
>>727013649are you 85 years old? it was one of the easiest games in existence when it came out
>>727013776Nice, but Penny needs big breasts
>>726977557Not really trueLook at how much attention is drawn to his shoesLook at how aerodynamic his head isLook at how the spike things behind his head and his tail resemble airflow or comic movement linesThese all imply he has a focus on running fast. Supersonic speeds, no, but the design is focused enough.
Sonic is easy, it's just not easy to go fast. Which autists will take huge offense to and believe the only way to play is memorizing the stage and going as fast as possible at all times no matter what because "it's Sonic so I have to go fast".Freedom Planet 2 is one of the few games that fixed Sonic's biggest issue (not being able to see shit). It's alright.
>>727013008Spark's story is kino thoughever
>>726989960>>726990031>>726990540had to do a double take when I saw this in the Godot Engine 2025 Showreel
>>727013217FP2 is so shit man. A bunch of annoying enemies and bosses that move and don't let you punch them properly with huge healthbars and your main defensive option is fucking Smash parry, not positional dodging. Fucking reatded design.
>>727013785>it was one of the easiest games in existence when it came outYou are part of a minority.>>727013878>if I don't reply direction then he won't see me!Sonic is not easy, it's constantly flipping between having you go fast and take your time with no indication of which, and with the timer you have a high incentive to not take your time.Sonic isn't hard, it's bad, very few people actually like the gameplay.The entire reason Sonic didn't fail is because Sega managed to make the characters and story appealing enough to keep drawing in players despite the terrible gameplay.
>>726990540Do ya got a link?
>>727014197you're a porn addict.
>>727013880He's ugly and that's what keeps people away.
>>727014197The timer doesn't mean shit, it's just another score metric lingering from the arcade days. Classic Sonic has great art, good stage design, timeless music, was all around just as much a masterpiece as Mario 3 was. You're just mad that it doesn't fit your preconception of how it "should" play.
>>727014242>choosing to loudly announce that I am right by typing out random insults
>>727014275You're ugly and a retard
>>726975217Penny's Big Thread
>>727014197>run forward>if you see platforms or enemies, slow down>if you see curves - speed up>the game will stop you from top speed by using upward curve to kill all of your momentum anywayIt's THAT easy anon. And you have infinite attempt to not fuck it up thanks to rings.
>>726975217>brown and yellow color schemePiss and shit
Are there indie Mario clones? I only ever see the indie Sonic clones.
>>727014812Looks good, but the Jester part just seems superfluous at this point
>>727014904yeah the jester part's been made superfluous from the beginning but I think also the silhouette does work well enough that I've no idea what I'd replace it within a sense I think spark's hit that mario level of "he just dresses like this" even if in a much shakier foundation
>>727014328>The timer doesn't mean shit, it's just another score metric lingering from the arcade days.And it causes you to fail if it runs out.>Classic Sonic has great artYeah>good stage designAbsolutely not, it's an endless tirade of surpise traps and confusing paths that you need to memorize.>timeless musicof course>was all around just as much a masterpiece as Mario 3 was.Weird you're bringing up something like Mario, because that has nothing to do with anything.>You're just mad that it doesn't fit your preconception of how it "should" play.Yeah, it should be beatable casually first, challenge should come later for people who want more out of it, having it be all challenge all the time is what makes a game shit.I will reiterate, the sole reason Sonic lived past his third game is because people liked the characters and story.>>727014579>run forward>see pla- nopeMissed it because you were going too fast and slammed into that enemy, there was no reason beforehand to slow down.>if you see curvesBecause you don't want that last one to happen again, you're going too slow and have to struggle to get enough speed again.>And you have infinite attempt to not fuck it up thanks to rings.Now you're straight up lying, we ALL know those rings run out eventually, eventually you will not be able to get the last one back.
>>726989960>>726990540Porn aside, her design is much better than most of the characters posted in the thread.>>727014661Pic related (Bombun), A Hat in Time, Corn Kidz, Kero Quest and Lucky's Tale come to mind, but since Mario essentially defined the entire genre in both 2D and 3D most platformers can be considered a "Mario clone".
>>727014661Made by a team of professional SM64 romhackers.
>>727014240https://store.steampowered.com/app/3609320/Bombun/
>>727015084>shit reflexes>spends 10 minutes in a single actThe games are beatable casually, children did it. You are just beneath casual, you are the physically and mentally impaired and the devs shouldn't have to cater to you
>>727015084anon you are retarded.>curvespress fucking down and slide down them>cant' see enemyit's literally one less than one screen away from mandatory stops ALWAYS. There's NEVER a long straight line you can gain enough speed on to run into an enemyeven in fucking sonic 1 where this isn't the case... they have running speed cap so you don't slam face first into enemies anyway.
>>727015302All the loop de loops, spirals and cave pipes are chances to floor it. And as the other guy said, you literally can't die unless you get hit twice in a row. You can walk on lava and juggle a ring across the entire stage if you feel so inclined. It's genuinely difficult to take longer than 9 minutes and 59 seconds for a single zone act. This ain't no Vectorman.
>>727015368and it's especially no shenmue 3 where every single enemy is thorwing projectiles from offscreen
>>727015242>no argument>starts crying about children and throwing random insultsOkay I win now, you lose, you can stop replying since you have nothing to say in favor of Sonic gameplay.>>727015302>press fucking down and slide down themAnd? Why are you bringing this up again after I already mentioned it?>it's literally one less than one screen away from mandatory stops ALWAYS. There's NEVER a long straight line you can gain enough speed on to run into an enemyExcept that it happens constantly.>>727015368You are part of a small minority of people who have taken the time to master Sonic in this way, most people are not perfect on every run-through of a level.
>>727015567I didn't master shit. You just pick up the fucking rings instead of standing in the lava. It's not hard at all.
>>727015567anon i've never replayed sonic games cause they are the only shit on megadrive that is beateable in one sitting. Next to shit like contra hardcorps or even dark souls they are the easiest games in the universe. Fucking mario is harder.
>>727015686they sound like the kind of player that doesn't know how to press down when they see an enemy in front of them, and stands gobsmacked while their rings bounce off the screen
>>727014431
>>726975217So WHY is he a jester?
>>727015818it was the gig he took up after inventing electric cap but got fired when a robot impostor took his place
>>727015682>I didn't master shit. You just pick up the fucking rings instead of standing in the lava. It's not hard at all.Getting mad at people for not being as good as you are at a bad game isn't going to change things, you need to accept that you have an unhealthy amount of skill at these games.>>727015686>anon i've never replayed sonic gamesIf you're going to start with a clear lie, I'm not going to entertain the rest of your post.
>>727015917You don't get it. That's fine, it's okay to be a retard. You didn't choose to be brain damaged. Just understand that your experience is not what everyone else experiences. That's why modern games have Journalist Mode, after all.
>>727015796
>>727016005>has no argument>spewing random insults>copy-pasting what I said in hopes I'll go awaySonic games are bad and you are obsessed with them to the point of being abnormally skilled at them, no amount of your anger is going to sway anyone in your favor.Sonic will only ever be relevant because of the characters and story, nothing else is keeping it alive.
>>727015917damn anon. If you still can't figure out holding one direction and pressing jump to catch a ring, a thing i've figured out as a 5yo, there's no saving you.
>>727016073Hot
>>727016204>strawman argument
>>727016345>strawman argument>"anon i have no skill i literally just catch ring back and tank the damage">"just admit it you have unhealthy amount of skill in those games"No anon, this is literally reply to what you said. You've strawmanned yourself if you've never had any issues with catching ring
>she thinks she's arguing with a single personlol
>>727016153>Sonic is only relevant because of the characters and storyno one gives a single fuck about half of the sonic characters. if it's not sonic or shadow, it gets tossed in the bin 9 times out of 10. the story is also complete nonsense more often than not, between 06, boom, forces, lost world, frontiers, whatever else. you personally liking these aspects does not mean it's the single defining reason why it's popular.
>*clears throat*YOU'RE MADE OF EVERYTHING IM NOTI WANT THE QUALITIES YOU GOT I MADE A PROMISE TO MYSELF TO BE THETHR BETTER YELLOW ONE YOU TAKE IT ALL TOO SERIOUSLYIM JUST A PAWN AND YOU ARE FREE
>>727016308>Hothttps://files.catbox.moe/f0jaja.png
>>727016474>still making strawman arguments
>>727016804Somebody told me that my free will was a lieSo I pushed the questions down and doused the fear insideYet I can't forgive myself, my innocence is throughBut with every obstacle I crush I'll get to you
>>727016785>no one gives a single fuck about half of the sonic charactersThat is the worst lie I've ever heard, people care more about the characters made for a cartoon over 20 years ago more than your gameplay.
>>727016959a subset of a community is not the entire community.
hrmmm
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