Korean artist Kirim Son has done what a load of fans have already done, and designed some new Overwatch characters. What’s different about Son’s though is that all three have been specifically designed to represent Overwatch heroes whose powers are drawn from various mobility issues.
Jalkikuva Laine (below), for example, became deaf as a child, but soon learned she could visualise sounds instead of hearing them. She now uses audio powers in battle, and is able to broadcast dummy ally lines (to trick the enemy into thinking they’re somewhere they aren’t).
Further, to simulate the experience of controlling a deaf character, anyone playing as Jalkikuva would hear no sounds during gameplay (but to compensate would be able to see nearby sounds as visual cues).
If that sounds like a lot of detail to come from some character sketches, that’s because Son’s designs are a lot more in-depth than just some drawings.
He’s truly created these characters, from their backstories to their in-game powers, and the results are three heroes who look and feel like they could slot straight into the game, right down to the fact that he’s woven them into the canon by creating relationships with existing characters.
The other two characters Son has built are Synæs (above), a blind fashion model whose screen would be black but who has powerful area effects (and a guide dog for navigation), and Kjell Berg, a former police officer who was paralysed in a traffic accident, and who now does battle in an ultra-fast armoured wheelchair.
You can see examples of Son’s very thorough design work below (he’s even designed the animation for their attacks), but you can see the full thing at his ArtStation page.
Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios.
Jalkikuva Laine
Synæs
Kjell Berg
Comments
3 responses to “Fine Art: A Cool Set Of New Overwatch Character Designs”
This is beyond amazing.
This dude knows how build characters, these are solid.
These designs are weird. Overwatch exists in a time where disabilities aren’t a hindrance and yet, these characters are still living with theirs.
That’s a good point, there are 6 heroes with prosthetic limbs, Junkrat, Genji, Symmetra, McCree, Torbjorn and Doomfist. 3 heroes are robots, and then you’ve got those that use mechsuits like Reinhardt and D.Va.