Sylvia behind the scenes: secondary characters creation and updates

Hi Patronettes and Patrons,

The latest sprint in the development of Sylvia includes a thorough polishing phase, and on the table today are the lovely ladies of Chapter 2. Eva, the beach lady, Mia, the vendor, and Isabelle, the pretty receptionist, have gone through full redraws and minor redesigns.

While polishing Chapter 2, we found that these three ladies stood out in style and quality and needed to be brought up to the standards of the rest of the game. Today we would be delighted to give you a peek behind the scenes and show you how this was done!

Receptionist character early sketches

Many different characters (both male and female!) were floated for the role of the Emerald Hotel’s receptionist back in 2018. Some of these characters were cast elsewhere later on, and you may perhaps spot a few familiar faces in this line-up.

Isabelle lineart comparison (Before and After)

The Isabelle of 2018, lovely as she is, deserves to be given a gentle visual update. After problem areas have been identified and discussed, new sketches are drawn. In the case of Isabelle, her design could be improved with slight changes to her pose. Isabelle is a very soft-spoken and sweet girl, and this is now echoed in the position of her hands.
Once the new design has been set and agreed upon, a lineart is drawn for the new sprite.

Isabelle sprite comparison

Adding color is the final step of the visual face-lift. With finer linework, more details can be added, and the finished sprite is much more complex and intricate compared to the old version. The new and improved
Isabelle can now stand proudly among the rest of the supporting cast of later chapters.

Mia lineart comparison

Mia, the vendor of Resort Beaches’ own swimsuit shop, was granted a slightly more extensive upgrade. She has received minor improvements over the years, but it was finally concluded that she needed a full overhaul. This included a new hairstyle, new accessories, and changes to her pose and clothing.

Mia sprite comparison

Mia’s redesign is now complete! Ultimately, the decision was made to change quite a few things about her sprite, but we are confident that she remains recognizable to the veteran players.

Eva lineart comparison

Last on the operating table is Eva,  the fashionable sunbather that our hero and Léa encounter whilst walking on the beach. Eva is the oldest side character in the game and thus also the one most in need of an update. While her design was sound, the technical aspects of her sprite needed quite a bit of polishing up.

Eva sprite comparison

The finished sprite went through a pose change before being approved and finalized, and now Eva 2.0 stands as the most changed among all the other upgrades.
Eva’s base design remains mostly unchanged except for her tinted sunglasses, which seem to be functional finally.

Eva new expressions

The original Eva did not, in fact, have any extra expressions, something that all the other characters in the game have. This oversight was remedied during the graphical overhaul, and she now boasts a total of 4 different expressions.

Thank you for following our progress as we journey through the final chapter of Sylvia and the polishing rounds of previous chapters. Please continue to cheer us on during the final home stretch!

Thank you for your support,
- LaLaBun