kuro (ft a poll)

wanted to hold off on posting kuro until last to preempt any expectations that other protags would be changing more too

general id for the blind audience, all of the images in this post are graphics for a protag, i don't think there's anything i can say here to make this meaningful for you all, sorry friends

kuro is, in my opinion, both the least popular and least appealing protag. related. so i wanted to help him out a bit. i was prepared to make some bigger changes, maybe give him a braid or something, i tried a few different things, but in the end nothing really felt right or necessary to me after giving him just a little bit of a haircut.

this is still mainly about the OWs, but we can post some other sprites for comparison.

old:

new:

not very different. i really wouldn't want to make the design too different for the handful of players who have chosen and liked his design... but i suspect no one will mind a few inches taken off the back, and i think this will feel better, especially for those who prefer a more boyish look.

old new old new old new

and the OW

but ! we the team have been polishing up these sprites or generally giving some feedback and, gasp! we have arrived at an impasse. this is where you come in.

so kuro's design definitely has sunglasses. they are visible in all of his graphics except the OW. the old OW does not have them, but the new OW could. however, the team has been split down the middle on whether we like it better with or without the sunglasses. so, to you we posit a vote.

a comparison:

(the right column without the glasses is walk sprites, left with sunglasses is idle. only the sunglasses will actually be changing here)

 here is some other evidence for your consideration:

• no sunglasses is the status quo

• i consider it acceptable to triage small details like glasses on an OW; it is normal and acceptable within the style to do so

• techies, elias, fern, florinia, and early game bennett all have visible glasses in their OW. also i think all of their OW glasses except elias' are ugly.

•  late game bennett has his omitted from the OW.

also i want to give priority to people who actually prefer to use kuro as a player character, so i am going to make separate options for that.

vote now on your phones.