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The Great Magician is getting a facelift!

747 View2021-04-28

This time, we have decided to revamp The Great Magician’s look as part of our efforts to refine the game’s art direction. This process pretty much entails recreating the character from the ground up, so there’s a considerable amount of effort that goes into it.

What was your design process for The Great Magician?

To be honest, us devs here had no idea why someone would want to be a magician. Thanks to the power of the internet, though, we easily found the answer by - you know it - searching online, and we stumbled upon a TED talk about magic by Justin Willman, who did a great job summing it up. He spoke about wanting to feel like a kid again and hiding from the scary parts of the world, but he knew that it would be impossible to go back to that, even for a second. However, performing magic helped him relive those precious memories, such as ‘tasting cotton candy for the first time’ and thinking that ‘getting grounded is the worst thing in the world’.

Which aspect of the Magician did you want to change?

The first thing we discussed changing was the Magician’s dress style. We wanted him to seem like an imposing character by clothing him with a top hat, fur cloak, and hooked nose. In terms of his body shape, we tried a combination of triangles and ovals in hopes that it would enhance his overall sense of mass. To give him an air of nobility, we also designed him with long, skinny legs, so that his profile would resemble a goblet. If you were to imagine his home, it would be an opulent mansion filled with gold coins. The Magician would be lounging on an exquisite Baroque chair as he swirls his wine glass and stares his opponents down his nose.

How did the character turn out?

After the first round of design, we felt that this version of the Magician seemed a little too serious or diabolical. This would come at the expense of his humorous side, such as how he would bumble hilariously when stunned or knocked backwards. So we restored his original rotund figure, and instead focused on adjusting his appearance and presence to intensify his comical features.

So what did you go with instead?

After finalizing his new look, we also decided to write a new background story for the Magician. In the new Flash Party lore, the Magician will have met new allies and enemies who change his life for better or worse. Deep down, however, he’s still the little boy who was raised as a slum dweller and matured into the Magician, spreading joy and laughter to kids and adults alike with his antics and magic tricks.