Meet the Suspects – Marion Wood

November 23, 2018

It’s time for another sneak peek / character introduction from the upcoming Sleuthhounds: Cruise game. This time it’s living-the-high-life Marion Wood.

[Work in progress walk cycle for Marion Wood.]
Work in progress walk cycle for Marion Wood.

Marion is aboard the maiden voyage of the cruise liner because she’s a member of high society who absolutely has to be the first to experience the best of the best of the best in new entertainments and diversions. Or so she claims, but is she hiding something more? Something…nefarious?

Marion has the most vibrantly coloured sprite set of any of the characters in the game. The basic visual design for her form of dress is anachronistic for the late 1800s that the game is set in. However, if you accept anthropomorphic cartoon characters on board a cruise liner a little thing like fashion shouldn’t be a tough pill to swallow. Therein lies one of the benefits of making a “cartoony” sort of game as opposed to one completely grounded in reality. I can introduce anachronistic fashions, technology, and vocabulary to achieve certain effects whether they be comedic, puzzle design related, or, as in this case, to give a character a good visual identity.