Dreaming up a lifelike and relatable character, bringing it to life, and witnessing how it shapes up as part of the whole story is quite a challenging and meaningful experience.
As we have shown for Avril’s character design, this process requires a lot of in-depth analysis, creative effort and, why not, also a stroke of luck with finding inspiration. After all, the greatest ideas often spark at the most unexpected moments!
Today we move on to the design of Mila, Avril’s best friend, to see how we brought her to life!
Mila is a full-fledged companion character and, as such, designing her demanded a delicate balancing act between conveying emotions, in terms of fostering the bond we want the player to build with her, and ensure functionality.
Mila joins Avril in her journey from the very beginning and, though not physically present in every step of the quest, she plays an essential role all along.
Always looking on the bright side of life but never without a touch of sarcasm, Mila exudes an incredible charisma. She is friendly, confident, and, above all, brave and loyal: she is not the chosen one but still takes up the challenge and gives Avril the strength to overcome the most dreadful obstacles.
When our main character feels like throwing in the towel, it’s Mila who reminds her what brought them this far and calls on her tireless commitment to save the Earth. Does this remind you of something?
If you are a fan of Lord of the Rings, you may notice a degree of similarity to the relationship between the two hobbits Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins and it’s no coincidence!
As Gaetano Caltabiano, the Art Director of Batora: Lost Haven, states “The bond that ties Mila and Avril together is modeled on that of Frodo and Sam. The latter proved himself to be Frodo’s closest and most dependable companion, always pushing him further on his quest, and so will Mila.”
However, we must highlight the fact that there’s no trace of any master and servant dynamics in the relationship between Avril and Mila and any references to the British Army’s batmans as in Tolkien’s masterpiece.
Once we laid down the foundations of the relationship between the two girls, we moved forward in the research of relevant references to better define Mila’s identity.
It may seem like an odd pairing but the two main references for the design of her character were Mushu from Mulan for his personality and Rue from The Hunger Games for her appearance and vibes!
Just like Mushu, Mila is fearless and has a snarky attitude, she supports her companion no matter what and gives her valuable advice, sharing a view from a different perspective.
On the other hand, her kind nature and bravery is a trait she shares with Rue from The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen’s ally. Actually, the physical appearance of Mila is strongly inspired by the actress who plays the role of Rue, Amandla Stenberg. Her aesthetic and expressiveness are indeed strikingly similar to that of the American actress and singer!
Last but not least, we also added a bit of the badass attitude of Michonne from The Walking Dead. Michonne is indeed extremely responsible and resourceful and somehow represents the direction in which Mila is heading: from reckless teenager to determined, brave young woman.
With all this in mind, Borislav Mitkov, former Assassin’s Creed Concept Artist who, as previously told, joined the project with the post of Character Concept Artist, finally brought the character of Mila to life.
This is the result of his study:
As for the outfit, the aim was to match and highlight the bubbly personality of Mila. Fashion and colorful, it draws inspiration from Korean and London streetwear. They both contain elements from punk, sportswear, and international styles, from California skate and surf culture to the Japanese Harajuku fashion. The headscarf, in particular, is Mila’s trademark.
From what we’ve seen so far, one thing’s for sure: everyone needs a friend like Mila!
The complementary personalities of Avril and Mila, combined with their determination and dedication, will make their friendship even stronger and will prove to be invincible!
Wishlist Batora: Lost Haven on Steam!
