*Most of the character's details and lore cannot be disclosed: the specific dialogues and the work with Cecilia will be revealed in the future.
Nerian, emotionally complex and extremely loyal to Osiris, the sentient spaceship, is an important non-player character of Imperfection.
I knew the actress' voice and acting style from a previous collaboration. Therefore, I completed the character design and writing by tailoring my content on the actress' timbre and performance.Â
In the meantime, I provided constant feedback to the character artist with a brief. Reference pictures (not available on this portfolio) were also shared on a dedicated Miro page to support her work with some visual.
Nerian's design is heavily affected by the lore: Osiris, the self-aware spaceship where the game is set, is also called "Mother" by the crew. Her power to affect life in herself is clearly immense, especially towards her "children". For this reason, we aimed to create a contrast between Nerian's aesthetics and casualty in the talk and manners. She must look symmetrical and harmonious: we agreed on a sober and simple hairstyle and delicate colours. Nerian is bound to be just like a piece of art. The taste of Osiris has shaped her: this way, an important piece of narrative doesn't get conveyed solely by dialogues or actions.
The circle, or rather, the enso, is a symbol that we often find in the game, a constant reminder of her requests and expectations, so we agreed with Rachele that it was important to engrave it on Nerian. Osiris is always in her mind... one way or another.
Nerian is also the first NPC the protagonist meets, so her design is also useful to lay down the foundations of the lore: what does the crew look like? Mechanical and organic parts are blended in her body, revealing how closely knit the characters are to the machine that nurtures them.