You are all going to love this!
Artwork Redesigns for Aziel and a news update for the game.
Earlier on in development, I told you guys about an amazing new artist that I had found who agreed to help me on this game! She is known as Fudgemint Guardian, but you can also call her Erin.
Erin has done some amazing work so far to redesign the main character, Aziel. Therefore, I've decided to share her work with you all! (You won't be able to see the rest until release!)
The first picture is early redesigns for Aziel's new hairstyle. I wanted a nice strong-looking haircut that adds a slight darkness to the character. Initially, I thought either a medium or long hairstyle would do. I didn't think short hair would fit Aziel's character. I've taken minor (and I do mean very minor) inspiration for Aziel from Terra in all honesty, and I think the inspiration for him will be clear upon release.
Here are the first four haircuts for Aziel that she redesigned. The first one is the one I was initially going to choose to be Aziel's hair.
However, she then showed me four more completely separate designs which I also loved! As you can see, the hairstyles in this picture are wavier and appear to be longer than those in the first. Unfortunately these did not fit Aziel's character due to the length and the waviness. (But I may use them for other characters, who knows?) So in the end, it turns out that long hair doesn't really fit Aziel.
The final four styles are my absolute favourites, number 9 and number 12 are the two that appealed to me most. Yes, 12!
So there you have it, 12 fantastic hairstyles, but only 3 made the cut for Aziel. It was a VERY difficult choice, but I'm positive you'll love my decision. The three choices are Hairstyles 1, 9 and 12.
Due to it being such a difficult choice, I asked Erin to do some clothing designs for Aziel. These all turned out absolutely fantastic, which I think you'll also agree on! Some of these even look like they could easily be implemented into a Kingdom Hearts game for crying out loud.
The first set of clothing were ones I received VERY positive feedback on through my friends and family who have been lucky enough to bug test the game. These clothing designs fit perfectly with Aziel's character and fighting style, and I love all of them!
Then we have the next set of clothing. Although these don't particularly fit Aziel's character or fighting style, I still love all of them and could fit these into the game via character customisation (That's right, you get to change clothes later in-game!)
Now, I know I said these all don't fit Aziel's character or fighting style, but the first of the last three does in some sense, and may be implemented as a clothing design for a memory fragment (will be talked about later on) or possible undercover mission of some sort, I don't know yet.
Anyway, back to hairstyles! These were so difficult to choose from! Each of the three hairstyles I had as options stood out to me so much, and all three looked amazing. However, after looking at the different hairstyles on a full-bodied and dressed-up Aziel...
... I chose number 9!
I chose this because I felt that it was edgier than the first, but wouldn't obstruct his view in battle like number 12, even though I do LOVE number 12 (I'll be using No. 12 for Aziel's *SPOILER*. Heheh... You'll see at the end of the demo) and of course, like I said before, looks the best on a full-bodied and dressed-up Aziel.
Going back to clothing designs, I also had to choose which of the six I felt was best for Aziel's main appearance throughout the game. This was also a difficult choice because the first three designs stood out to me as equally as the three hairstyles did.
The final choice, however, was clothing design number 3! Honestly, it looks fantastic. Plus, it appears to be fast and flexible and could be adaptable for any situation, which is great for an all-round character such as Aziel. Magic, swords and nimble movements could all be implemented into this clothing design!
However... I felt the colours on the clothing could use a little bit of improvement, so I once again asked Erin to do some new designs! These new designs all have different colour patterns, and all use different hairstyles to check which one's the best. I know you guys will really love these new designs as much as I do!
As you can see, Aziel is looking fresh and ready for action. He still has the classic triple earrings but doesn't have the scar. This is a simple mistake, and a scar will be in his final appearance. (Mainly because it just looks really awesome on him!)
Last but not least, I asked Erin to make some new weapon designs for Aziel to fit with his new clothing.
First off, the new clothing and a strap to hold the sword with a front and rear view.
And last but not least, again, the brand new swords! These ALL look amazing, but I think Aziel will either start off with sword number 1 or 3 (leave a vote, I would love to hear your opinions!). Until I can decide properly, I'll be going with sword 1, and you will be able to use all of these swords as the game progresses!
That's all for now on the fantastic new artwork Erin has done!
So what do YOU think?
Do you like the new redesign of Aziel? Does his swords and overall appearance so far appeal to you? Do you also agree that Erin is an AMAZING artist and was definitely a fantastic choice for the game? Leave your opinions below! I'd love to hear them!
Until that, however, I have a slight...
NEWS UPDATE
First off, the game IS coming along beautifully smooth without many hitches, and looks and feels absolutely amazing! However, after a recent bug test, I've found a couple of HUGE game-breaking bugs that could completely halt your progress through the demo! Until these are fixed, I can't release the demo as it is, I'm sure you understand, though.
Secondly, I've taken a little break from making the game. I hope this isn't too much of a problem. I know you guys are really looking forward to this, but lately I've been feeling a little stressed and haven't had much social interaction with anyone, so for the past week I've been spending more time with my friends and fiance, as I've been neglecting spending time with anyone. Constant developing on the game may be nice and fast, but it's really not good for my health. I will be getting back to developing the game either later this week, or next week (I'll be away for a whole week starting Thursday) but I'm going to develop it a little bit slower just so I have time to spend with my friends and fiance and so I don't cause myself any harm.
This being said, I'd like you to not expect a release date for the end of the month, and instead expect it for next month. I know some of you can't wait, but it's best that the game works great upon release, right?
Thank you all for understanding. You're all so amazing and you all give me tons of inspiration. Some of you have great talent, and I really think you should share it with the world, and even if you don't think you're good at something, I want you to share it anyway. Let people give you criticism, it'll help you better your work and make your stuff even more amazing!
Thank you all for being such amazing people. I've not been this happy in any other community!
Until next time,
Stay Awesome!
- VodkaOptic
P.S. I know this is quite a long post, so I'm super sorry for that!
P.P.S. I also know I said that you wouldn't see any more art for the game, but I will still share Aziel's final design along with a few poses of his later on this week! (depending on when Erin can finish it. I don't want to rush her, she's done such an amazing job so far, she more than deserves at least a little break!)
I'll send you a Private Message right now. 
