Character turn around
My own OC!
Guerrilla Games requested the design of a character with strong storytelling elements that seamlessly fit into their game, ChronoMaze. As a 3D puzzle platformer focused on time manipulation, the character’s design needed to reflect these core mechanics and narrative themes. The goal was to create a visually compelling and story-driven character that enhances the game’s immersive experience.
The project: design an original character for Guerrilla Games which has to fit in their ChronoMaze game.
Provider of the project: Sint Lucas
Made with: Clip Studio Paint
Project Challenge
ChronoMaze is a first-person 3D puzzle platformer centered around time manipulation as a core mechanic for solving puzzles. As a story-driven game, strong storytelling elements are essential to its visual design.
The project includes the creation of title art and a character sheet for the protagonist. The title art will be designed to reflect the game’s atmosphere and narrative, provided in PNG format (300 DPI) on both white and black backgrounds. The character sheet will feature a turnaround of the protagonist, highlighting key details, also in PNG format at 300 DPI.
To explore the best artistic direction, three concept sketches will be developed. The target audience consists of serious gamers who appreciate challenging puzzles and immersive storytelling, and the visuals should appeal to this demographic.
One of the creative concepts takes inspiration from Ekko (League of Legends/Arcane), a character who manipulates small fragments of time using a Hextech crystal. This concept explores similar themes of time manipulation in a unique and visually compelling way for ChronoMaze.
Finished art piece!
Process character turn around
Click on the images!
Character Information
Shi Zhong (时钟) is a human-like god of time and balance, standing at 1.85m tall and 525 years old. He has brown eyes and long brown hair, often tied up in a bun. His fair complexion is distinctive, with two recognizable birthmarks—one under his eyebrow and one on his chin. Shi’s existence began with the first falling grain of sand in his hourglass, marking his divine origin. He resides in TianTing (天庭), also known as the Imperial Court of Heaven.
Shi’s personality is gentle, intelligent, and compassionate, always willing to help others. Despite his lighthearted and playful nature, he is highly respected among the other gods for his wisdom and problem-solving skills. Due to his serious and determined side, he is frequently sent on missions to restore balance in both TianTing and Guimen Guan, the realm of spirits and the dead.
Shi enjoys rice wine and his favorite food is Tanghulu—candied fruit on a stick. Although his abilities may not seem aggressive, Shi is regarded as one of the most powerful and significant Tian within the Imperial Court.
Character Appearance & Symbolism
Shi wears a white and blue Hanfu, symbolizing peace, freedom, and tranquility. As the god of time and balance, he stands at the center of the game, contrasting the red and black tones of the environment.
The game world, Guimen Guan, is depicted in red, black, and small white highlights from glowing lanterns. These colors symbolize:
Red – Fire, blood, extreme emotions, conflict, hatred, and rage.
Black – Darkness and the unknown.
Since Guimen Guan represents an ominous and mysterious realm where no one wishes to be, Shi’s soft, calming colors make him stand out, reinforcing his role as the player’s guide and anchor.
Key Traits
Personality: Watchful, kind-hearted, intelligent, determined, and strong.
Role: A central figure in restoring balance.
Notable Features: Recognizable birthmarks, long hair tied in a bun.
Strength & Influence: Despite his calm nature, he is one of the most powerful Tian in TianTing.
Setting: The story takes place in China.
Concepts storytelling
First concept (chosen concept):
The Chinese Tian (god) of time and balance, Shi Zhong (时钟, meaning “Time Clock”), has been tasked with restoring the flow of time in Guimen Guan, the realm of spirits and the dead. During the Red Festival, a sinister portal was opened by demons and spirits, leading to the abduction of mortals. Shi Zhong embarks on a journey to rescue them before it’s too late.
Armed with his hourglass, Shi Zhong can stop, rewind, and alter time, but such power comes at a cost. Each use weakens the mortals, and every choice made is irreversible. Players must choose wisely, as decisions shape Shi’s path, forging new friendships or rivalries that could offer unexpected help along the way.
Guimen Guan’s temple is connected to a vast network of shifting rooms, each inhabited by different spirits and demons—both benevolent and malevolent. Returning through the same path is impossible. Within each room, a small lantern glows—the brighter the light, the closer the exit. Using his ink brush, Shi Zhong can carve small openings to leave clues about where captives are held and the way out. However, he can only rewind time a limited number of times to retrieve forgotten clues. His ink brush can also serve as a weapon against hostile spirits. Both the hourglass and the brush are hidden within the sleeves of his hanfu.
The abduction of mortals before their destined time disrupts the balance between realms, threatening chaos and destruction. Once all captives are freed—and only after completing all quests—the portal must be sealed using Shi’s qi, the hourglass, and the ink brush. Only he, as the Tian of Time and Balance, possesses this ability.
But will Shi fulfill his duty, or will his choices lead him down another path? Will he remain the Tian of Time and Balance, or will he transform into Yan Wang, the Tian of Death?
Only time will tell…
Second concept:
This story of Shi Zhong takes place in the year 2130.
This time, Shi Zhong is sent into the future by the Highest Tian to observe how humans interact with time and to investigate any potential disturbances. Using his ink brush, he opens a portal to the future. Upon arrival, his clothing adapts to the era, and his hair is styled in a bun or long ponytail, adorned with a hairpin to maintain his noble status.
Shi quickly realizes that time in the future moves at an accelerated pace, which could disrupt the balance of time. He also notices that people around him rely on holograms for communication. However, after a few days, the holograms become corrupted, causing the world to glitch—time begins skipping forward and backward uncontrollably.
To reverse the corruption, Shi must use his hourglass and ink brush to restore balance. His investigation leads him to the tallest corporate building in Beijing, home to the company that controls the city’s technology. Suspecting their involvement in the time glitch, Shi must ascend floor by floor, uncovering the source of the corruption while battling numerous enemies.
To restore time, Shi must defeat the CEO, who holds the main hologram’s core code. Each floor he clears grants him a fragment of the hologram’s coding, which he can store in his hourglass—but only for a limited duration. Using his paintbrush, he can open a portal, allowing him to physically reconstruct the codes as puzzles.
Once all the codes are correctly placed and the CEO is defeated, time will rewind and restore itself, allowing Shi to return to TianTing. However, if even one code is incorrect, the portal closes, forcing Shi to battle more enemies before attempting again.
Beware! Each failed attempt increases the severity of the glitch. If Shi fails three times, the world collapses, trapping time in an endless loop of forward and backward motion—forever.
Thank you!
Contact: HonokaKuroArt@gmail.com