I probably sound like a broken record at this point, huh? After sketching and spriting a fair amount today, I feel like bringing up some of the aspects of the main character design of Guardian Spirits, Miriya. (I probably should have actually scanned these drawings or brought the new sprite sets from work to accompany this…)

Overall: I wanted to keep that look of a cutesy girl-in-armor, but slightly updated. First thing you’d probably notice comparing the main character of TGL and GS, she’s more ‘covered,’ partly since it looks more sleek, and partly to visually ease the transformation to her aerospace form. The bunny-ear antenna are probably her biggest signature item. That or the green gem on her chest. I tried to make her sort of level-headed, as far as characterization, though dialogue as a whole is probably gonna be minimal in-game, she’ll have at least a handful of self-aware, wry moments.
The Armor: As a long term mecha geek, I also sought to make the transformation somewhat more believable. The aforementioned dork in me bridges the last little gap in the shape-shifting with nanomachines. Essentially, the big parts (armor plates and flight engines) transform the usual way, and the nanobots kind of fill in the gaps. Her body is basically a bare-bones android one, the ‘flesh’ being made of the amorphous material.
The original Guardian’s face peeks out the bottom of the ship. Miriya’s butt shows. I think that qualifies as an homage. For the record, what goes on in this transformation:

1. Biceps retract/fold so the forearm gauntlets can interlock with the shoulder guards. Hands also pull back and are covered with black ‘lids’ resembling intakes. The arm assembly disconnects at the shoulder and rotates down 90 degrees.
2. Wings unfold from the jetpack, then the entire pack raises around and ends up covering the head. The side engines then turn down and lock into the ‘shoulder’ sockets so the wings are straight out to the sides.
3. Legs twist 90 degrees, toes point straight down and the feet join together. The hip holster armor slides up along the belt and clicks together into the ‘cockpit’ looking part of the jet. The upper legs then retract into the boots/shins.

Sounds painful, doesn’t it? Her siblings carry similar armor styles, but assume more specialized modes.

Some abilities of fighter mode carry over to the exploration segments, most notably a boost/dash move using the main thruster and wings.

Weapons: Miriya’s primary weapon is a customizable pulse rifle stored on the right hip armor. It’s almost unnoticeable when connected. On the underside of
the barrel are a set of slots for enhancement chips, allowing the default cannon to be customized for any given situation. The left hip has a backup energy pistol, the handle of which can be straightened for use as a beam saber. In addition, once safety clearance is given, she can release a devastating ‘smart bomb’ energy pulse from her energy crystal.

As mentioned before, these weapons are holstered on the hips in human mode, placing them on top of the jet facing forward for use in fighter mode. The arm pods on the underside can also be used for certain special attacks.

There was also a last minute change to the Guardians’ roster (not that I made the original very public anyway.) As long as I’m laying love down on Compile, why not pay homage to one of the company’s more experienced ace female pilots for the ‘onee-sama’ of the team?

As the return of the comic and my number one time sink nears, it’s pretty clear I will need help getting the game/demo together. As such, I’d like to see about putting together a crack team of people with nothing better to do. There’s not money involved, just some more technical minded folks than me, preferably those who like to play/work on SHMUP-style games who can help tweak things, or some people who wouldn’t mind helping with some of the enemy sprites/NPC’s, so on.

Of course, there’ll be a need for play testers, eventually. I’ll update the project page soon with some more details on hopeful features.

Firstly, a sprite that’s not actually going in the game. I just did it for practice and sake of cuteness…

Guardian Jet Mode (the underside is completed too, but this is just the banking animation)

Guardian, 4 sides

Guardian, walking (fixed)