Guppy is the endearing side character you first meet in the strange luminescent island needing your assistance. After saving him from the clutches of the toxic disease harming the vacant island, Guppy pledges his unbreaking companionship and assistance to you in an unspoken bond. Guppy Is the only creature you find to be containing a special power, to absorb and imbue light to help Casta (the player) make their way through the strange island.
Run Rig IP (still)
As Guppy is a rather pronounced character in the story from the players point of view, he almost is in more need of animation than the main playable character Casta. The player can see and will always be watching Guppy as he wanders with you and around you, helping you complete puzzles around the island. Because the consistent view of the player will always be on guppy I had to keep in mind while making his base model the amount of emotional movement I would want to put into his animations to make his singularity and personality come to life.
Guppy’s Run was made to be very energetic and exciting. The movements he makes are quick and sudden and are exaggerated enough to gauge the players attention. I chose the squirrel as a reference due to Guppy’s playful nature. Squirrels are very energetic and can be very playful out in the wild, and felt Guppy expresses this personality trait very well.
Guppy Wireframe Render (still)
Throughout the meticulous planning of ‘Land of Lights’, we knew we needed several different movements for our little companion. Starting off I animated a walk, run, and an idle. After going through the movements of production, and putting Guppy into play tests, we realized some other animations he may need for players to feel attached and understand Guppy’s non spoken emotions. A celebration, and a Jump were added to our animation file of Guppy, and depending on where we are going, we may need more.
Run Cycle Walkthrough
I felt people deserved to see the true workings and small details of Guppy that are not always visible in-game, so I’m including a final render here. With all these steps I believe I have successfully brought Guppy to life.
Guppy Full Render (still)
