Dora Art Change?

[Morbid]

I just got this game, and is this Dora character's art just a placeholder since the game is in EA? Whenever I see her it just takes me out instantly. Sorry if this has been asked before, I just really don't like her design.

[Neo NiGHTS ®]

What's the issue with Dora? 🤔

Her art isn't a placeholder, it's the final thing.

There are a few placeholder arts still. You'll recognize them because they are portrayed as a hooded character, like Narcysus currently.
(Charon is one that has a placeholder in game sprite, but has a portrait already. Narcysus, on the other hand, has both placeholder sprite and portrait)

[Morbid]

Originally posted by Neo NiGHTS ®:

What's the issue with Dora? 🤔

Her art isn't a placeholder, it's the final thing.

There are a few placeholder arts still. You'll recognize them because they are portrayed as a hooded character, like Narcysus currently.
(Charon is one that has a placeholder in game sprite, but has a portrait already. Narcysus, on the other hand, has both placeholder sprite and portrait)

Thanks for the response!

I just don't think I like her character, tbh, which I was hoping a visual update would fix. It doesn't sit well with me that I dislike a character as much as I do, because I really want to like everything about the game, but I guess not everything will always go smoothly.

There's something of an intersection where I don't like her personality, and I don't like her visual design, so I just don't like her at all. If she were more visually pleasing, then I could overlook her annoying personality. And if she were more interesting as a person, I could overlook her boring visual design. I just think it's an unfortunate outcome that both aspects of her character don't sit well with me.

[Neo NiGHTS ®]

I understand that her design can be a bit different from the others but have in mind that she's the "comical relief" of the camp.
The angry but cute character. And vice-versa.

The overall tone of the game compared to the first one is a bit gloomier so Dora stands out for better or for worse.

As far as her personality... Well, I like her, but there's been few topics of people disliking her as well, so you are not alone :p

Maybe as you progress in the game as see her story developing a bit further (spoiler: it's not done yet) you can tolerate her.

[Morbid]

Originally posted by Neo NiGHTS ®:

I understand that her design can be a bit different from the others but have in mind that she's the "comical relief" of the camp.
The angry but cute character. And vice-versa.

The overall tone of the game compared to the first one is a bit gloomier so Dora stands out for better or for worse.

As far as her personality... Well, I like her, but there's been few topics of people disliking her as well, so you are not alone :p

Maybe as you progress in the game as see her story developing a bit further (spoiler: it's not done yet) you can tolerate her.

I get that. I just think that the devs might have done her a disservice by making her be the first character you see when you get back. The opening of the game is meant to establish the overall gloom of the story, so putting the comic relief character first and foremost just makes me annoyed and takes me out of the scene. Her counterpart in the first game would be Dusa, and we are introduced to her a bit later, after the major characters have had the chance to set up the tone.

I'll probably feel different when the full game releases, but at the moment and can't help but feel like her purpose is somewhat counterintuitive when the story hasn't been finished yet.

[Dis Lexic]

I actually think her getting introduced then works well. The story of the game, as you said, is a lot darker than Hades 1, which is established in the first run, but it still maintains its zany charm and silliness from the first game. Dora neatly tells the player that this is still very much the same setting, with its wacky cast, even if the overall tone is darker.

[Morbid]

Originally posted by Dis Lexic:

I actually think her getting introduced then works well. The story of the game, as you said, is a lot darker than Hades 1, which is established in the first run, but it still maintains its zany charm and silliness from the first game. Dora neatly tells the player that this is still very much the same setting, with its wacky cast, even if the overall tone is darker.

I think the use of a comic relief character is good, it's just that there wasn't enough time to truly feel the darker setting before she was introduced. In the tent, following the first death, the two things that the player can interact with are the family picture and Dora. The family picture sets up a dark tone, Dora then immediately breaks that tone and just makes everything feel off. A character that would complement that tone by reinforcing the players purpose would help with putting the player more into the world and proper emotional state.

Skelly essentially does the same thing as Dora and I think he's better placed. By the time the player meets him they've already been introduced to the more serious characters, so he comes as a breath of fresh air and tells that player that not everything has changed. Using him, a recognizable figure from the first game, also serves this purpose of showing that there is still a sense of normalcy. Placing Dora a bit off the beaten path, having the player go out of their way to find her, would also be a lot more thematically useful than having her be the first character the player is properly introduced to. In this way, we could see the theme of the story reflect the players actions. You don't want to get caught up in all the doom and gloom, and continuing on that path only leads to frustration. Going out of your way to find small moments of happiness is ultimately beneficial to your cause.

In a sense the tent essentially does this same thing. The player dies and they immediately are in a safe place. They then leave that safe space for a place where they need to be serious. In that manner Dora is properly placed by reinforcing that sense of safeness with humor, only I think that humor is the wrong emotion that's being reinforced. The tent should feel secure, at peace with both the struggles of the story and the safeness that the fighting has passed. Dora almost undermines that feeling by diverting the player's attention from the overall problem with Chronos.

This would be what I see as the problem of Dora's character, and it's not even my main reason for disliking her. As I said before, I just don't like the way she looks. If that were solved, I would be able to overlook all the things I just said, since I wouldn't be put off by her appearance.

[Neo NiGHTS ®]

You make a good point and thanks for keeping it civil. Usually the "I don't like X" discussions get out of hand. Unfortunately some people have trouble disliking something without getting aggressive.

With that said, just to throw another point of view into the mix:

Dora being the first thing when you get back to the camp, with that "I don't care (but actually do)" attitude may help the player not feel so frustrated/angry/sad because of a failed run.

Also she creates a counterpoint to Melinoe, which is very heavily focused on her task (Killing Chronos). Which is also de overall mood of the camp, and very understandably so.
Then it's truly a matter of where/when she should be placed.

As Skelly he works more of a cozy point of reference for the player. Someone who also lights up the mood while adding the "known face" factor.


In the end you just get used to it.

I learned to endure Nemesis and Heracles, so I know how that process of acceptance goes 😂


(PS: just to make clear, I don't want to change yours, or anyone else's opinion. I just believe that in topics like these, when kept civil, are a great place to exchange points of views that help us have a broader image of the game)

[Artemis ❤]

But dora is literally perfect in every way :(

[Biscuits! Werewolves!]

To each their own, but I love Dora. She's a shade but...more so. I also love her "intimidating" look legitimately - she's like a scarier version of a Scooby-Doo ghost.

Plus...we'll learn more about her backstory with the full release and that will probably help her character a lot...if you haven't sorted out who she is yet.