As I continue to slowly add more updates to High Moon, let's take a moment to delve into the design of the game's main character, Johnjo. Our titular cowboy-samurai may look like he was born to ride the range, but his roots actually stem from a post-apocalyptic card game called Salvage, where players could take on different characters with unique abilities and playstyles. In Salvage, Johnjo was designed to embody the idea of control and determination, which made him the perfect fit for his role as the main character in High Moon.

The design process behind Johnjo was a thoughtful and intentional one, as I was determined to create a unique and captivating character. When it came to portraying the idea of control in the design of the main character, we initially explored various options to portray control, from police officers to military commanders. But in the end, we settled on the idea of a cowboy sheriff. The desolate, post-apocalyptic setting seemed like the perfect backdrop for a character from the Wild West. However, I wanted to add some extra flair to the character, so I blended elements of the samurai into his design as well.

I was inspired by my love for spaghetti westerns and samurai movies, and how these two genres had a long history of borrowing from each other. To bring Johnjo to life, I conducted extensive research on the cultures of cowboys and samurais, studying their traditional clothing, weapons, and visual elements to inform his design. Out of the various types of samurai, I chose a more military-inspired look to emphasize the concepts of honor and structure that are associated with the shogun's samurai. Additionally, I thought that the helmet worn by these samurai would look great paired with a cowboy hat, if done correctly.

As for the cowboy side of Johnjo, I chose to take more inspiration from the old south rather than the old west. This was because during the time of western expansion, the United States was in the midst of the civil war, and many uniformed men appeared in western movies. Bringing together the military leaders of Japan and the United States felt like a match made in heaven.

Designing Johnjo's costume was a smooth process once I had a clear concept in mind. At first, I considered just combining elements of both the western and samurai themes, but I soon realized that a more simplified approach would make the character's design appear more polished and attractive. On the other hand, designing his face was much more challenging. I encountered a problem with taking too much inspiration from either western faces or samurai faces as it would cause the design to appear too one-dimensional and generic.

I strongly believe that an iconic character should be recognizable even without their clothing, and I didn't want Johnjo's outfit to be the defining feature of his character. Therefore, I wanted to further explore the idea of control and determination in his design, so I experimented with various types of faces. Every character comes with its own set of design challenges, and it takes time to overcome them and bring out their personality. After much trial and error, I finally settled on a Daruma inspired design, which we felt conveyed a strong sense of determination and focus.

For those who are not familiar with Daruma's, they are small paper-mache dolls created by Shinto priests and used as good luck charms in Japan. The dolls have blank eyes that the owner can paint in one eye when they set a goal and then paint in the other eye when they accomplish it. This determined face held a lot of meaning to me, and I could easily picture it riding on the back of a horse as Johnjo chased after a runaway outlaw. It was a face that would never give up. I also considered concepts where one eye was blank and the other full, but that had the potential to be unsettling to the viewer and disrupt the balance of the design. Although these concepts could work for another character, they were not suitable for our theme of control. A lot of these unused sketches can be seen on my Patreon.

When I got to the final stages of designing Johnjo, I put a lot of effort into making sure that all the different parts of his design came together seamlessly to create a character that was both interesting and engaging. The rest of the characters in the cast at that time were designed with sharp and angular features, but I wanted Johnjo to stand out by having a more solid and stable look. This is why I gave him a more squared silhouette, which added a sense of control and stability to his overall appearance.

To bring Johnjo's personality to life, I created final renderings of the character using watercolor. The red and blue color scheme for Johnjo was inspired by the two different card colors that he was meant to represent. I used blue as the primary color for Johnjo, as it's a calming and trustworthy color, while the red adds a pop of energy and determination to his appearance. The combination of these two colors helped to enhance the determined and relentless spirit of the character, and I was thrilled with the final result.

My teammates weren't so thrilled with the results, however. His design caused a heated debate about the art direction of the game which ultimately led to the split and end of the project. But you can watch the video above and get the full story.

The creation of Johnjo was a challenge that involved blending various elements from different cultural backgrounds. I wanted to bring together the rugged spirit of the cowboy and the grace and discipline of the samurai, all while focusing on the central theme of control. Through this fusion of ideas, I believe I was able to craft a character that was not only unique and visually striking, but also embodied the qualities of determination and authority. Johnjo, is now a leading man, which I hope players will love to play as in High Moon.