Finding Moss: keeping the swagger, showing the shell.

A feathered hat and a fine coat gave Moss his entrance. Showing the shell made him unmistakably a tortoise.

Moss needed to look like someone who could make an entrance. A feathered hat, an embroidered plum coat and a gracious tip of the brim gave our tortoise adventurer the swashbuckler charm we wanted.

But the first design had a problem: he was reading more like a lizard.

What the coat was hiding

The back shell was there, but the coat and waistcoat covered the front. Combined with a longer exposed neck and a narrow body, the outfit was doing more to define him than his tortoise anatomy.

The feedback was simple: make the shell part of the design.

One revision, a clearer character

We opened the coat to reveal the broad ochre front shell plate, called the plastron. We also shortened and thickened his neck and gave him a broader, more grounded body. The back shell became more prominent around the shoulders and sides.

The details that carried his personality stayed: the plum coat, the cream feather, the knowing smile and the courteous greeting. We wanted a clearer tortoise, with the same confidence and sense of occasion.

Why this change mattered

Costume can tell you something about a character. It can also hide what makes that character recognizable. Here, the useful change was letting the shell shape the silhouette and fitting the clothes around it.

This short compares two retained development illustrations. It shows a creative decision, then catcher development and a released in-game customization preview. The artwork was developed with AI assistance and CTSoftwares creative direction.

Meet the world around Moss

Star Fall brings games, comics and the people of Ember Harbor together.

Carry the character into the catcher

The costume and catcher share a theatrical flourish. Plum fairings. Gold scrollwork. Room for the shell.

The final ten seconds show the released Moss and Cavalier pairing in Star Fall Rush. A short customization excerpt repeats at original speed. You can choose any pilot, catcher and paint; the catch area and handling stay the same.

Episode transcript

We wanted Moss to be a charming tortoise swashbuckler.

The hat and coat worked, but he was reading more like a lizard.

So we opened the coat, revealed his front shell and shortened his neck.

The charm stayed. Now the tortoise came through.

For his catcher, Cavalier, we carried that flourish into plum panels and gold scrollwork.

The low seatback and rear space were designed around his shell. The front bowl stays open.

Here is the released pairing in Rush. Choose any pilot, catcher and paint. Same catch area. Same handling.

Creative credits

CTSoftwares creative direction. Retained AI-assisted development illustrations, stock synthetic narration and original synthesized music. Released gameplay excerpts are shown at original speed. Pilot, catcher and paint are independent cosmetic choices; the same catch area and handling apply.