Korean artist Kirim Son has done what loads of fans have already done, and designed some new Overwatch characters. What’s different about Son’s though is that all three have been specifically designed to represent Overwatch heroes whose powers are drawn from various mobility issues.

Jalkikuva Laine (below), for example, became deaf as a child, but soon learned she could visualise sounds instead of hearing them. She now uses audio powers in battle, and is able to broadcast dummy ally lines (to trick the enemy into thinking they’re somewhere they’re not).

Further, to simulate the experience of controlling a deaf character, anyone playing as Jalkikuva would hear no sounds during gameplay (but to compensate would be able to see nearby sounds as visual cues).

If that sounds like a lot of detail to come from some character sketches, that’s because Son’s designs are a lot more in-depth than just some drawings.

He’s truly created these characters, from their backstories to their in-game powers, and the results are three heroes who look and feel like they could slot straight into the game, right down to the fact he’s woven them into the canon by creating relationships with existing characters.

The other two characters Son has built are Synæs (above), a blind fashion model whose screen would be black but who has powerful area effects (and a guide dog for navigation), and Kjell Berg, a former police officer who was paralysed in a traffic accident, and who now does battle in an ultra-fast armoured wheelchair.

You can see examples of Son’s very thorough design work below (he’s even designed the animation for their attacks), but you can see the full thing at his ArtStation page.

To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner.

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Jalkikuva Laine

Synæs

Kjell Berg