Areion and Grimjaw Concept Art Spotlight!

We’re so excited that the Bless Unleashed dev team has shared some insight into their creative process! We chatted with the team to get a grasp on what exactly goes on behind the scenes of their imaginative concoctions.

How did you come up with the concept for Areion and Grimjaw?

Everything’s better with a unicorn, haha! Areion is a wise unicorn who lived for a very long time in Alicorno Forest, wandering around looking for someone who can take away the darkness spreading throughout the world. Grimjaw developed from the question, “What would the Varg look like if it were closer to a beast than human?” I absolutely love storytelling, so let’s dive in!

Areion Background Story

Areion approached the research camp in order to look for ways to heal the young unicorns that were going wild from being exposed to the polluted force in the Alicorno Forest. However, Areion learned that not only was the evil force at Alicorno Forest, but it has spread all over Carzacor…

Areion discovered an evil scheme to spread this malevolent force throughout the entire continent. Thus began Aerion’s journey away from Alicorno Forest in search of a righteous hero to help him eliminate the villainous force.

Grimjaw Background Story

There was a time when death matches were popular in Carzacor’s circular arena. The champion, famous for being merciless, gruesomely murdered his opponents. 

Tenza, the incarnation of the Varg’s god, punished Grimjaw for forgetting about the virtues of harmony and peace. The next day when the arena was full of spectators, a ferocious black beast ran out on all fours and reduced the arena to rubble, vanishing soon after. This brutal beast destroyed and slaughtered everything. Nobody could tame this wild beast…

Only those with honor will not let this vicious beast roam free.

Whoa! I just got chills! What were your inspirations and references for Areion and Grimjaw?

Areion wears a robust metal armor that will aid him on his perilous journey. The extravagant combination of gold and red hues symbolizes Areion’s nobility and antiquity.

Grimjaw is a mount with well-developed front legs. Although the wolf’s legs are referenced, his front legs function the same way as human arms.

Loving all the details! How many potential designs were there before the final designs for Areion and Grimjaw were decided?

We tried a few poses to try and capture the essence of Areion. In the early stages, Areion’s personality was based on ambition and pride, so we wanted the mount to reflect that of a highly praised hero.

However, we switched gears to make it distinct from the typical unicorn notion. Thus, Areion’s concept was changed to a righteous and wise old unicorn. As a result, a vintage saddle was added to address Areion’s many years of experience. 

Grimjaw was a draft that visualized the Varg’s beast form. Grimjaw’s initial concept began as a tragic backstory, but ended with an uncontrollable and hard-to-tame concept instead. Therefore a muzzle, and other accessories, were added to emphasize the instability of Grimjaw. We wanted to make sure each mount was as epic as possible.

We hope you enjoyed this exclusive look into the development process. The team is constantly motivated to explore more inspirations and tales. Creativity never stops!

Try out the Areion and Grimjaw mount today!