Ukko is representing Finland in our game; it is a shy and gentile reindeer. The noble friends of Santa Claus live on Lapland, a region to the north of Finland. The reindeer is not the national animal of Finland but we choose it to be in the game due to its serenity and because people admire them in general. There are many different species of reindeer all through the countries near the Artic Polar Circle; those species vary in size, fur and behavior. The reindeer is also the symbol of Christmas. If you are looking for its scientific name, Rangifer tarandus fennicus is what you are looking for.
Image by Uusijani Alice Mattosinho is the artist responsible for the design and voices of the character; she shares with us her creative process for Ukko: it is a serene animal, a counterpart for Guar, who shares some of Brazilian habits. I was looking for an animal that could bring that idea of a calm creature. It reflected also on the voice directing for both characters. For the visual of Ukko, Alice told: it was so cool to research all the variations of reindeers fur and, with that; I could try different possibilities for the concept art. The national animal of Finland is the bear, so I decide to use it on the clothes of Ukko with the colors of Finlands flag, the white and the blue. To complete the visual, I choose to make Ukko hold a cup of coffee, because Finland has the highest index of coffee consumption per citizen in the world. It should be good drink for the cold temperatures".
Character Design by Alice Mattosinho With Guar, Ukko is going to have an amazing adventure ahead. Many challenges await these two friends in the looking for understanding the connection between them. Join us on the next posts to learn more about the incredible story that we are creating.
Character Design by Alice Mattosinho