Metroid Prime Hockey League: Phendrana Drifters Update 02.08.2021

[Morgan33]

During the early stages of the lockdown, I decided to fight my boredom by revisiting my two favourite video games of all time: Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2 Echoes.  I was immediately blown away by how well they’ve aged graphically and how stunning the art direction was.  From the shimmering, glacial beauty of the Phendrana Drifts to the neon-lined halls of the Sanctuary Fortress, these are fully-realized, immersive, alien worlds with a style and level of detail unrivalled by any other game. 

During a particularly boring day in quarantine I posited the following questions.  What if these worlds had their own hockey teams?  What would their uniforms, logos and branding be like?  Is it possible to translate that beautiful art direction into sports branding? Over the past 5 months I have created a league with 10 teams, 5 from the first game and 5 from the sequel.  I didn’t include Metroid Prime 3 because I didn’t think it was up to the same standard artistically.  I’m extremely excited to share these concepts after working on them for so long would be very appreciative of any C & C.  While these drawings do take a long time to complete, I remain open to revisiting and improving them. 

 

[Morgan33]

Now that the introduction is out of the way, lets get to the first team!
 

Team Name: Agon Worms
Metroid Locale: The Agon Wastes
Conference:  Aether

 

Description:
This is the first drawing I made for the series and it’s based on a locale that doesn’t get a lot of love among Metroid fans.  “Brown and full of sand” is how most people would describe the level but that’s an over simplification that ignores many cool details.  Particularly the incandescent “Blue Root” trees that are represented here in the form of sublimated hem and sleeve stripes.  The primary logo is based of the colossal, worm boss; Amorbis who conveniently resembles the letter ‘W.’   The main shoulder patch is a Blue-Root tree Leaf with an imposed ‘A.’ 

Description (Alternate): For the alternate, I took some inspiration from the San Jose Sharks and tried to make the uniform as bold as possible.  The crest on this uniform is another worm-like creature called a “Sand-Digger.”  The creature’s mandibles contain the team’s initials and a simpler shoulder patch rounds off the look.

[Tore]

Absolutely love it! Love Metroid - after this you gotta do a Zelda inspired hockey league too!

[prrams95]

I really know nothing about Metroid but this is pretty cool!

[Morgan33]

10 hours ago, Tore said:

Absolutely love it! Love Metroid - after this you gotta do a Zelda inspired hockey league too!

Appreciate that, thank you!  For some strange reason though, I just never got into Zelda.  I really dig the art style of some of the games, especially the Wind Waker, so never say never.
 

4 hours ago, prrams95 said:

I really know nothing about Metroid but this is pretty cool!

 

Thank you!  New concept tomorrow .

[Morgan33]

And now for a team from the first game!

Team Name: Magmoor Serpents
Metroid Locale: Magmoor Caverns
Conference:  Tallon IV

 

Description:

A team from the claustrophobic, lava-filled halls of the Magmoor Caverns could only be represented by the snake-like creature they're named after.  This concept uses an extensive colour palette to recreate that atmosphere but does it on a (fairly) restrained jersey that takes some inspiration from the Golden Knights.  Implemented some of the level's architecture on the pants and hem stripes as well.
 

[Morgan33]

Next Team!
 

Team Name: Sanctuary Fortress Guardians
Metroid Locale: Sanctuary Fortress
Conference:  Aether

 

Description:

Here is a team from one of my favorite video locales of all time, the futuristic, neon, Cityscape known as the Sanctuary Fortess.  The main logo is a depiction of (arguably) the hardest boss in the series: The Spider Guardian.  It was a challenge to incorporate the art style of this level without going too over the top but I think I achieved a nice balance.  The 'S' on the alternate logo also resembles a lower-case 'G' to represent all 3 letters of the teams namesake.

[Morgan33]

Bump.  Anything?  At all?

[B-mer]

I don’t know much about Metroid either but these are cool. Like the Worms alternate a lot. Especially how it stands out from the main set while still fitting in. The colors play well together. 

[wildwing64]

As a Metroid fan myself, these are absolutely fantastic and I don't have much more to add than that.

 

While it's unorthodox for a traditional striping design, I really like the lava platform block on the Serpents jerseys!

[Morgan33]

5 hours ago, B-mer said:

I don’t know much about Metroid either but these are cool. Like the Worms alternate a lot. Especially how it stands out from the main set while still fitting in. The colors play well together. 

As a fan of your concepts, I really appreciate that.  Thank you .
 

5 hours ago, wildwing64 said:

As a Metroid fan myself, these are absolutely fantastic and I don't have much more to add than that.

 

While it's unorthodox for a traditional striping design, I really like the lava platform block on the Serpents jerseys!

Glad to see some people on these boards who appreciate the franchise as much as I do.  Thank you for commenting .  New concept tomorrow!

[Morgan33]

Next team!
 

Team Name: Phendrana Drifters
Metroid Locale: Phendrana Drifts
Conference:  Tallon IV

 

Description:

This concept is based off what I think is the most beautiful locale in the entire Metroid series, the snowy Phendrana Drifts.  The challenge was to capture the natural beauty of this level in a uniform set.  Everything about this level is tranquil and calming which is why I went with a fairly non-aggressive creature, The Crystallite for the main logo.  it was originally going to have a sublimated snow pattern but it unfortunately made things too busy.

[B-mer]

On 9/5/2020 at 5:45 PM, Morgan33 said:

As a fan of your concepts, I really appreciate that.  Thank you .
 

thanks. Right back at ya 

[Morgan33]

Next team!
 

Team Name: Ing Hive Warriors
Metroid Locale: The Ing Hive
Conference:  Aether

Description:
The Ing Hive is the dark, bizzaro version of the Sanctuary Fortress.  The goal with this concept was to make a uniform set similar to that team but in the opposite way.  Where the Gaurdian's uniforms are colourful and outlandish, the Warriors uniforms are dark and restrained.  Where the Gaurdian's use black as a base to make its colours pop, the Warriors use a colour base with black highlights.  Where the Guardians alternate is bright, the Warriors alternate is dark.  Where the Guardians use a straight monogram, the Warriors use an italicized one.  The main crest is a Warrior Ing ready to attack.  Thanks for looking!

[Tore]

Loving this series!

[Morgan33]

Next!
 

Team Name: Tallon Desert Observers
Metroid Locale: Chozo Ruins
Conference:  Tallon IV

Description: 
This was a really hard locale to make a concept for.  The Chozo Ruins is such an eclectic and detailed location and it was difficult to translate its indescribable atmosphere into a uniform set.  Anyone who's played through this level can likely attest to a feeling that you are always being watched which is why I went with the 'Eyon' for the primary logo and another eye-containing creature in the 'Reaper Vine' for the alternate.  Any C & C would be highly appreciated as this is likely a concept I will revisit.  Thank you to those who commented and thank you for looking .

 

 

[Morgan33]

Bump.  Any constructive criticism on the last concept?  I'm thinking of reworking it so anything at all would be a huge help .

[jwinters]

I've been following this thread all along, and I'm really interested in your designs, though I've refrained from commenting since I'm not familiar with the Metroid games. It's hard to judge logos based on fictional creatures without knowing the canonical versions of the creatures, but I love the unconventional patterns you've used. I'm trying to think about more experimental hockey jersey templates for my own concepts; while traditional striping is timeless and hard to argue with, it's important to try out other things too, and I need to remember that.

 

Since you're looking to revisit the Tallon Desert concept, here are some thoughts: When I first looked at the logo, since I haven't played the games, it wasn't clear to me what the green line was. A quick search seems to suggest it's a laser, but my gut reaction was that it was the handle of a magnifying glass that was around the eye, which would also make sense for the "Observers" name. If you want to avoid that, I think it might help to make the laser beam bigger (both longer and thicker) and potentially add some "shine" lines around it to emphasize that it's not a solid object. On the other hand, it might be interesting to play into a magnifying glass shape.

 

The pixelly "stepped" pattern around the yoke and hem of the home and away jerseys is fantastic. I'm the wrong person to ask whether it fits the location or not, but it looks great. I think it would be interesting to see something like that in a Coyotes concept as well. The black squiggles around the very bottom of the jerseys are more confusing to me. I suppose it's some sort of alien writing, but it stands out and I don't think it's really necessary, design-wise. I'm also not sure what the logo on the helmets is.

 

In terms of colour palette, I feel it's a little much. I think you could drop "Parchment" without losing anything. On the home jersey it could be replaced with either white or green and in the logos with "Sandstone".

 

The cracked earth pattern across the middle of the alternate is a neat element, too. I'm glad that it's not perfectly symmetrical, but the lines on the left seem denser than those on the right. Perhaps that was a deliberate design choice, but it feels a little off-balance to me.

 

Thanks again for sharing these concepts! The designs are incredibly innovative, and as much as I enjoy looking at MLB/NHL/NBA/NFL concepts, it's always nice to see smaller and fictional leagues getting some interest as well (hence my own Ontario Hockey League project). Could you share a little more about your process? Are the designs hand-drawn on paper? If so, are they coloured on paper or digitally? If on paper, what medium do you use to get the colour so consistent? How do you reproduce the logos so consistently? I'm curious because I'm imagining something quite labour intensive, though it gives the art a very distinct look!

 

Side note: Have you considered lettering/numbering for the jerseys? I imagine the aesthetics you're working with would inspire some unique typefaces, and I'd be interested to see your interpretations if that's something you're thinking about.

[B-mer]

Drifters might be my favorite now

[Morgan33]

22 hours ago, jwinters said:

I've been following this thread all along, and I'm really interested in your designs, though I've refrained from commenting since I'm not familiar with the Metroid games. It's hard to judge logos based on fictional creatures without knowing the canonical versions of the creatures, but I love the unconventional patterns you've used. I'm trying to think about more experimental hockey jersey templates for my own concepts; while traditional striping is timeless and hard to argue with, it's important to try out other things too, and I need to remember that.

Welcome to the boards .  I very much appreciate you taking the time to give some extensive C & C, especially since you're not familiar with Metroid.  I'm a big fan of traditional hockey aesthetics's but find them kind of limiting when creating concepts.  It is definitely important to try out new things and see how far you can push the medium.  As much as I can appreciate a classic hockey sweater, I'm also a huge fan of the 90's and all the innovative things they tried out during that time.
 

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Since you're looking to revisit the Tallon Desert concept, here are some thoughts: When I first looked at the logo, since I haven't played the games, it wasn't clear to me what the green line was. A quick search seems to suggest it's a laser, but my gut reaction was that it was the handle of a magnifying glass that was around the eye, which would also make sense for the "Observers" name. If you want to avoid that, I think it might help to make the laser beam bigger (both longer and thicker) and potentially add some "shine" lines around it to emphasize that it's not a solid object. On the other hand, it might be interesting to play into a magnifying glass shape.

The logo is an "Eyon."  They're these eyes that are embedded in the walls of the Chozo Ruins that shoot lasers and impede progress in the game until they are shot at.  Thank you very much for the constructive criticism.  I never would have made the magnifying glass connection so it really helps to have a second set of eyes.  I will definitely attempt to make the laser component more clear on the update.
 

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The pixelly "stepped" pattern around the yoke and hem of the home and away jerseys is fantastic. I'm the wrong person to ask whether it fits the location or not, but it looks great. I think it would be interesting to see something like that in a Coyotes concept as well. The black squiggles around the very bottom of the jerseys are more confusing to me. I suppose it's some sort of alien writing, but it stands out and I don't think it's really necessary, design-wise. I'm also not sure what the logo on the helmets is.

The stepped pattern is from is taken from the ruins itself.  I wasn't sure if it too much so I appreciate you complimenting this aspect.  The black squiggles are symbols found carved in some of the levels stone walls.  The logo on the helmet is one of these as well.  I thought the top part looked like desert-scape and the whole thing together looked like a rough 'O.'  It;s not a particularly inspired aspect of the concept so I think I will just remove it on the update.
 

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In terms of colour palette, I feel it's a little much. I think you could drop "Parchment" without losing anything. On the home jersey it could be replaced with either white or green and in the logos with "Sandstone".

I agree.  Sometimes when you try and capture the mood of a video game level, you go overboard on the colour palette.
 

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The cracked earth pattern across the middle of the alternate is a neat element, too. I'm glad that it's not perfectly symmetrical, but the lines on the left seem denser than those on the right. Perhaps that was a deliberate design choice, but it feels a little off-balance to me.

The cracked earth pattern was derived from an actual photo of cracked earth.  I can see what you mean about the lack of symmetry and varied line density.  Perhaps a different reference photo would create better results.
 

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Thanks again for sharing these concepts! The designs are incredibly innovative, and as much as I enjoy looking at MLB/NHL/NBA/NFL concepts, it's always nice to see smaller and fictional leagues getting some interest as well (hence my own Ontario Hockey League project).

Appreciate that man, thank you.  I will definitely be checking out your Ontario Hockey League .
 

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Could you share a little more about your process? Are the designs hand-drawn on paper? If so, are they coloured on paper or digitally? If on paper, what medium do you use to get the colour so consistent? How do you reproduce the logos so consistently? I'm curious because I'm imagining something quite labour intensive, though it gives the art a very distinct look!

I absolutely can do that.  It's quite the laborious process so I will do that in a separate post, probably this weekend before I reveal the final four teams.  I appreciate the interest and am happy to share any tips and tricks for those interested in doing hand drawn work .
 

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Side note: Have you considered lettering/numbering for the jerseys? I imagine the aesthetics you're working with would inspire some unique typefaces, and I'd be interested to see your interpretations if that's something you're thinking about.

 

 

I have.  Unfortunately, the problem I ran into is not having enough room on the paper to fit the backs of the jerseys which would mean I'd have to redo every one of my templates.  I'm also not very good at font design so that also influenced the decision .  Thank you so much for your constructive criticism, you've been a huge help.  Cheers!