MANILA, Philippines — Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) continues to expand its universe with the introduction of Obsidia, a striking new hero born from the depths of the Abyss Dream Palace.
Alongside Obsidia’s arrival, Moonton Games unveils the haunting visual realm of the Abyss of Alienation, a surreal ecosystem that redefines the game’s dark power lore.
In an exclusive interview with Philstar.com, Terry Wei, head of the Basic Art Group at Moonton, shared the creative journey behind Obsidia and the visual philosophy that shaped the Abyss of Alienation.
Obsidia’s creation was driven by a desire to elevate the artistic quality of MLBB’s abyssal heroes. Initially envisioned as male, the team pivoted mid-development, realizing that a female character would bring a more compelling presence to the Abyss Dream Palace.
“We hope she is a rising star, powerful and stunning. Interestingly, this character was initially positioned as male, but later we found that the female setting would be even cooler, so we invested a lot of time in recreating it,” said Wei.
Obsidia now stands as the embodiment of the game’s most mysterious region, her lore intricately woven into the broader Abyss.
“She is the representative of the most mysterious region in our abyssal power, someone who is more closely connected to the dark power. We hope that through her story and her growth, we can tell the stories of all the regions in the Abyss and connect the experiences of the main heroes,” explained Wei.
Obsidia’s design reflects her stoic nature and deep connection to the Dark Power. Her personality is not rooted in cruelty, but in wisdom and detachment.
“Cold and stern is the background color of this character. But I don’t think it’s because of her ruthlessness, but because she’s used to watching the ups and downs of things. We hope that players can sense her differences and discern some connection between her abilities and the Dark Power, which is wonderful,” added Wei.
One of the biggest challenges in her development was achieving a visual balance between darkness and vibrancy, a concept the team referred to as “colorful black”.
He explained, “Our biggest challenge is that the color tone of the entire character is dark, but we also hope to achieve ‘colorful black’. All [our] colleagues in art and product would discuss every subtle difference in material and color on her body together for a long time. Often, there is no best answer; it is a choice made after careful consideration and discussion.”
Complementing Obsidia’s debut is the Abyss of Alienation, a new visual realm that reimagines the abyssal aesthetic. Inspired by deep-sea imagery, tribal symbolism and alien landscapes, the concept found its anchor in an unexpected source — the fungi mycelium.
“When formulating art rules, we thought of the deep sea, vortex aesthetics, alienation, and explored many tribal civilizations and symbolic representations. But for myself, these are all ‘elements’ and not the final answer, which cannot complete the closed loop of design thinking. Until one day I saw a video of mycelium rapidly spreading in a culture dish at a visible speed to the naked eye. This wonderful visual effect and vitality suddenly inspired me. It visually perfectly corresponds to mystery, danger, and wonder. But at the same time, it is not terrifying and does not cause discomfort when performed well,” recalled Wei.
And though dark and evil are the first things to come to mind when we hear the word, “abyss”, Wei and the team wanted the Abyss of Alienation to stand out to how it has been interpreted previously and move away from the normal depiction of mutation or something terrifying.
He further elaborated, “To be frank, the theme of the Abyss and its depiction have already been explored in many games before this. So our reference and learning from them is precisely to create MLBB’s artistic differentiation. The Zerg in Alien and StarCraft II had a profound impact on me, and my job is to express the danger of the Abyss while avoiding its evil nature.”
Thus MLBB’s Abyss of Alienation uses spiral motifs to symbolize descent, while deep blues and purples evoke mystery and danger. Mineral textures further distinguish it from surface ecosystems.
“We use spiral shapes to symbolize the constantly sinking Abyss; Deep blue and purple are used to depict mystery and danger. By using various mineral materials, players can feel that this is a completely different ecosystem from the surface,” said Wei.
To achieve the surreal, hostile atmosphere, the team leaned into acidic art techniques, a visual style known for its distorted, otherworldly feel.
“This place is also very interesting. We have borrowed the feelings of acidic art in many visual expressions,” added Wei.
With Obsidia and the Abyss of Alienation, Moonton aims to deepen player immersion and expand the storytelling potential of MLBB’s darker themes.
“I hope to have the opportunity to shape more content about the Abyss in the future. By continuously delving into the stories of the Abyss and promoting the production of actual content provided that players like the Abyss we have shaped,” said Wei.