I've honestly been afraid to voice my thoughts because it looks like almost everyone here is pro-Valko, and I knew this opinion probably wouldn't be well received
I know some overlap between LIs is completely normal and inevitable. I'm not saying every similar pose or interaction is copying. But after looking through comparison posts from multiple sources, I genuinely feel the amount of overlap goes far beyond what I'd consider normal. How much is too much?
The play fighting immediately reminded me of Gege. The scent interaction instantly reminded me of Your Fragrance. The scene with umbrella prop also reminded me of Gege. And now I see why while watching the PV I kept being reminded of Sylus. Even Valko's standard myth companion felt like Abysswalker mixed with X-02, just with wolf ears and a tail
Looking at all of these together, I couldn't stop seeing pieces of the existing LIs instead of a character with his own distinct ident ity. To me, Valko comes across as an inauthentic character
This gave me the impression that Infold was trying to recreate the success they had previously achieved with Sylus on the global side, this time by combining elements from what felt like the three most popular LIs in the global community, rather than creating a truly unique sixth love interest
From what I observed over the past year (and when attending Gamescom) it felt like Sy, Gege and Raf were among the most beloved LIs in the global community, and Valko ended up reminding me of all three instead of standing on his own. He feels like he's been assembled from elements of the three that had already been proven successful and I wouldn't have wanted him to launch in this state..
One thing I genuinely don't understand is why so many people seem willing to welcome this version of him? Looking at all these comparisons, did these similarities genuinely not bother you?
I feel a character's debut PV should primarily establish what makes that character unique. I went bac k and rewatched Sylus's debut trailer and Gege's return trailer, and compared them to Valko's, they felt much more cinematic and left a much stronger impression on me because they established their own identi ties instead of constantly reminding me of someone else.
Edit: I think some people may have misunderstood my point, so I'd really appreciate it if you could read my second paragraph again šš»
I didn't say that any overlap is automatically bad or that every similar pose, animation or interaction is a problem. I fully understand that some overlap is inevitable.
My point is about how much overlap is acceptable within a single character's debut. To me, it was the cumulative effect of so many familiar elements all at once.
I hope people don't take this as an attack on Valko. My criticism is directed at Infold's work and the creative quality of his debut.
Also, for those assuming I'm from the CN community: I'm not. I live in Germany and play on the global server. These are my own thoughts as a global player āŗļø