Deadlock's most terrifying character is getting a makeover, transforming her from a 'weeb alien' into a deadly Yokai

Deadlock's cast is brilliant, but one character is making some players nervous: Yamato. Some people have said that she looks a lot like the woman from Stephen King's IT. I didn't notice it at first but the more I compare the two, the more scared I am.

While she's not as evil as a Stephen King creature, she's certainly not as cool as other characters in Deadlock like Seven or Bebop. Her design was created when Deadlock had a cyberpunk theme and was called Neon Prime. One player said that her current design was supposed to be an Alien who became accustomed with Japanese culture as per the lore of Neon Prime. "In other words an alien weeb."

Valve dev Yoshi shared multiple new design concepts on Deadlock Discord. They seem to steer Yamato towards yokai - a class of Japanese folklore beings that includes everything from demons to shapeshifters to spirits. The designs were shared on Deadlock Reddit as well. I think that the first and fifth concepts are the most interesting.

The first design retains the scary look, as her face appears to transform into a sinister yokai if provoked. It won't make the players feel more comfortable, but that isn't the point when facing the enemy. There's also the fifth design. This design is less scary and more stylish. This concept art is my favorite because of the clothes, colors, and a yakuza tattoo sleeve. (The glowing Oni mask in the hairpiece was also a nice touch that I missed at first.

Other players also prefer the redesigns. "I also like this concept's 'living hair" idea. One player writes: "I think the other concept, with the hair aspect, could be so cool." But I'd still be happy as long as Valve kept the yakuza yokai vibe.

The players don't just want Yamato to be redesigned. Grey Talon, who is the group's bowman, has an outdated look as well. Another player said, "I was shocked to hear Grey Talon's vocals." "I thought she was a mean old granny." I'm also waiting for his redesign." I'm guilty of mistaking Grey Talon as a bloodthirsty grandmother, so a new design for the archer may be a good thing. It's still early in the development of Deadlock and Valve's work is already pretty good, so I am happy to wait for minor updates like character redesigns.