Sometimes simple character designs make the most effective cosplays, and this group of Peak Scouts is the perfect example of that
Much like the rest of the internet, I spent an ungodly amount of time playing Peak when it launched in June last year, and despite the simplicity of its character design, me and my friends became quite fond of our little characters quite quickly. You're only given a few customisation options when you start,but you really don't need a thousand sliders to make a character that truly reflects your personality.
Welcome to Character Select, a weekly column where PC Gamer takes a look at the art and cosplay created by you. Each week, I'll highlight a few of my favourite pieces, spotlight and interview creators and artists, or generally just chew your ear off about the talents of the gaming community.
For example, my Peak scout has had the same scowling expression and kissy mouth since I started playing. No matter how many cosmetics I've unlocked, this has never changed and probably never will. I don't doubt a number of other players feel the same about their Scout design, resulting in specific cosmetics being reserved for them. I'll be honest though, I didn't expect to see cosplays for the Scouts.
As much as I love them in-game, I never had that feeling of wanting to dress as one regardless of their simple designs, it isn't the sort of game you look at and want to embody, or so I thought. Turns out, there are cosplays of the Scouts, and they are pretty incredible.
Our PEAK cosplays!!! from r/PeakGame
In a post shared to r/PEAKgame by u/RedditandBlade, a group of friends have proved me wrong and created a fantastic set of Peak cosplays, even down to the accessories you can unlock whilst you climb. Each member of the group is sporting a different colour and facial expression to really capture the essence of playing Peak with your friends, alongside sashes with badges taken directly from the game. When the character design is so simple, it's important to pay attention to the details, clearly.
This extends from the costumes themselves down to the accessories the group created, including delicious looking marshmallows, a first aid kit, and a hand-stitched Bing Bong plushie which I would love to see more photos of, if not a complete tutorial on how to make one for myself. Even the backpacks themselves look identical to the ones from the game. I guess if you're going to cosplay characters from Peak, you want all the flourishes that go with them.
All elements of these cosplays were made by the team too, which is shared in the description of the Reddit post that details how a handful of parts were created. The spherical heads (which is the part of the costume I imagine is the hardest part to construct) are "EVA foam patterned spheres with 3d printed facial features and mesh eyes to allow for sight, coupled with hot glue foam inserts for wearing them on our heads, and caulk, sandpaper, primer/paint/clear to finish." If you fancy making one for yourself, a tutorial was posted to the Instagram of wtfrederick too.
This is just one example of how a character doesn't need to be super elaborate to make an effective cosplay, and something more simple can bring an immense amount of joy to anyone who has played that game. I'd love to see more Peak cosplayers this year, especially as the game now has more cosmetics like the Ironmouse wig and gnome costume. I wouldn't recommend taking these outfits on a hike, though, as funny as the pictures would be.