Background
ReCore is an action-adventure game developed by Comcept and Armature Studio, published by Microsoft Studios. Set on the distant planet of Far Eden, the game follows Joule Adams, one of the last remaining human colonists, as she awakens from cryosleep and discovers a world devastated by unknown events.
Alongside her robotic companion Mack, a loyal CoreBot designed to assist humanity’s survival, Joule begins exploring the abandoned planet and uncovering the secrets behind the failed colonization mission.
To celebrate this unique sci-fi adventure, the Collector’s Edition introduced a detailed statue featuring Joule and Mack — bringing the bond between human and machine from the digital world into a physical collectible experience.
Challenge
The biggest challenge of this project was balancing the visual proportion and structural stability of the collectible, especially around the relationship between Joule and her robotic companion Mack.
During the early development stage, we went through multiple iterations to find the most suitable proportion between the characters. The goal was to make their interaction feel natural while ensuring the overall composition looked balanced from different viewing angles.
However, the biggest challenge came from Mack’s complex mechanical structure. Many of its upper components were relatively heavy, while the supporting structures underneath were small and delicate. We needed to carefully evaluate the material selection, reinforcement methods, and structural design to improve stability without affecting the original appearance.
In addition, the small mechanical parts created difficulties during assembly, as some components were fragile and could easily break during handling. This required continuous refinement of the structure and assembly process to ensure the final product could achieve both the desired level of detail and reliable production quality.
What I did
A large part of my work focused on improving Mack’s structure without changing the appearance of the original design.
For the leg structure, we found a way to use the blue energy cables that were already part of Mack’s design as additional support. Instead of adding an obvious reinforcement piece, we integrated the support into these existing visual elements, helping the legs carry the weight of the upper body while keeping the original look intact.
Another issue was the small mechanical components, which could easily break during assembly. I suggested adding a thin resin-based reinforcement coating to some of the more fragile parts before assembly. This gave the components additional surface strength and made them less likely to break during handling and installation, while adding very little visible thickness to the parts.
Outcome
The statue became a key component of the ReCore Collector’s Edition, helping extend the game experience beyond the digital world.
By transforming Joule and Mack’s partnership into a physical collectible, the project gave fans a tangible way to connect with the characters and preserve a memorable part of the ReCore universe.
