Cerydra’s visual design is a rare HSR disappointment

The entire Amphoreus arc in Honkai: Star Rail has been an excellent display of HoYoverse’s skills as a developer and as a major fan of ancient history I’ve been delighted by the eye for detail the team has shown when it comes to the world’s Graeco-Roman theme so far.

However, the two upcoming characters Cerydra and Hysilens are a bit of a disappointment in this regard. Unlike Aglaea or Mydei, who incorporate – very much stylized – design elements that are key to the Graeco-Roman theme, the two upcoming characters seem to be devoid of any of these aspects.

Their designs are by no means bad. In fact, their respective themes are well executed: I like Hysilens’ coral-inspired weapon (making it a trident for that easy Poseidon/Neptune connection wouldn’t have hurt, but HoYoverse’s idea of having the weapon double as a violin is awesome) and head ornaments, which express her alignment with the ocean, and I enjoy the over-the-top crown and scepter for the Chess Master Monarch. 

My issue is: These two characters could be from anywhere in the universe.

Personally, the direction chosen for Cerydra is the biggest miss. Why opt for this somewhat generic design archetype of a monarch with crown and scepter when the Roman emperors could be used as inspiration instead? 

The character’s story is heavily inspired by Iulius Caesar — heck, the names of her Talent – Ave Imperator – and Traces – Veni, Vidi, Vici – are direct references to Caesar and the emperors. 

Imagine Cerydra with an imperial gold and purple color scheme, donning a Roman-style cuirass (between the muscle cuirass, lorica segmentata, and lorica squamata there are plenty of options with the potential to look amazing in HoYoverse’s style), a laurel crown or a crested helmet (since Aglaea already wears the laurel), and a military cloak that bellows in the wind behind her. Picture her holding a variation of a Roman eagle standard or perhaps the vinewood cane of a centurio as a weapon.

Would that not achieve the same purpose of making her an image of royalty and empire, conveying that she derives her authority from being a warlord and master strategist, while emphasizing her support role as a Harmony character? And would that not fit into the world as we know it much more smoothly?

I will concede that the image of a medieval king flows better with the chess theme, because we tend to associate the game with the time period – as I said, her current design brings that across very well – but I can’t help but be sad about the opportunity that was missed here in regards to keeping with Amphoreus’ visual theme, which seems to have been pushed into the background more and more as time went on in favor of generic fantasy outfits. I expected less Furina and more Centurii-chan.

After Mydei and Tribbie, the Graeco-Roman elements have become less and less pronounced in the character designs. Thanks to her strong thematic connection to popular historical characters, I think Cerydra would have been the perfect person to bring these elements back into the forefront and reinforce Amphoreus’ wavering visual identity.