Rockbeasts News

[h2]With so many unique and quirky characters in the world of Rockbeasts, we knew early in development that we needed an incredible cast of voice actors to bring them to life! In this Backstage Pass Dev Blog, we'll be pulling back the curtain on our voice acting process![/h2][p][/p][h3]Plus, we've released two more tracks from the Rockbeasts soundtrack! Head over here to give them a listen on the music streaming platform of your choice![/h3][p][/p][h2]The Casting Process[/h2][p]We knew early on in development that Rockbeasts was going to have a strong narrative focus and that we needed to a talented roster of voice actors to bring the diverse and quirky characters to life. So we reached out to PitStop - a casting and voice direction studio. PitStop have worked on lots of games you've probably heard of, including Baldur's Gate 3, Helldivers 2, and Metaphor: ReFantazio![/p][p]Our lead voice director, Josh Weeden (who also worked on Baldur's Gate 3) helped to guide us through the process. First, we created detailed character bibles and sent them over to PitStop along with the full Rockbeasts script. They then worked along voice acting agencies to gather a list of potential actors. For each role, they received around 70 to 100 audition tapes, which were then narrowed down to a shortlist of 7-12 final candidates![/p][p]Sometimes a role had a clear standout, but other times we debated back and forth between three or four equally great performances! The team at PitStop highlighted their top picks, and more often than not, they aligned with ours, making the process quite smooth! At the end of the day, our team made the final calls, but PitStop's expertise was invaluable![/p][p][/p][h2]In the Recording Studio[/h2][p][/p][p]Each of the voice recording sessions was led by Josh and two other amazing directors, Tilly and Keith, at PitStop's studio! Back at Rockbeasts' base, we were able to monitor the sessions and provide occasional pieces of feedback. Most of our feedback focused on complex branching dialogue or scene set-up. We really trusted the directors and generally left it up to them to steer the actors' performances. The whole process was so smooth, it honestly felt like magic![/p][p]Working with the actors was a joy too! For the most part, all of their performances were on point for what we were looking for. One of the most satisfying parts of the whole process was dropping the recorded voice lines into our engine, synching them up with the characters' animations in-game, and seeing everything come alive! That was really special for us - that realization that these weren't just written characters anymore, but full living breathing personalities in the game![/p][p][/p][h2]Getting in Character[/h2][p][/p][p]Our lead writer, Kuba Szamałek (who previously worked on The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077) has an amazing talent for creating all of these vivid and authentic characters! Whilst writing the characters' dialogue, he put a lot of focus on their energy, tone, attitude and overall vibe. This meant that even if Kuba didn't have a specific accent or voice in mind for each character, it was still really easy for us all to imagine what type of person they would be. And this also made it easier for the voice cast to embody them.[/p][p]Each actor bought their own flair, of course. There was a lot of improvisation and ad-libbing in the recording booth, with actors tweaking the flow of lines to feel more natural. Even small changes like these helped to add extra depth to the dialogue.[/p][p]Our main takeaway from the recording process was that it wasn't just performance, it was a massive collaborative effort from our side, the directors, PitStop's team, Kuba, and the actors! If anyone part of that collaboration had failed, the whole thing would have been much tougher![/p][p][/p][h2]Musical Crossovers[/h2][p]Rockbeasts is so deeply rooted in music, especially 90s rock music. Because of this, we initially planned to hire a band to perform the game's soundtrack. However, once we cast the actor for Vernon, Hyoie O'Grady, we found out that he was also a real-life vocalist just like his character![/p][p]Hyoie asked if we were creating original music for the game and then sent us some samples of his vocals. His singing absolutely blew us away and from that moment, we knew we had to let him handle the vocals for the game! He went on to record 17 original tracks - six of which you can listen to on streaming platforms right now![/p][p]Having Hyoie do the vocals added such a level of authenticity that would have been impossible otherwise! The same voice actor doing both the dialogue and performing the music? That's rare and unforgettable![/p][p][/p][h2]Stories from the Recording Booth[/h2][p][/p][p]One of the stand out voice performances - among many others - came from Safiyya Ingar, who voiced Karen Hernandez (pictured above), a club owner you meet in-game. Safiyya's voice performance was so compelling, that we actually created a whole new side quest around their character! They gave Karen a charisma and depth that we hadn't anticipated, and it was a gift that we had to run with![/p][p]However, the most unforgettable moment from the recording sessions has to be working with Iggy Pop! The rock and roll legend himself! Having Iggy in the game felt and still feels so surreal! Just hearing his iconic voice saying the lines we'd written for him gave us goosebumps! Kuba tailored the dialogue to Iggy's natural rhythm and phrasing, and from the very first line, we knew it was perfect![/p][p]There were four of us in the studio listening to Iggy Pop's recording session live, all quiet, stunned and in awe! That session is definitely a moment that will stay with us forever![/p][p][/p][h3]Looking forward to Rockbeasts? Don't forget to wishlist the game on Steam![/h3][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[h2]Rockbeasts! Ready to go wild and let your fur fly? We've just released four songs from the Rockbeasts soundtrack ready for you to listen to and rock-out ahead of the game's release! Listen to them now on your preferred music platform: Rockbeasts EP 1[/h2]

[h3]So, stick on the EP and get ready to this next Backstage Pass Dev Blog! Today we'll be handing over to our composer, Marcin Sonnenberg as he talks about creating Rockbeasts' soundtrack and the creative process he's been on with the team![/h3]

[h3]Without further ado, over to Marcin![/h3]

[h2]First Steps to Rock and Roll[/h2]



Hi! My name's Marcin Sonnenberg, and I'm a composer, songwriter and music producer based in Warsaw. I'm very excited to finally talk about the music that I helped to create for Rockbeasts together with my colleague and fellow musician, Adam!

I started working with Rockbeasts' developer, Lichthund on their very first game, Lichtspeer, so I've been with them from the very beginning!

[h2]The Rockbeasts Vibe[/h2]



With a game like Rockbeasts, music was always going to be a huge part of the experience, so I was brought in at the really early stages of development. At the beginning, we explored a lot of musical directions, but the core idea quickly became clear: we need to capture the raw energy of 90s American alternative rock.

Right away, I knew I couldn't do it alone – I needed a guitarist who could really nail that sound. After some searching, I was connected with Adam, and we clicked immediately! He's a walking encyclopaedia of 90s rock and I really hope that passion shines through when players hear the music in-game!

[h2]Taking Inspiration[/h2]



The challenge at the beginning was immense! As we put together the tracks, we weren't just trying to mimic a genre; we wanted to explore the nuances of the entire era.

People often lump bands together under labels like "grunge” – which is perfectly natural – but looking closer, the reality turns out to be much more complex. Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Nirvana — all "grunge" on paper, but their music comes from such distinct places.

In Rockbeasts, players will be able to shape the band's musical journey, which gave us the freedom to pay tribute to a wide range of influences. We had a blast diving deep into our favorite bands, from Sonic Youth and Mudhoney to Weezer, Sleater-Kinney and Green Day, and we hope players pick up on those inspirations in the game's soundtrack!

[h2]Getting Lyrical[/h2]



I knew I wanted to tie each track's name and lyrics back to the game's animal theme. You can already see that in two of the tracks we've released so far - 'Let Sleeping Dogs Lie' and 'Eight Arms' (which you can listen to using the link at the top). Sticking to that theme forced me to be creative in how we weaved those elements into the songs without being cheesy (okay, without being overly cheesy).

I also wanted all of the songs to have substance, not just feature throwaway wordplay in the lyrics. Each track touches on themes that resonated with me personally but that I also felt was authentic to the era.

Put Me Down is a personal favorite track! It's got some raw Mudhoney energy, that chaotic, fun anger, but then it takes an unexpected turn with a Slint-esque bridge. And you can listen to it right now!

[h2]The Recording Process[/h2]



From the start, we knew we had to record these songs in a real studio. MIDI drums just wouldn't cut it. We needed that live, human element to capture the authenticity we were aiming for. So, we went to Otterhead Studio in Rugby, UK, with an amazing team: producer Ant, engineers Ellis and Jamie, drummer Jake, and backing vocalist Lisa. And Hyoie, who voices the singer Vernon in the game, turned out to be a fantastic vocalist himself.

It really felt like making an actual rock record (or two, given the aesthetic diversity) – because it was basically that! Working with everyone has been an incredible experience, definitely the most challenging and rewarding project I've been a part of. I can't wait for the game to be released and for players to hear more of the tracks we've been working on!

[h2]Rockbeasts Music Credits[/h2]
Written By Marcin Sonnenberg & Adam Kiepuszewski

Additional Lyrics By Jakub Szamałek

Lead Vocals
Hyoie O’Grady

Backing Vocals
Lisa Olivant

Guitars and Bass Guitars
Adam Kiepuszewski

Drums
Jake Stanton

Produced, Mixed and Mastered By
Anthony Chapman

Engineering By
Ellis Powell-Bevan

Additional Engineering By
Jamie Ward

Recorded At
Otterhead Studios


[h3]Thank you for taking the time to read this Backstage Pass blog! If you like the sound of Rockbeasts, make sure to check out the Announcement Trailer below![/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]And don't forget to wishlist on Steam![/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1445880/Rockbeasts/

[h3]Rockbeasts! We're back with the second of our Backstage Pass Dev Blogs! Today we're continuing our series looking at the art process behind Rockbeasts! In this blog, we're taking a look at the art design of the environments and world you'll be exploring on your journey to rock stardom! [/h3]

[h3]Thank you again for supporting the game and don't forget to wishlist if you haven't already![/h3]

[h2]Interior Design[/h2]



In our quest to create immersive and atmospheric environments, we knew that the location interiors of Rockbeasts' world needed to match the distinct style of our characters. This meant that we needed to incorporate the strong bold lines and detailed coloring found in the rest of the game's art. Initially, we considered creating simple, flat backgrounds for each location. But as the early stages of development progressed, we realized we wanted to make the environments more interactive and realistic.

To achieve this, we decided to create larger interiors for each of the buildings with camera movement, dynamic lighting, and a greater sense of depth. We transitioned to a 2.5D approach for all the interiors, which allowed us to retain the charm of the animated TV series that inspired Rockbeasts, while adding more detail and fidelity to the locations.

One of the biggest challenges was defining scale and perspective in the world. There are often many different things happening at each location - some of it story-related, some gameplay. It proved quite challenging to make sure each interior worked for every possible scenario, and with all the branching, quests, and band activities we have in Rockbeasts, it was a real challenge.

[h2]The Design Process[/h2]



So how did we get here? Well, our art process begins by establishing the desired atmosphere. We aim to capture the style and feel of the 90s, drawing inspiration from iconic references of that era. Starting with a rough sketch, we ensure that each location has the necessary space and setup for the interactive elements we need it to house. We then set-out the main camera shots for the location and proceed to add details to the environment around that.



Once the line art is complete, we introduce color and shading, followed by the incorporation of light sources. The final step involves cutting layers and exporting the assets into the game engine, where additional 3D lighting is applied to enhance the overall effect. We think it's all come together nicely, but we'll let you be the judge of that!

[h2]The World Outside[/h2]



Moving outside now, every city in Rockbeasts is inspired by a real world location. We wanted to capture the iconic '90s vibe of each of the cities, but also wanted them to be slightly exaggerated. Sort of like a caricature. When designing building exteriors, we wanted the players to easily understand their functions, but also make them feel interesting and believable. There are a lot of different buildings in Rockbeasts - bars, record stores, college dorms and more - so it was really key to illustrate to the player what there function is through their design. To this end, we played a lot with architectural styles, neon, different sizes, and fine details to make every city, district, and building look and feel uniquely amazing!

We often started designing each building with the exterior, rather than the interior. Even if it was just a mock-up or a simple reference image, the exterior architecture and space of the building acted as the basis of the interiors. It was always useful to have that framework in place first.



[h3]Thank you for taking the time to read this Backstage Pass blog! If you like the look of Rockbeasts, make sure to check out the Announcement Trailer below![/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]And don't forget to wishlist on Steam![/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1445880/Rockbeasts/

[h3]Rockbeasts! Welcome to the first of our Backstage Pass Dev Blogs! In this series of short posts we want to give you a glimpse behind the scenes as we move towards Rockbeasts' release, sharing our insight into the development process and more detail about the game itself![/h3]

In this first Backstage Pass blog, we're pulling back the curtain on the art process behind the character designs in Rockbeasts! Our fantastic lead artist, Mateusz took inspiration from a few different sources when designing the look of Rockbeasts: animated shows like Daria, Beavis and Butt-Head, Bob's Burgers and Bojack Horseman, as well as graphic novels like Blacksad and Maus, and games such as Night in the Woods!

As you'll see below, the game's art style went through several iterations before we honed in on the final designs!

[h2]Original Human Design Style[/h2]



One of the toughest challenges we faced when designing the art of Rockbeasts, was creating an art style that stayed true to the personality of the characters we were creating, while also being easy to animate and that would allow players to customize their band as they see fit.

Early in the design process, we explored using human characters in the game. This would give our characters the full range of emotional expression that we were looking for, but we ended up deciding against this direction in favour of using animal designs for characters instead.

We felt that using animal designs would allow us to play into the well-known animal archetypes that players immediately understand and associate with certain characteristics. For example, players immediately understand the personality of an awkward and introverted fish, a tired old lion, or a timid young mouse.

Games like Night in The Woods, movies like Zootopia, cartoons like BoJack Horseman, and comic books like Blacksad were all inspirations behind the anthropomorphic animal designs we moved towards. If you haven't already, we'd recommend checking out all of the pieces of media that inspired Rockbeasts!

[h2]Grungy 90s Zines Design Style[/h2]



We also explored styles that were more reminiscent of '90s comics and zines with a look that was grungier and more punky. As seen above, one of the first iterations of Paz was much more detailed in this style, but it proved very difficult to animate. Especially once we decided that we wanted players to connect with the characters' emotions as much as possible, meaning that the animation style had to be able to show every sly smile or brief grimace. As much as we liked the look of this grungier style, it would have taken a lot of work to animate it to the level we needed.

That proved tricky using a comic book style too. There were just too many things to redraw and adjust for each animation. Something that would have been almost impossible for a tiny indie studio like us.

[h2]Vector Art Prototypes[/h2]



At the beginning of Rockbeasts development, we started doing all animations in Spine using 2D character skeletons. We were happy with the flexibility the software gave us in-game, so we now knew that we needed an art style that would look good when paired with the animations in Spine. For early prototypes we used vector art like the example above, as it was easy to work with in Spine.



Whilst we were getting to grips with Spine, we were also working on an art style that would be more detailed and could replace the prototype designs. The sketches above don't necessarily match any of the characters you'll find in the final game, but they should give a good idea of the direction we were moving in.

[h2]MTV-Inspired Design Style[/h2]



We started looking at 2D cartoons for inspiration, especially '90s MTV shows like Daria and Beavis and Butthead. The art in these '90s and 2000s cartoons had faced and conquered the same issues we were facing with animation and expressing characters' emotions, so they were a natural fit as inspiration for Rockbeasts.

We landed on something that was really close to what we'd envisioned - a punky and retro style that suited the themes of the game. But also a style that we could animate using our team's tools and know-how.

With so much dialogue in the game we also had to introduce lip-sync into the designs, refining the look of the characters' mouths to make sure they still looked natural when speaking. There's a big difference between how Vernon's beak and Carlton's fish mouth looks when they're talking!

We also didn't just want animal heads on top of human bodies, we wanted that '90s cartoon feel. That meant designing a llama with a moustache or a chicken-lady with a majestic blonde hairdo that only a supermodel could pull off. We also play around with how "animal" the characters are. You might notice a koala in Rockbeasts having two thumbs, for instance.

[h2]Character Customization[/h2]



The last step in the design process was band customization! We knew from early on that we wanted to give players the option to change the look of their band. In Rockbeasts, players have the freedom to dress their band up in different outfits at gigs, shoot music videos in outrageous hairdos, and much more. This level of roleplaying was super important to us, as we wanted the player to be able to guide the direction that their band went down over the course of playing. One player's band might be full-on glam rockers whilst another might stick to a grungier, Nirvana-like vibe.

This level of customization again proved quite challenging, requiring more cleaning up of the overall design that we'd chosen to move forward with. We had to make sure that every item of clothing and every hairstyle looked right for each of the characters as well as looking natural during animations.



Overall, getting the art in Rockbeasts to where it is today was a process, but we're happy with the style we landed on. It gives us the flexibility we need while still having that 90's cartoon vibe we wanted for our game. The animals, the line-art, and all the details in each character help bring the game world to life.

[h3]Thank you for taking the time to read our first Backstage Pass blog! If you like the look of Rockbeasts, make sure to check out the Announcement Trailer below![/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]And don't forget to wishlist on Steam![/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1445880/Rockbeasts/

What's a band without some killer songs? Crank up the volume and hit up Spotify to check out the first two tracks from the Rockbeasts soundtrack! 🤘

[h2]💤 Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
💪 Eight Arms[/h2]



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1445880/Rockbeasts/