Designing The World of Shadows | Devlog #2
[h2]Hello, shadowfolks![/h2]
We’re back with another devlog, and some good news! If you’ve been itching to try out Cosmic, you’ll have your chance very soon! We’ll be releasing our first demo at the upcoming Steam Next Fest (June 19-26). Make sure to hit that wishlist button so you don’t miss out on a chance to meet our favorite mischievous critter! Oh, btw, check out this new trailer! Cool, huh?
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Ok, but back to the meat of this post, which is of course the world of shadows that Cosmic inhabits. As is very apparent, we wanted to create a contrast between an atmosphere of dread and the cute cartoon aesthetic where the shadows flirt with the bright, vibrant colors to underscore the uneasy feeling that you’ll have to befriend while playing the game. We also wanted to differentiate ourselves from other horror games where dark and muted colors are the norm. We hope you’ll appreciate this choice and enjoy how our game looks.
To create this distinct, signature “Cosmic look”, we’ve looked for inspiration in a multitude of places but we can pinpoint the 3 most significant sources. Firstly, the extremely visually interesting film adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland by Tim Burton that along with Duffer Brother’s Stranger Things gave us the tools to create the vibrant palette that peeks out of the pitch-black shadows. What gave those colors their shape, however, was definitely Genndy Tartakovsky’s Samurai Jack with its sharp lines and inspired designs.
When it comes to the inhabitants of the world of shadow, you never know what you’re going to get. Some of them might be hostile, some of them friendly, some others might need your help or straight up ignore you because they have more important stuff to do. All of them have their unique gameplay and narrative purpose, and that influences how they look and behave. To design this menagerie of critters, we first start with simple silhouettes, then once we know where we’re going we finish the design and give it a skeleton that will help us animate it. After that, we take care of its dialogue, sounds, special effects, and behaviors. During this process, we constantly check how our creation looks and behaves in our game engine, to make sure it fits in with other characters and the background, and that nothing breaks. It is, however, much more complicated to create the enemies. Every one of them has its own set of moves and ways it reacts to the player’s behavior. We have to iterate those for hours, to ensure that our players come out 100% satisfied. They have to pose a challenge and be terrifying, but at the same time be fun to fight because fun is what it’s all about.
To sum up, if we could describe the world of shadows, that Cosmic comes to inhabit, in 3 words we’d go with “dark”, “unsettling”, and “intense”. We hope you enjoyed this peek into the world of Cosmic and our minds, and we’ll see you at Steam Next Fest! Don’t forget to wishlist if you want to try the game!
See you in the shadows,
King’s Pleasure
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1769100/Cosmic_A_Journey_Among_Shadows/
