Art of Prison City #1
Art is just one of the many elements that goes into making a game! Check out the insights from lead game developer Programancer!
[h3]1. Can you describe how you determined the art style of the game? What sort of art style(s) did you initially imagine Prison City to look like?[/h3]
Programancer: So I knew early on I wanted this game to be the antithesis to my other flagship project- The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest. That game, despite the gothic setting, uses a lot of the brighter registers for the tile and background palettes because it was necessary for the day/night swapping, but with Prison City I could focus on having the colors darker and imply detail with shadows.
That was kind of the start of the art, and it made sense- a lot of really beautiful NES games rely heavily on implying detail with sporadic and noisy dithering into darker colors. With this, I can make platforms and actors pop more on the darker, shadowy backdrops!
For the actors, I leaned toward a lot of NES action games as a reference- they all tend to have very interchangeable-between-games character graphics, with most player character sprites fitting within 16x32 sizes, and trying to cram as much as you can with 3-4 colors into something tiny. It all kind of coalesced into exactly what I wanted it to be!
[h3]2. What do you think makes Prison City’s art style appealing to gaming audiences? What is it about the 80s or 90s style do you think resonates with prospective audiences?[/h3]
Programancer: I think it's familiar. It's not exactly how the NES was, but it makes a point not to stray too far either! Something as simple as a fade to black resonates with people if the colors respect the palette restriction! A lot of people are drawn to that- myself included, and I think that knowing when to bend the rules graphically and not going overboard is unconsciously appreciated by fans of NES style action games.
[h3]3. How do you think Prison City’s pixel art style reflects the classic “look” of games from the NES, Genesis, and other retro consoles? What, in your opinion, does Prison City have to offer that is visually unique from the 80s and 90s graphics of older games?[/h3]
Programancer: Prison City comfortably sits in a spot between the NES and the “next thing,” in that it pushes more colors per screen at one time than an NES ever could, but without the vast color choices of the SNES and Genesis. Visually, it’s like NES+, and there’s a certain vibe you need to stick to in order for people to look at something and say “this is how I remember the NES being,” but then you look back at NES games and realize it wasn’t that way at all!
Prison City knows when to bend the rules where it works. If I need a larger sprite, I can have it! If I need lots of explosions, I can make them! You can’t go overboard though if you want it to click for people.
We 're excited to share more as we get closer to Prison City's launch!
Wishlist Prison City and play the free demo available NOW!
[h3]1. Can you describe how you determined the art style of the game? What sort of art style(s) did you initially imagine Prison City to look like?[/h3]
Programancer: So I knew early on I wanted this game to be the antithesis to my other flagship project- The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest. That game, despite the gothic setting, uses a lot of the brighter registers for the tile and background palettes because it was necessary for the day/night swapping, but with Prison City I could focus on having the colors darker and imply detail with shadows.
That was kind of the start of the art, and it made sense- a lot of really beautiful NES games rely heavily on implying detail with sporadic and noisy dithering into darker colors. With this, I can make platforms and actors pop more on the darker, shadowy backdrops!
For the actors, I leaned toward a lot of NES action games as a reference- they all tend to have very interchangeable-between-games character graphics, with most player character sprites fitting within 16x32 sizes, and trying to cram as much as you can with 3-4 colors into something tiny. It all kind of coalesced into exactly what I wanted it to be!
[h3]2. What do you think makes Prison City’s art style appealing to gaming audiences? What is it about the 80s or 90s style do you think resonates with prospective audiences?[/h3]
Programancer: I think it's familiar. It's not exactly how the NES was, but it makes a point not to stray too far either! Something as simple as a fade to black resonates with people if the colors respect the palette restriction! A lot of people are drawn to that- myself included, and I think that knowing when to bend the rules graphically and not going overboard is unconsciously appreciated by fans of NES style action games.
[h3]3. How do you think Prison City’s pixel art style reflects the classic “look” of games from the NES, Genesis, and other retro consoles? What, in your opinion, does Prison City have to offer that is visually unique from the 80s and 90s graphics of older games?[/h3]
Programancer: Prison City comfortably sits in a spot between the NES and the “next thing,” in that it pushes more colors per screen at one time than an NES ever could, but without the vast color choices of the SNES and Genesis. Visually, it’s like NES+, and there’s a certain vibe you need to stick to in order for people to look at something and say “this is how I remember the NES being,” but then you look back at NES games and realize it wasn’t that way at all!
Prison City knows when to bend the rules where it works. If I need a larger sprite, I can have it! If I need lots of explosions, I can make them! You can’t go overboard though if you want it to click for people.
We 're excited to share more as we get closer to Prison City's launch!
Wishlist Prison City and play the free demo available NOW!