Lysward News

[p]Today’s update is very special: Meet Kiran, the character you’ll play as in Lysward. After escaping the Notus facility with no memories and a strange device fused to his forearm, Kiran awakens in a desolate cave, forced to survive a desert that wants him dead. His name is pronounced “Kee-ren”.[/p][p] Kiran’s concept art.
[/p][p]Kiran’s visual journey from concept to final character was a long one. His first iteration was created as a style test for our art and animation teams, a placeholder that allowed them to explore movement and tone. 
[/p][p]Old concept.
[/p][p]Creating Kiran demanded more than just concept art: It required weaving his entire story into his visual identity. Our art team worked closely with our skilled narrative designer, Hannah, and the talented artist Jeleynai, using every story beat and gameplay need as the foundation for their concept art. This incredible collaboration began with broad exploratory sketches, each iteration bringing us closer to a character who feels authentically shaped by his harsh world.
[/p][p]Every detail from the functionality of his Amri sleeve to the wear and tear on his clothing had to reflect his harrowing escape and fight for survival.[/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Kiran sketches.[/p][p]
But a protagonist’s design isn’t just about aesthetics: It’s about making players connect with their struggle. Through dozens of iterations, we refined Kiran into someone players immediately understand yet still want to uncover.[/p][p]
We had to hit a lot of notes, from the Amri-sleeve on his arm hinting at the function we had from the writing, through his outfit needing to fit where Kiran enters the story in the game, to how his face looks to convey who he is as a person. When you first see Kiran, you should feel his history before he speaks a word. That’s the power of thoughtful character design.[/p][p]
We’re thrilled with the result and can’t wait for you to step into his shoes. What do you think of Kiran? [/p][p]
We’ll have a closed playtest coming soon, so stay tuned and wishlist Lysward. See you in the next update, Explorers!
Snowcastle Games[/p][p]
[/p]

[p]Today, we have a very special reveal. Meet Gjorna, your mentor and ally in the unforgiving world of Lysward. And in case you’re wondering, the pronunciation of her name is “Yor-na”.[/p][p][/p][p]Character Concept Art.
[/p][p]Gjorna is no ordinary guide. She's a resourceful Hogbunny fugitive, desperately searching for her missing partner Orren after escaping the cruel experiments of Notus Haven. When your paths cross in the desert, you'll work together to uncover the terrible truth behind Notus' exploitation of the land... and what they did to both of you.[/p][p]
Now, if you’ve played Hogworld, EARTHLOCK, Ikonei Island, or read our comics, you might have noticed that Gjorna is a Hogbunny, but her visuals are very different from the others. This happened because we felt Lysward demanded a fresh take on Hogbunnies so they could fit in this environment.[/p][p]Hedda and Gnart variations.
[/p][p]To achieve her final visual, we’ve tested and experimented a lot. We needed more expressive animations, which led to proportion changes, while the art style evolved to match the game's mature themes. After countless iterations, we arrived at her final design: a perfect balance of grit and personality that fits Lysward's harsh environment.[/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Gjorna Sketches and experimentation.

Gjorna will be your most valuable company in the desert. Every clue she shares reveals more about your shared, painful past and the dark secrets of Notus Haven.

What are your thoughts on Gjorna? Let us know in the comments. [/p][p]
Wishlist Lysward to help us grow our community![/p][p]We’ll see you in the next update, Explorers! [/p][p]Snowcastle Games[/p]

[p]The desert of Lysward may be harsh, but it's far from lifeless. We're excited to show you a first glimpse at the Oasis, a vibrant and important area in our game that offers survival essentials and respite moments. [/p][p][/p][p]Here, you'll find bodies of water to quench your thirst and food sources scattered among the lush vegetation. The surrounding cliffs contain valuable ore deposits for crafting better gear.[/p][p][/p][p]Every detail you see here is still evolving as we refine this work-in-progress, shaping it into the perfect balance of beauty and functionality. [/p][p]Oasis Art[/p][p]We've created a wonderful location where you'll establish your crafting station, store supplies in personal chests, and occasionally encounter the desert's creatures - some helpful, others best avoided.[/p][p][/p][p]And a fun fact: Before we decided to call our game “Lysward”, it was in fact called “Project Oasis”. And no, we do not have Wonderwall as our main soundtrack (even though the Marketing team tried really hard to convince the Audio team to do so). [/p][carousel][/carousel][p] [/p][p]Will you use the Oasis as a strategic part of your journey, carefully managing resources? Or take time to appreciate its quiet and brutal beauty? [/p][p][/p][p]We’ll have closed tests really soon, so if you’d like to participate, hit that wishlist button![/p][p]
We’ll see you in the next update, Explorers! [/p][p]Snowcastle Games[/p]

Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on an early but crucial part of our art process: the "Beauty Corner."
[h3]What’s a Beauty Corner?[/h3]
It’s a small, controlled scene where we test Lysward’s visual DNA—think desert rocks, hardy plants, and man-made debris—alongside early character designs. This lets us judge style cohesion before we’re neck-deep in production.
Beauty corner work in progress.

[h3]What We’ve Learned (So Far):[/h3]
"Painterly Realism" in action: We’ve refined how sculpted edges and textures interact, with bold brushstrokes and hue shifts that pop against the geometry.

Lighting Reset: Our first lighting setup clashed with the assets, so we’ve stripped it back to neutral for now. Next step: tweak it once all pieces are in place.

Pipeline Checks: This corner has already exposed workflow kinks we’re smoothing out (goodbye, future headaches!).
Beauty corner work in progress.


Every rock and rusted girder here will inform how the entire world of Lysward looks and feels. And yes, this is all still WIP—we’ll share polished shots later!

Bonus: We’re also running art style tests for characters—here’s the latest update.


Add Lysward to your wishlist! It shows us how much interest there is in the game and helps with visibility.


We’ll see you in the next update, Explorers!
Snowcastle Games

Today, let's talk about the Speeder - your trusty desert ride in Lysward! This compact but speedy vehicle isn't just for crossing the dunes; it's also a mobile base for you and your companion.

Our first Speeder design (from the teaser) didn't quite fit - it felt disconnected from EARTHLOCK's world and Lysward's unique desert style. We knew we needed to take a step back, so our art team came up with some cool ideas we want to share with you.
Old Speeder concept art.[hr][/hr]
To achieve visuals that match our world and lore, the art team explored options that combined the Speeder's functionality with desert elements from the game. They created four variations: one resembling a beetle, another looking like a boat, a third inspired by a plane, and some mashups of those three.

Speeder Variations[hr][/hr]
Our team fell in love with the beetle-inspired look, drawing inspiration from scarabs that thrive in harsh desert environments. Plus, it now fits the world visually.

The original beetle variation had weight balance issues and limited mobility on sand dunes, so we added a new suspension. This lets the skids pivot and absorb shocks, which is crucial for uneven terrain.

New suspension[hr][/hr]
[h3]What's Next?[/h3]
Right now, we're working on additional concept art for the cockpit design. Once that's locked in, we'll begin the long process of 3D modeling, rigging, animating, and implementing the Speeder to ensure it works perfectly in-game. You can follow updates here on our page, so don't forget to wishlist!



Add Lysward to your wishlist! It shows us how much interest there is in the game and helps with visibility.

We will be having a closed playtest soon, so don’t forget to join our Discord community if you want to be part of it!


Stay in the shadows, Explorers!
Snowcastle Games