Programmer / Level Designer: Amanda Powell
Producer / Prototype & Concept Artist: Sophia Thorne
All characters and environmental assets were illustrated and animated by me. With the help of my prototype artist Sophia Thorne and programmer Amanda Powell, we determined which assets were needed and what their game function needed to be. We then produced the assets by passing each other iterations based on feedback. I digitally painted all of the assets seen in the game in Procreate.
Many assets had an original prototype version that acted as a stand in for level design testing, before being completed by me for the final render. We learned a lot about being consistent between our files and naming conventions. We also developed a strong sense of our visual style as we worked.
This speedpaint is an example of how I used the assets I had already completed as reference for new ones. In order to save time and be as efficient as possible, I utilized the selection tool and the liquify tool to animate in ways that did not require me to redraw every single brushtoke per frame. I also tried to keep a consistent level of detail throughout every asset, and was able to take advantage of digital art transformation tools to make highly detailed animated assets.
I originally came up with the concept for Caroline's Underworld for my first coding class's final. I was directly inspired by games like Ib, Undertale, and other story-heavy RPGs. Wanting to create something with a distinct world and cast of characters, I found a lot of creative potential in the story of Alice in Wonderland, and combining that with the iconography and cultural significance of hell across the world, the visual language of this project started to become clear to me.
As we've now developed this project past the limits of my prototype, our understanding of the underworld we have fabricated has become more thoughtful. In our current level, Limbo, the architecture is inspired by Greco-Roman columns, ruins, and temples. We also wanted to emulate a winding, tunneling look that is reminiscent of the Paris Catacombs. The use of purple is meant to transport the player into this mysterious, melancholy beauty that harkens back to the original whimsy of Wonderland.
Our next level will take place in a grand party, and will pull imagery from Old Hollywood and Ancient Egypt. Find a way to escape the upredictable whims of the Duchess!
