Groovin' in the Grave (Patreon)

Guess what, it's finally that time of year again! As if you needed me to remind you, Spooky Season is upon us once more. DD and I are hard at work preparing this year's Halloween stream, but that doesn't mean the rhythm game has fallen by the wayside. Here's some of the artwork we've gotten done to put towards the game over the past few weeks, a few supernatural treats to keep you ruminating fate until All Hallows Eve arrives. This project has been an invigorating challenge to design for, and while it hasn't been easy I've had a lot of fun stretching my imagination to try and capture just the right balance of elements.

Above you can see a few hypothetical designs for playable characters. It's possible they could make their way into the final game, but at this stage I'm still practicing in order to nail down a visual style that gives the arcane tone I'm aiming for. The game takes place in a transitory space following death, which can make it tempting to lean into horror iconography when imagining how these wandering souls may manifest. While including traditionally spooky elements isn't out of the question, I'll want to be careful not to let them dominate the game's aesthetic. An air of mystery and surrealism should suggest to the player infinite possibilities of what might come after death, each spirit's form personally symbolic and shaped by the memories of life. 

While I have a much clearer idea of how environments should be stylized, it's tougher to arrive at a cohesive look for the characters themselves. Themes of spiritualism need to mesh with the modern vibe of a banging dance party. Points of inspiration to communicate this have included urban vinyl figures, street fashion and sticker/tattoo art. A compact, simplified ethic evokes the Millennium style you might expect from classic rhythm games, but also lends toward ease of animation and makes the characters more iconic. While I struggled somewhat to reach this ideal, we've been working with fellow artist Imp who was able to quickly grasp the feeling we wanted. This made it a lot easier for me to visually recognize the subtleties that define the style, and we're likely to make use of their skills again as the project continues. Character designs will have more time to solidify all the way up until music for the game is completed that can dictate the personalities we need.

Meanwhile, outside of the realm of the theoretical, work has begun on the practical necessities of the game's user interface. Here you can see one of the more detailed elements that was laid out in concept art last month being finalized for use as a game asset in the song selection screen. This and other parts will be rendered in a variety of ways, giving the game mixed media elements to contrast with the flattened, cartoony look of the characters. Some sense of chaos is implied, as remnants from across time and space mingle in this underworld, having been carried to the meeting grounds by the countless souls that pass through it. I'm really looking forward to showing off more menus and environments as they're completed, and I hope the eclectic look makes for a novel experience for players. 

The game is progressing rather nicely overall, and such extensive experimentation has paid off in results I'm very proud of. It's very satisfying to draw from organic intuition on the more esoteric side of the game's themes, while simultaneously providing a sense of irreverent fun with the contemporary elements as well. More updates will come as we get further into production, and I hope you all will appreciate the twists and turns I'll want to take this musical adventure on. For the time being, you can watch our biweekly streams as always to see how it's coming on a more frequent basis, currently broadcasting Tuesday and Thursday evenings on the WanWanDev Twitch channel. Usually live at 6:00 PM EST, you can even watch them on your own time either with VODs on Twitch or download them from our collection hosted here. Further stream recordings will be posted each month, so keep an eye out! Thanks immensely for your support, this journey into the unknown couldn't happen without you. Guard your life forces well over the season of the witch, and we'll be back to show you more haunting sights soon.

-Julian