Hi everyone! It’s been a long time, eh? Don’t worry, we’re still out there, continuously working on the game all day, every day. But we thought it would be a good idea to share a bit more behind-the-scenes stuff with you in our new Dev Diary series. This article is the first of many to come, and if you want a particular theme of the game development explored, tell us in the comments!
We hope you’ll find this one an interesting read.
And keep in mind that the 20% discount is available till the beginning of January.
-New Arc Line Dev Team
Steampunk in New Arc Line isn’t about Victorian gentlemen with teapots. It’s dust on goggles, sparks flying from welding torches, the blaring horns of locomotives, and the endless flow of machines, fuel, and raw materials. The game’s visual identity lives at the intersection of industrial realism and myth. Architecture and technology are not just scenery, they’re integral to the world’s central conflict.
In New Arc Line, where magic clashes with technology, the environment is one of the most important elements of the atmosphere. We’ve created diverse biomes to emphasize the scale and contrast of this world.
Each region isn’t just visually distinct - it reflects the ideologies of the factions and the events driving the world’s story.
At the beginning of the journey, the player finds themselves in a bustling urban setting: crowded streets, seaport chaos, a festive mood, and the protagonist’s hope for something grand and beautiful. But reality hits harder and sooner than expected.
We’ve worked to embed lore in every detail of the world. When it comes to environmental storytelling, everything matters: buildings, banners, signs, transport, robots, clothing, all of it speaks to how this society is evolving under the pressure of progress and revolution. Whether you’re wandering through a noisy fairground, a secret underground lab, or the base of a frozen fortress - the world always has something to say. This isn’t just background. This is history etched into steel, dust, and flame.
Large cities are full of machinery, science, superstition, and magic hiding in the shadows. Cold luxury coexists with hidden laboratories. Machinery, roaring engines, and armored vehicles. It’s all a statement. A philosophy. A style. And we’ve developed a lot more in this direction that you’ll discover in-game.
Brick, steel, and symbols of control define the visual language of the technocrat cities. Take the now-familiar Harbor Slums: industrial rhythm is felt immediately. Buildings are made of heavy red brick, metal beams, and dominant arches. The facades are decorated with gear emblems, guild crests, shop signs. they’re statements of status. Even workshops, bars, and stalls follow rigid functional geometry: symmetry, heavy doors, banners, flags. Despite the grime and poverty, the people here are determined. They open businesses and dream of rebuilding their lives.
But there are still a lot of interesting things ahead… Scorched Diesel Wastes, Forgotten Jungle Shrines and Frozen Citadels
The diesel-blasted wastelands, baked by the sun and crisscrossed with pipelines, are home to industrial outposts. Oil flows like rivers, and pipes groan under the weight of pressure. Architecturally, it’s a completely different world - brutalist and utilitarian. Refineries, furnaces, drilling stations, all fused into the terrain. Mini-factories, fueling depots, and even farms line the dusty roads. Wooden buildings are wrapped in piping, vents, tanks, and smokestacks. Everything hisses, hums, and rumbles.
Here, brute strength, sturdy welds, and quick hands are more valuable than magic. From these deserts, the rails lead to port districts which are the gateways to trade, smuggling, and shifting loyalties.
Beyond that, you’ll reach tropical jungles and deep swamps, hiding ancient settlements suspended between islands, glowing runes, and whispering spirits. In these lands, old magic still pulses - waiting to awaken.
One such place is a forsaken bog, where descendants of forgotten voodoo clans dwell among mist and bioluminescent light. Their huts, covered in moss and rotting vines, stand on stilts. The walls bear skulls, masks, charms, faded lanterns, and ritual dolls stuffed with ash. In the magical city, architecture and nature don't clash, they intertwine. Buildings seem to grow from the land itself, blending into the canopy, hugging the riverbanks, or nestling within overgrown thickets. Construction relies almost entirely on natural materials, primarily the abundant local wood. Everything feels organic and harmonious, as if the city wasn’t built but grown. Here, magic flows through everything: color, sound, air, silence.
Glowing fungi grow on rooftops. Smoke leaks from under the floorboards. Even the plants react to emotions. The locals don’t trust outsiders, and survival here demands more than strength, it demands intuition. Unlike the cities where magic is bought with gold or blood, here it’s paid for with the soul.
Far away, high in the icy mountains, among howling winds and permafrost, stands a citadel carved from solid ice - a forgotten fortress housing technologies unknown to the modern world. Rumors say one of the most powerful figures on the continent has made this place his home. A man whose name has been erased from official records and who never appears in public.
His fortress pulses with inexplicable energy. Inside its frozen halls, among artifacts and silent machines, forbidden research is being conducted. The spires pierce the stormy skies, and the walls gleam like ancient frozen monoliths. It’s a secluded stronghold, hiding secrets that defy life and time.
A World That Speaks
Each region in New Arc Line is unique in atmosphere, climate, culture, and metaphysical resonance. The world is layered, complex, and alive.
Architecture exposes class divides and cultural tension: from factory guild banners and working-class bars to glowing spirit lights and tents pitched under forbidden skies. Every street, structure, and station in New Arc Line is built to reflect one central conflict between the living and the constructed, the forgotten and the imposed.
And the deeper you go, the clearer it becomes: sometimes the buildings know more than any NPC ever could. All you have to do is listen. Maybe to the sound of a train in the distance… and you’ll feel where this world is heading, and what part you’ll play in it.
That's it for today, but we will be back soon with more insights and sneak peeks behind the curtains of New Arc Line's development - promise! We are sorry that our recent silence made people worried, and we appreciate all your support and eagerness for our game. We also wholeheartedly invite everyone to join our Discord, and if you want to keep an eye on our Early Access journey, but are not convinced to jump into the game yet, we recommend wishlisting the game. Thank you!
