Hello, cleaners!
As you probably know, game development is a constant heroic battle to balance game mechanics with aesthetic aspects. We have introduced you to many tools and mechanics, so it’s time to discuss our approach to environments and lighting. We’ll try to explain our philosophy without spoiling the looks of the map and avoiding story details.
We pay a lot of attention to the world we are creating. Every location has its backstory and unique elements. We want to make sure that the crime scenes we stage tell their own stories, not only through props and bodies but also through atmospheric lighting. The process of finding the correct angle and colour of the light has been a challenge. For the majority of the game, you will spend in darkness searching for evidence, the environment has to lead you through the level. From time to time, you will be forced to rely only on your cleaning intuition and scarce light from your flashlight.
While working on the levels, we want to marry the idea of lights and shadows not only as an aesthetic choice but also as a conscious gameplay element. This is why you will be equipped with many tools emitting light. Darkness will challenge you and allow you to show off your skill in using every tool in the inventory. We expect you to make use of lamps and your flashlight in many spots on maps. After searching through the map and finding evidence scattered around you can use a larger lamp to mark out where the bodies are. But we are aware that our plans and expectations will be walked all over by creative cleaners who will clean in complete darkness.
In the process of choosing which areas have to be darker, we seek to find a balance between a grave atmosphere and the immersive feeling of staying invisible. This is especially challenging since the environment has to look good when veiled in darkness and when lit up by multiple light sources.
While you closely examine provided screenshots and the video, remember that we took some liberty to stage certain elements to more explicitly show our process. We’re looking for general feedback on our principles and philosophy. So don’t leave us in the dark when it comes to your opinions on the matter. You can always shed some light on your expectations in our Discord or on our social media!
