BEHIND-THE-SCENES ARTIST STREAM TOMORROW!
Before we get into it: two of our artists will be on the stream tomorrow, Feb 26, at 15:00 CET to show how they designed the unique medievalpunk world of Reignbreaker. Follow us on Twitch to and tune in for an in-depth look at how game art is created!
KITBASHING A MEDIEVALPUNK WORLD
The world of Reignbreaker was conceptualized as a dark fantasy reflection of our own. As we were trying to grapple with the continued rise of right wing authoritarian governments across the world, we imagined what it would be like if a medieval monarch had somehow acquired a means to cement their absolute authority. And what would the resistance look like? This resulted in a mash-up aesthetic that we eventually called “medievalpunk” – blending elements from typical medieval fantasy with sci-fi technology, alongside a rebellion that sports a more modern & anachronistic punk style.
Our design was also inspired by kitbashing – a term from modelmaking that means taking model parts from different kits and “bashing” them together to make original creations. We thought would be a perfect fit for our brand of high-tech feudalism (and also because a lot of people in our studio are miniature wargame nerds). We imagined the blacksmiths and engineers of this world would take medieval objects and "bash" them with sci fi technologies to create new machines and animated guardians. You can see this in your main weapon – a medieval lance slapped with a bunch of high-tech bells and whistles – or our enemy designs, which incorporate objects like church bells, statues, and medieval weaponry:
BETWEEN 2D AND 3D
For the environments of Reignbreaker we landed on a “2.5D” art style, combining 2D and 3D objects for a style that fuses the best of both worlds, and utilizes the wide-ranging specialties of our art team. The end product marries the handcrafted look of a 2D game with the functionality of 3D environments and objects. By going into the game engine and move the camera to different angles, you can see how each environment is a mix of flat objects and three-dimensional objects:
WEAPON SPOTLIGHT: SHOTGUN
Everyone knows what a shotgun does. But what happens when you strap one to a medievalpunk Javelin? Well, we imagined you’d get a powerful close-range weapon that’s as deadly as it is satisfying. Like all Javelin types, it can be deployed in three ways:
The Strike is a point-blank blast to the face to any enemies in your way, which can be chained together into a sick three-part combo:
The Throw gets lodged in an enemy’s face and blasts anything behind it:
And the Slam creates a short-lived but intense turret:
The demo for Reignbreaker is available throughout Steam Next Fest, so check it out while you can, and if you’ve already played, please leave a review – it helps us reach many more players! Remember to follow us on Twitch to catch our next devstream, and we’ll be back again with another blog next week.
xoxo
Studio Fizbin