In this post our art director and concept artist Marve gives some insights into her thoughts on the setting of the game and some of the influences for the art direction.
Mood
We decided pretty early on we want to keep the overall style semi-realistic and not wander too far into fantasy. From earlier conversations we referenced story-book like elements a lot, and its still one of our guiding elements in various design choices.
The story-book feel is reflected in the vibrant color scheme, stylized light and extra warm shadows, to really emphasize this almost dream-like warm summer day. The perfect time for frogs to be active!
Most importantly, there is no human involvement in our world. You wont encounter any stray tin cans or bottle caps. We really wanted to keep the forest and all the natural elements very untouched and wild.
In a way the forest is a character on its own. The light won't reach under thicker forest nooks which creates a much more cool and mysterious atmosphere. The frogs will be discovering their surroundings alongside the players, it's supposed to be a bit secretive and unpredictable. The trees and mushrooms grow too tall, the trails can lead to unknown locations and various strange creatures can cross your path.
To help along with the immersion we found it very important to have a direct reference to scale. Seeing familiar plants, mushrooms and trees are really nice ways to grasp how small our frogs are. Also, there's something so charming about imagining such a village existing in a massive forest you have walked in.
Early concept art exploring different ideas for biomes
Our world is set at a temperate climate with plenty of greenery and rain but nothing too tropical or desert dry. This helps narrow down the selection of flora and fauna we add to the environment.
With some creative freedom, a lot of it is reflected in the building materials, furniture, the clothes frogs wear and symbols they use in their arts and crafts.
Anyone who's had the chance to spend a lot of time in nature as a child might feel right at home here. A small yard or a garden used to feel like a massive playground, a whole forest would be filled with endless possibilities and mysteries.
We want to give you this feeling of being close to the ground, where bugs and snails roam around under leaves and grass blades and the sunrays peek through the leaves.
Influences
These are some of our main influences for the mood and look:
Midsummer, Djamila Knopf
This painting from Djamila Knopf has that specific feeling of wonder and warmth that reminds you of the carefree and quiet summers of childhood. There's so much magic and playfulness here and it always fills you with a sense of home. This is what we want Croakwood to feel like - warm, welcoming and a little bit dream-like.
Another huge influence here has been Arrietty, the movie by Studio Ghibli. Aside from the dollhouse furniture and borrowed human items, one of the most charming parts is how the tea poured in a mug behaves, it's so delightfully weird, thick and viscous; nothing like we're used to seeing. Small details like that help so much with pushing the believability.
Because we do not have humans living in our world, the focus for Croakwood is more on natural elements the frogs can use to craft their tools, workshops and houses.
In addition, Alexandre Diboine has his amazing world of Saltenpepper, which also has influenced the art direction quite a bit. The way he handles shapes and textures is very close to what we’re aiming for.
Tiny Garlic Shop, Alexandre “Zedig” Diboine
Small beings living among massive plants and vegetables; a lot of furniture and house designs are a direct reference to the environment around them; how large an actual garlic is in that space and how big and chunky the rolled up leaves are in the background - all of this pushes the believably and makes it much easier to imagine how it might be like to live in this world.
Setting
Croakwoods main location for the frogs is an open and light filled meadow in the middle of large ancient forest, a space lush with various flowers, mushrooms, shrubs and building materials taken straight from the environment.
There's a lot you can show with how the materials are used and the textures and detail density, for example how the wood grain would be a lot more bloated and the grooves and cracks will be more visible. Large pinecone makes an excellent material for some roof shingles. Tree bark is sturdy enough to build up walls and fences. And pine needles make a great rustic looking thatched roof.
Our frogs are also a bit chaotic and fun loving creatures, they might not always follow the most convenient building regulations. Patchwork of various materials make great little cottages. They can be very resourceful with what materials they use and how they build their houses.
Some of the first concepts for frog houses
The grid system and modular nature of the construction pieces do create some limitations, but we’ve been working hard to add plenty of variety in fun materials and elements to make this world extra cozy and alive.
Towns in Croakwood are meant to look like natural parts of the environment, everything is carefully and lovingly handcrafted by the villagers themselves. Also, the frogs coexist with the forest and its inhabitants - all the resources they make can provide for more than just for the town.
Perhaps you could use some to trade in exchange of a secret or as an offering for a mischievous forest spirit?