Meet the people who brought Pyrene to life in these short interviews!
We’re starting with Jeanne, who handled most of the art and animation in Pyrene.
What references from the myths have you based your designs on?
Basque myths were mostly passed on through word of mouth, so I had few visual references to help me. I had to find textual descriptions and use my own imagination to give life to most of Pyrene’s characters and creatures!
Basajaun and Basandere are wild, big and furry, Mamarroak are small, insect-like, with red pants.
For Babau, I was inspired by its representation on the Babau Festival’s floats!
It wasn’t an easy challenge but I had a lot of fun, as I always love creating creatures and discovering new ones!
According to you, what makes Pyrene unique, from an artistic point of view?
We made a strong choice for Pyrene’s artistic direction: roguelikes with fights against dangerous monsters are often set in a dark fantasy atmosphere. We chose to go in the opposite direction, with soft character designs, pastel and colorful palettes and natural environments. We wanted to give the feeling that these places aren’t scary to Pyrene’s villagers because it’s the land they’ve always known. We emphasized character’s expressions and animations, as their emotional journey is important to the game’s story.
Also, we acknowledged that Pyrene’s public won’t necessarily be hardcore roguelike players only but also people who care about narration and a diverse cast!
Were there specific tasks that took you out of your comfort zone? Or on the contrary, did you feel like your work fitted in with the game’s atmosphere?
I genuinely felt like my work fit in the project! My team was always very supportive of my choices and designs, I was and still am so thankful for that! I could really have fun with the visuals and make them match with both our project's gameplay and narration.
One of my initiatives was to animate each character and add their different expressions to their idles. I really felt it would make our game more lively and make the players feel what the villagers are going through. Plus, it was super fun to do!
Is there a character you are obsessed with?
That’s a difficult question because I enjoy them so much! I can’t help myself but to speak about multiple ones:
- Atanaia, because she’s the first character we play and I love to play her. I drew her in many different other game artstyles and we even did a "Draw this in your style" with her, it was incredible!
- Mathilda is my favorite tall, strong and buff woman who knows how to handle a hammer.
- Hadetta because she probably has the design I love the most!
- Idittu because she is the quirkiest of all, and I do love the quirkiness
- …And of course Zoè, who is both a cute pet to have around and a fearless companion. She is adorable!
Atanaia as a character in Don't Starve, Cuphead and Darkest Dungeon!
Atanaia's design by Jeanne Prigent, Games by Klei Entertainment, Studio MDHR Entertainment Inc. and Red Hook Studios, Art direction by Jeff Agala, Andrea Fernandez and Chris Bourassa.
Which creature did you enjoy designing the most?
Now that you know me a little bit better, you know I won’t stick to one answer :
- The Drac, a reference to Berserk, is a disgusting one that I loved designing. it can have different forms depending on the region, but in the Pyrenees, it looks like a red demon donkey and I find it very original!
- The Creepy Unicorn, I always wanted to see an evil unicorn in a game and as I watch a lot of streams since Pyrene’s demo is out, I feel like players noticed how nasty it is.
- Iratxo, the evil little elf. I didn’t have a lot of description to work with, so I took liberties with its design! I included ferns as antennas, as its name refers to this plant! I think I’m really pleased with how it turned out!
Pyrene will launch on September 13th, be ready to spread the word on our socials! Feel free to join our Discord to share your excitement with us!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2468100/Pyrene/