From the very start, the visual presentation of our game has been a priority for us. As a small two-person team with roots in graphic design, we’ve always valued the importance of strong visuals in game development. We wanted to create a visual style that would give us artistic freedom but wouldn't be too time-consuming to produce. After several visual experiments, we decided on a style that falls somewhere between stylized art and low poly. With the addition of shaders, lighting, and procedural terrain generation, we managed to achieve a look that satisfies us and still allows us to finish the game within the planned timeline. But that was just the first decision we had to make. Once we knew how we were going to create our models, we had to decide on the atmosphere and tone of the game.
We noticed that many similar games feature bright and saturated colors, but that didn’t quite fit our setting, where the player takes on the role of the villain. Plus, we wanted to stand out not just through visual quality, but also in terms of mood. So, we opted for something more mysterious. Low-saturation colors, eerie dark waves in the background, and thick fog that occasionally blankets the map. This is the aesthetic we’ve committed to, and it’s what you can see in our game right now.
At this point, we’ve focused on creating a world that isn’t too abstract—it somewhat resembles Earth, with green hills and trees. But nothing stops us from introducing completely different worlds in future updates. A world made entirely of crystals? Fiery plains on a planet straight out of hell? Or maybe a tropical world with colors nothing like what we’d expect on Earth? What do you think the next type of world Monolith will attack should look like?
By then, we knew how the world of our game would look, but we still hadn’t decided on the appearance of the creatures inhabiting it. Initially, we leaned toward classic monsters—skeletons and other fearsome-looking enemies. But something felt off; fighting them made us feel like we were the "good guys." So, we went back to the drawing board, looking for different inspiration, and we remembered games like Dungeon Keeper. Despite playing as the villain, not everything in that game is scary or intimidating—there’s a certain amount of quirkiness. After a few tests, we decided that the enemies in our game don’t need to look menacing. On the contrary, they can look like poor, innocent creatures—the kind Monolith would destroy with pleasure. And that’s how we created our first enemy. You’ve already seen it: it’s the Pebble Golem.
—
If there are any topics you’d like to hear more about, feel free to let us know here or on our Discord, where you can also find more of this devlogs sooner!