Hey, everyone!
We are Free Particle, the developers behind Toy Smash Kaboom!
Time flies! Only less than a month left until the full release. Now that development is winding down, we wanted to share some insights into the art style behind the game.
You may have noticed that the animation in Toy Smash Kaboom! is a bit special, even carrying a hint of retro charm:
For those familiar with Cuphead, you might recognize that Toy Smash Kaboom! uses a similar animation style that was popular in the early 20th century: Rubber Hose Animation.
This style originated in the early American animation industry, featuring characters’ jointless and bendy body stretching and squashing like rubber hoses. For example, early Mickey Mouse cartoons used this style:
For us, the exaggerated, humorous effect perfectly fits the art style we aim for in Toy Smash Kaboom!
As for toy design, we drew lots of inspiration from childhood memories. For example, Little Crocodile is inspired by the classic Crocodile Dentist:
Burrowing Mole comes from the classic animation Mole’s Story:
Naughty Andy has a Tamagotchi:
And..
In real life, toys require special materials to achieve unique effects. But in a video game, freed from the laws of physics, imagination becomes our most powerful tool.
Toys? More Like Toying!
Ever since Easter Eggs were invented, human life has at least tripled… just kidding.
Many of the toy designs in Toy Smash Kaboom! are indeed inspired by works we love ourselves. For instance, Captain Panda, literally the head of B.A.N.D.I.T, his round shape is inspired by the famous robot BB-8 from Star Wars:
And who could resist a gauntlet perfect for snapping fingers…
Of course, the hidden Easter Eggs in our toys don’t stop here. We’ll leave the rest for you to discover! Feel free to share your findings in the comments ^_-*
Heroes' Alter Ego!
Our new hero for the full version, Puppet Musician, is a super-talented rock star! She manipulates melodies to boost her team or disrupt opponents, controlling the rhythm of the battlefield.
Puppet Musician went through several versions. At first, she looked like this:
While this version had a strong witchy vibe, it leaned too much on evilness and lacked the rock star energy we wanted. After much brainstorming, the ultimate image of this full-blown rock enthusiast was born:
Now her cute bright pink twin-tails contrast sharply with her fiery, rebellious personality. Her obsession with rock music drives her to mimic David Bowie’s iconic lightning bolt makeup while covering her electric guitar with Nirvana, Rolling Stones, and Nine Inch Nails stickers!
But Puppet Musician’s life may be more than we imagined. If you see her dressed as a vampire hunter in the game, don’t be too surprised!
When designing her outfit, we initially considered keeping the musician theme while mixing in some Western, country folk elements (Concept Sketch A):
But we just couldn’t imagine this wild card slowing down to sing a gentle country ballad. In the end, we decided that besides rocking out, she can indulge in her vampire-hunting fantasies, perhaps also bringing back her little witchy side.
And she’s not the only one getting new outfits! The full release introduces Skin Change. Players can unlock new looks for each hero by meeting certain conditions, along with new table decorations, allowing you to explore another side of the heroes’ lives! For example, this doctor may look all about modern science, but secretly dabble in alchemy:
Studio’s Secret Member?
We describe ourselves as a tiny 6-person team. But actually, we have a mysterious "seventh member"! Many of the initial toy designs come from her, the studio’s lead creative director: our team member’s daughter, Yuanbao:
Gingerbread Man, taking the spotlight as the game icon, started as a doodle by Yuanbao.
As for why Gingerbread Man has a leaf on his head…, Yuanbao prefers to keep it a secret. But we all guess it’s because of her overwhelming love for Korok!
That’s all for today’s sharing! Feel free to leave a comment or join our official Discord server!
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