One of the aspects of Stupid Cupid that we’re most proud of is the art. (*Pats self on back.*) How did we develop our adorable 3D creatures and game aesthetic? We started with a mood board of 3D art and animations that were bright and cheery, yet odd and slightly off-putting. Cute and crass, if you will.
The first animal we created was the fox, so we have a special place in our hearts for him (though we love all our babies equally). We wanted all the animals to look slightly awkward or just “not quite right”. One of the ways to achieve this was to give them big eyes that don’t point in the right directions.
Another important design was Cupid’s bow and arrow. He wasn’t going to have a normal bow and arrow—he is Stupid Cupid, after all. We purposely wanted to create a bow and arrows that looked handmade and slapped together to show his personality.
The team knew early on that Stupid Cupid would have a low poly style (3D graphics with a small number of polygons) for many reasons. First, low poly is charming and has a youthful look that is reminiscent of Nintendo 64. Plus, it just works well with this particular game and concept. Second, low poly can still look good while serving the functional purpose of having a faster load time.
The low poly aesthetic has arguably been a growing trend in mobile games but not as much in VR games, when in fact, we feel that low poly is beneficial for VR. Its simplicity makes it easier for the player to understand what to pay attention to and where to go when immersed in a new environment, which can sometimes be confusing when there’s so much going on visually.
What do you think of the art of Stupid Cupid so far? Remember, we’re still in Early Access mode and need your feedback to refine the game before the full version launch. You can always send us your thoughts at [email protected]