Visual Direction
The visual style of Shadows Between Time is built around contrast, silhouette, and shadow to enhance stealth, readability, and atmosphere. Environments make use of muted industrial colour palettes—greys, browns, and desaturated tones—punctuated by controlled highlights that guide player attention and signal points of risk or safety.
Characters and spaces are often defined by strong silhouettes, allowing the player to read movement and threat within the environment quickly. Exaggerated proportions and simplified forms prioritise clarity and mood over realism, reinforcing the game’s abstract tone while supporting fast, reactive play. This visual approach draws on nostalgic stealth aesthetics while adapting them to a more contemporary, readable presentation.
Audio Direction
Audio design plays a critical role in reinforcing tension and the flow of movement. Rhythmic industrial ambience and mechanical soundscapes establish a constant sense of pressure, while subtle audio cues communicate enemy proximity, detection risk, and environmental interaction.
Sound serves both as feedback and emotional reinforcement. Changes in rhythm, volume, and texture heighten urgency during near-detection moments, encouraging reactive decision-making. By tightly integrating audio with movement and stealth systems, the game uses sound to deepen immersion and support the player’s intuitive understanding of space and danger.
