｜Level One
After confirming the game’s background, I started looking for the art style I wanted and reference boards to create environments. I began with games; the first game that came to mind for a medieval and gothic style was Dark Souls.
Its overall atmosphere was very suitable as a reference, and it was close to the feeling I wanted. However, I didn’t intend to use it as a reference for the specific environment it created, as the environment it presented didn’t match the one in my mind. But I did intend to study the atmosphere it created.
This atmosphere reminds me of the artist Caravaggio; the atmosphere, the contrast of light and shadow, and the strong, singular light source in his paintings are something I feel is very suitable for reference.
Caravaggio. (1601) The Supper at Emmaus [Oil and tempera on canvas] George Vernon. Available at: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG172
After confirming the atmosphere and lighting, I began creating reference boards to help complete the environment model.
This is the style of the first level.
｜Level two
Edward Hopper, whose work perfectly captured the atmosphere and ideas I had for the second level. His room-based works evoked a sense of compressed emotion, an environment that, in the game, could create a feeling of unease for the player – exactly what I wanted.
Hopper, E. (1963) Sun in an Empty Room [Oil on canvas] Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Available at: https://crystalbridges.emuseum.com/objects/12143/sun-in-an-empty-room.
Similar to the first level, after confirming the atmosphere and lighting, I started creating a reference board for this level to guide the creation of the relevant scenes for our second level.
Since the story takes place in an office building, I wanted the overall feel to be that of an office, but the atmosphere is more like the work of the hopper mentioned above, rather than the bright feeling in the reference board.
This is the art style of the second level.