｜An idea emerged
After confirming the emotions and mechanics, I wanted my first level to have a touch of religious horror, so that players could deduce that it was superficially a horror story.
Therefore, the atmosphere was primarily terrifying. However, I wanted players to discover that the horror was just a facade after figuring out the whole story, and that the complete story was heartwarming. So, I wanted only some scary symbols or elements, but not elements that would terrify players.
At this point, there was a very relevant element: Gothic style. So I wanted to incorporate Gothic elements into the church to achieve this.
｜Process
After confirming the elements I wanted, I started looking for a suitable atmosphere. That’s when I thought of Dark Soul.
While I confirmed that this was the atmosphere I wanted, I also realized that the lighting and color scheme were a bit too dark for the effect I desired. Therefore, I decided to look among artists whose works had religious themes and whose color schemes weren’t too dark. Under these conditions, I found the works of Caravaggio.
Caravaggio. (1601) The Supper at Emmaus [Oil and tempera on canvas] George Vernon. Available at: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG172
After everything was confirmed, I created a reference board to help with modeling and also built a small interior environment to express the effect I wanted.
This is not the complete scene. I know the complete scene would be much larger, but the exact size would depend on the narrative content.
｜Level two
I’ve singled out the second level because its environment is somewhat different from the first.
For this level, I wanted a very familiar environment to enhance player immersion. Since the first level was already scary, I didn’t want the second level to be similarly scary. It could start with a strange atmosphere, but I wanted the environment to be familiar, so I decided to base it on an office setting.
Actually, I had already started preparing to create a reference board after that. I didn’t plan to hire an artist, but while searching for office references, I saw a decorative painting hanging in an office.
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.
I immediately confirmed that this was the color and lighting effect I wanted, so I decided to use it as a base, dimming the lights a bit to create my game’s atmosphere. With the basic structure confirmed on the reference board, I also created a small room to express what kind of atmosphere and environment I wanted.
My two levels are actually not in the same style, which is why I didn’t develop the narrative first. I didn’t want the story to define the environment I wanted. Narrative is more adaptable than style. Just like now, I’ve decided to use a story to connect two different art styles.