Whimsigoth, Florals, and a touch of Brutalism | Devlog #1

Welcome to the first monthly developer log for Greenhearth Necromancer! Our monthly devlogs will highlight different aspects of Greenhearth and will share insights into its development. As a semi-idle magical gardening sim, there will be much to share as development continues! This month’s entry is a Q&A with our art director, Anu C.Game design often begins in documents, spreadsheets and Miro boards - but it comes alive with concept art. The heart and soul of a game in early development is its visual design, the work that brings the mechanics and ideas to life. With Greenhearth Necromancer, we had to ensure it felt grounded but different, a sort of magical realism that feels familiar and fantastical.As it is a semi-idle gardening simulator, Greenhearth also sticks to a single PoV for most of its gameplay to help ground players who hop between IRL tasks and gameplay. With this single perspective comes depth and variety, but also challenges to make the world feel bigger than just this single balcony.We asked Anu some questions to find out more about this process:

What inspiration do you pull from to create that combination of magic and mundane found in Greenhearth Necromancer?

We knew very early on that we wanted the game to take place in a concrete, Brutalist apartment, to serve as a contrast to the lush garden and cozy homey vibes that the main character creates from themself on their balcony. We have a studio Miro board where the team likes to collect inspirational images, but I also love to go on Pinterest. I certainly looked at movies and animated series for inspo, but I try not to limit myself to just those types of mediums. For this project, I’ve been very inspired by antiques, cute witchy accessories and fashion, and basically the whole Whimisgoth aesthetic!

With the game mostly locked to a fixed perspective, how do you draw the player’s eye to important details or unique features?

We have worked hard to make the balcony space feel cluttered, but in a good way. There is room for plants, but there are also furniture elements and décor scattered all around. We want the interactable space to feel visually interesting, but also have some nice elements beyond the balcony, with buildings in the distance and with the lighting as the time of day changes.

Do you ever get stuck with your art, and how do you break through those blocks when they happen?

Not being afraid to take breaks, going outside, and looking through my sketchbooks often helps to re-energize the creative side of my brain. I can also often count on Pinterest (minus the AI slop which seems to be seeping in like weeds) to help me out when I’m feeling stuck!

Video games are almost exclusively digital mediums, but do you have a favourite medium you like to work in?

I think I’ll always prefer the feeling of drawing with pencil and paper over anything, especially when I’m just trying to sketch out ideas. I also really love watercolour painting!

Games often become timeless because of their strong art direction; are there any games that have stuck with you because of their art design?

I, like many other game artists, really liked the art style of Journey. It was such a captivating style. I also loved Cuphead’s art design, especially the hand-drawn elements and charming details. I’m really looking forward to the Samurai Pizza Cats game for similar reasons!

The balcony in the game is home to the various plants and bits and bobs that decorate the space. Do you have any favourite knick-knacks that you have in your own spaces?

I have accumulated an eclectic collection of mini toys, which includes blind box collectables as well as vintage figurines from my childhood.

Art directors often wear many hats on dev teams and have to juggle a variety of responsibilities. What does a typical day look like for an indie game art director?

Our team is quite small, and we all help out wherever we can, so I’m sure my typical day might not be similar to other art directors. I work closely with our Creative Director at the beginning of each week to talk about visual direction. In regards to Greenhearth, that might include firing up the Miro board to chat about the aesthetics of the balcony, and the scenery beyond, and coming up with ideas to flesh out the space. I also meet with the tech art team, which consists of the Technical Director, Tech Artist, and myself. Here, we take those earlier ideas and see what can be accomplished within the parameters of the project. I also help out with some UI art development as well, so creating sprites, etc. I also manage a freelance 3d artist who has been expertly making the various items that appear on the balcony, based on the art direction that I have set. I create design briefs, which are sketches with notes attached for her to work from.

How does genre affect visual design? As Greenhearth Necromancer is a semi-idle simulation, are there considerations for visual design that you have to make that are unique to this genre?

We thought carefully about the overall vibes we want to evoke with this game, especially since it is more slow-paced. We want the balcony to feel cozy, yet customizable with the different kinds of plants that the player can choose to populate the space with. We settled on a stylized version of cel-shading, with brush stroke elements to give things a hand-drawn feel. I moved away from realism in order to make the world seem more whimsical and cute, but a little weird as well.

Death and rebirth are at the core of Greenhearth Necromancer. How do you visualize these concepts in-game and make them feel distinct from one another?

The plants are the star of the game, and the team has been exploring unique ways to indicate a healthy, living plant vs one that is thriving while being undead. We did this by focusing on bright colour palettes, special effects, and interesting leaf shapes for all the different variations.Thanks to our Art Director for this great look at the early progress of Greenhearth Necromancer! If you don’t want to miss updates about the game, subscribe to our newsletter and wishlist the game on Steam!