Hello!
Thank you for joining us for our May 2018 update! Since we have been experiencing tropical weather causing flash flooding, I thought it would be appropriate to go with a water-based theme for this update. Following are images that tie together for one particular level in Anathema.
CONCEPT ART - "The Shipwreck Graveyard"
This is a stage that we knew early on we had to have in Anathema. If you are fearful of deep waters (and what may dwell within them) then this may be one of the creepier areas in the game. A torrential storm rages across this vast ocean, causing violent waves and disturbing its inhabitants. The player must use the floating wreckage of fleets torn apart by the tempest to attempt to make it to the nearest shore for safety. The problem is there are all kinds of monsters of all sizes in the waters waiting for you, including the behemoth Dragon Turtle.
Some of you may recognize this stage from the end credits of the demo. That is an old tech demo of the stage from about two years ago so expect to see some polish when you play the game!
CONCEPT ART - "Mermaid"
It's fascinating how popular culture glorifies beautiful mermaids and tends to forget about how hideous and deadly they can be. I recently watched "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" again and knew that mermaids were just what the Shipwreck Graveyard was missing. When I first began designing this enemy, I had a debate on what approach to take with its appearance. I could have easily went with the usual monstrous visage similar to the alleged photos that surfaced years ago of a dead mermaid. On the other hand, I didn't want to make them a fully beautiful being as that just simply isn't interesting and threatening in this world. As such, I opted to take the middle path and leave room for belief that the mermaid could, at one point, have been an alluring siren that beguiled passing sailors before Azrael changed so much in this world.
These sirens will leap out of the waters at varying heights and do their best to bring you back into the water with them. They will be especially dangerous in sections where you're on small chunks of debris atop turbulent waves.
CONCEPT ART - "Killer Ray"
I know, not the most creative name, but that's not what's important at this stage of development. ːsteamfacepalmː
Most games opt for things like killer fish, jellyfish, sharks and things of that nature. It's not too often that you see a stingray type of enemy in a game. This simple but incredibly aggressive enemy will leap out of waters to fire a spray of spines from it's tail in varying angles that the player must either destroy or avoid - otherwise, it's into the drink you go!
We have more things to show on this level but don't want to show all our cards just yet. You'll just have to stay tuned for further footage as development progresses for a more in-depth look. ːsteamhappyː
Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!
See you in June!
-Matt