The Gist
After numerous failed attempts at proving the supernatural (and an equal number of wasted memory cards), cameraman Wyatt is beginning to join the skeptics. Despite the lack of evidence, this club of amateur paranormal investigators take their desperation to the spiritual sanctuary of the abandoned St. Jude Thaddeus Church.But when the devil tempts them further into the darkness, will they be ready to face the creature that lurks beneath and bring the concealed to light?
Where to Find It
Characters
Artwork
Technical Art
✦ Building Out The Game ✦
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Would you believe me if I told you the first functional draft of the game looked like this? During the early stage of coding, we made a very minimal prototype that showcased a working inventory system with a use/combine/examine menu set (old-fashioned, but effective) and a point-and-click segment. Thankfully, our coder had already set up an inventory system for one of their previous visual novels, so we had a solid foundation to bridge off of.Given how only one of us has coding experience, we chose the program Ren'Py as it's one of the easiest, most accessible programs to pick up.
✦ Menus & UI ✦
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We wanted to go for an old 2000's desktop for the UI given lost media's significance to the plot. After photobashing a reference, Yassets got to work, making the icons, textboxes, and battling the word spacing at the top. Since Ren'Py's GUI system is heavily embedded in the code, this was a joined effort between her and our coder.
Other Artwork
Environments
Drawn By Amethyst Bentley & Sam Mills
✦ The Old Backgrounds ✦
In the initial script, the story followed a haunted sleepover that led our cast to a mineshaft. So, here's all the wonderful 2D stills from the first proof of concept!
✦ Brand New Blockouts ✦
Sadly, it turns out drawing the same, highly detailed room over and over from multiple different angles is painful. Plus, our story went through massive changes and our artists yearned for something a little more 3D. There was only one sensible thing to do: pivot to 3D backgrounds! Above, you'll find all of the blockouts for our environments.
Other Artwork
Character Art
✦ The Old & The New ✦
They grow up so fast, don't they? To the left are the old designs from our first attempt at this passion project. To your right, you'll find the new and improved lineup, complete with our beloved girlboss, ominously looming over the rest of the cast. Click to enlarge!
Concepts
All Artwork by Amethyst Bentley
Other Artwork
Meet The Nerds
Wyatt
✦ Old Design ✦
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Wyatt didn't have any screen time at all other than his hand holding the textbox in the first game, so he only had the color lineup and loose design for promotional material sake. We gave him frosted tips to resemble the tip of a cigarette considering he smokes (bad habit, he knows).
✦ Concepts & Colors ✦
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Since we elongated the face to make him more mature than the rest of the group, we ran into a complicated issue with translating his hair shape. He totally rocked the punky prickle ball hairdo in the old design, but it just didn't fit the head anymore. After lots of struggling and making our 2D artist cry, we landed on the half-shaved design he has now. Can't really beat the bar code T-shirt though.
Other Artwork
Wyatt
✦ Club Treasurer ✦
Pronouns: He/Him
Age: 16 years old
Height: 5'9"
Zodiac: Scorpio
Every ghost-hunting group needs a camera man to capture evidence of their paranormal findings, and even more importantly, a designated driver. Given his cynical outlook on life and his newly acquired driver's license, Wyatt's the perfect man for the job. While he prefers to stay out of frame, he does harbor a deep loyalty to his friends and would do anything to keep them out of danger.
✦ Fun Facts ✦
Wyatt works part time at a greasy pizzeria to afford gas for all of the club's investigations because it'd look like embezzlement if he just pulled it from the club funds. That being said, he takes very good care of his truck, or at least, as much care as these rural pothole-riddled roads will allow.
Charlie
✦ Old Design ✦
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The first defining trait we gave Charlie was "soft, sweet pushover." In all honesty, this didn't change much over time. Since the first game started with a sleepover, he wore a cozy, casual sweater that he'd occasionally bury his face into. We also went with some gentle, grounding browns and yellows to push that warm, comforting tone.
✦ Concepts & Colors ✦
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For the redesign, we softened the color palette and gave him something a little more school-like with the collared shirt combo. We also played with keeping a heart motif in his hair to nod to that softer side of him, although this was later changed alongside the personality trait.
Other Artwork
Charlie
✦ Club Secretary ✦
Pronouns: He/Him
Age: 15 years old
Height: 5'7"
Zodiac: Pisces
Prized Possession: Bullet Necklace
As the newest addition to the friend group, it's no wonder Charlie's cowardly nature sticks out like a sore thumb. While he comes across as a timid people pleaser, he's actually the bluntest of them all, especially when things take a turn for the worst.
✦ Fun Facts ✦
Charlie's a straight-A student, having the best grades in the entire group. On top of that, he plays a mean trumpet in a marching band. Well, not too mean, haha...it's just for the extracurriculars.
Harlow
✦ Old Design ✦
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Harlow was actually inspired by Dev Team Member Demiigod since she's an iconic, certified agent of chaos. That's the reason they had so much split hair dye in the beginning although we ended up going with the red highlights to cover it up (cat's out of the bag now...oops).
✦ Concepts & Colors ✦
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Finding the balance between sharp, unhinged edge and looking too villainous was difficult in the beginning. We also knew we wanted to give Harlow big, chunky pants to make his silhouette stick out against the others (and to break the little stick leg syndrome our cast was developing).You'll find a lot of dark green in their color concepts because like how Bea has touches of red in her design, they have some of her green in their palette. After all, what best friends wouldn't color swap just a little?
Other Artwork
Harlow
✦ Vice President ✦
Pronouns: They/He
Age: 15 years old
Height: 5'5"
Zodiac: Aries
Prized Possession: Scab Collection
With the one and only goal being to achieve possession, Harlow thrives on instigating both spirits and humans alike (all in good fun, of course). They're the type to live in the moment, making sure everyone in the group's having a genuinely good time. But don't write them off as careless yet, because nobody evades responsibility better than they do.
✦ Fun Facts ✦
Harlow's a very passionate hockey player, mostly because it's the perfect outlet for all that chaotic energy. They're pretty good at it too.They're unafraid of blood, mud, and will touch just about anything that'd give you tetanus without a moment's hesitation. But not spiders. Screw those creepy little freaks.
Bea
✦ Old Design ✦
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Given her obsession with everything occult, we really liked the idea of her hyperfixating on indie games like Five Nights At Freddy's. So, we gave her two buns to resemble Freddy's ears and a few sewn patches on her sleeve. She was also way more enthusiastic back then, so her shape language stayed round and squishy.
✦ Concepts & Colors ✦
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As for the revised Bea, we wanted to push the nerdiness a little more with her outfit. We also removed a bun for a less crowded silhouette and so that it could make exclamation points when she has her Eureka moments. We decided to square her out too, nodding to the fact that the entire group relies on her vast supernatural knowledge and guidance. The other major thing we changed was that we added more red into her palette, giving her a touch of Harlow's signature color since those two are close besties.
Other Artwork
Bea
✦ President ✦
Pronouns: She/Her
Age: 15 years old
Height: 5'2"
Zodiac: Aquarius
Prized Possession: Library Card
As a highly passionate spiritualist and founder of the Supernatural Club, Bea is always leading the group to the darkest corners of their town. Her knowledge on all things occult is almost as bottomless as her satchel, making her the best ghost hunter around. But when her passion turns obsessive, it's almost impossible to get her to listen to reason.
✦ Fun Facts ✦
Her cat, Oracle, is her beloved familiar who brings her supernatural artifacts and leads for her next ghost hunting expedition. Sources: Bea.She's read just about every old text in the library's archives, making her a well-respected figure in that dusty old hangout spot. The librarians are some of her strongest allies, although they find her obsession with ghosts a little creepy.
Indigo
✦ Old Design ✦
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Indigo didn't have a huge role in the first game demo, so he doesn't have any sprites to his name. Just a few color variations and a scrapped missing poster considering he went missing in the original story. Don't worry, he has a brand-new part to play this time around.
✦ Concepts & Colors ✦
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Since we revisited the game, we decided that Indigo's personality and interests needed to be reflected more in his design. Hence the chemical compounds in his overalls and the safety goggles on his head. We also wanted to shoot for that iconic 80's fluffy mullet look, with a hint of deer-like spots in his vitiligo.
Other Artwork
Indigo
✦ Club Member ✦
Pronouns: He/Him
Age: 16 years old
Height: 5'7"
Zodiac: Capricorn
Prized Possession:
As the voice of reason within the club, Indigo's always using his scientific knowledge to discredit Bea's supernatural beliefs. His fascination with forensic sciences and vast knowledge on biological death starkly contrasts his otherwise cheery and vibrant exterior. Some members find it off-putting while others find his contrarian personality irritating, but his main opposition, Bea, loves the challenge he brings to their investigations. There's yet to be a single expedition where they don't bicker.
✦ Fun Facts ✦
Indigo would have the highest grades in the group if he actually cared about any of the other classes, but alas, his heart lies with biology. He's pretty particular about what he invests his time and energy into.He only joined the club to meet the minimum student count before Charlie joined, and has been sticking it out with them ever since. Why? Because he wants his name on the next biggest breakthrough, and their discoveries might just be it. Well, if they actually had any. That, and he loves the look on Bea's face when her theories fall apart.
The Priestess
✦ Old Design ✦
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The Priestess, or as we call her, Girlboss, actually wasn't a priestess to begin with. In our original proof of concept, the spooky investigations took place in a haunted mineshaft. We weren't fully sure what direction to take it, only that we wanted something white to contrast the stark darkness in the tunnels. Thus, "The Dog" was born with his infamous skull-head and decaying body.The second rendered design, named "Mr. Peekaboo," was a concept that grossed the entire team out during the initial pitch. We blame the first drawing in the top left of the first loose sketch page. He was unfortunately scrapped both times since his design didn't quite fit the spiritual church theme.
✦ Concepts & Colors ✦
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Initially, upon picking up the project again, we tried to revisit our first designs, merging them together. Then, when we finalized the setting at an abandoned cathedral, we revised again to impliment more spiritual traits. Design #3 featured a blocky hood and large, prayer-posing arms to resemble an upside down cross. Since our lovely lady is a corpse stealer that tunnels underground, we pushed for something more body bag-like and gave her mole teeth, restoring that recognizable glint of white in the darkness. Slapped some decaying, sickly yellow-greens on her, and she was ready to go.
Other Artwork
The Priestess
✦ ???? ✦
Pronouns: She/Her
Age: ???
Height: Big
Zodiac: Gemini
Prized Possession: Your flesh
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Meet The Team!
Wait, only six developers!?
Absolute Nonsense
Because what long-winded project doesn't have any?
