✦ Building Out The Game ✦

Would you believe us 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 ✦

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. A LOT of time was spent finessing the layer system to match our vision which meant putting the sprites, backgrounds, and animations behind the computer overlay instead of on top, and then showing the inventory screen above that. Then we ran into the issue of accidentally hiding the entire UI system with the textbox when pressing the keybind. Thankfully, all we had to do was set them on the master layer and it was good to go.Then came the textbox issues. Ren'Py is limited in the sense that it only really has two dialogue textbox options: the default one, and NVL mode, which tends to show all lines of dialogue in a column across the screen. The hardest part of the entire programming process was ripping apart the game engine's scripts to customize them in a way that matched our intended style.

✦ 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! For the pizzeria, we were inspired by vintage diners, bars, and an obscure hot dog restaurant our programmer was obsessed with for some reason. We also wanted to hide YouTuber cameos inside like independent games used to in the good ole days.

✦ The Car ✦

The car sequence was the most technically complicated scene to accomplish as we had to layer a 3D looping video beneath several layers of 2D stills and sprites inside the limited game engine. It was an uphill battle that required all hands on deck. We also had to do a few composition tests to see how the characters fit into the environment while blending the car with the 3D style of our game.

✦ The Church ✦

✦ The Old & The New ✦

They grow up so fast, don't they? On the left, you'll find the old designs from our first attempt at this passion project alongside their much-needed update.

✦ Old Design ✦

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 ✦

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 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. Lastly, we undid his jaundice and gave him a little more plastic surgery, making him blend better with the game's art style.

✦ Old Design ✦

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 ✦

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.

✦ Old Design ✦

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 ✦

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 their 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?

✦ Old Design ✦

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 ✦

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.

✦ Old Design ✦

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 his role in the original story. Don't worry, he has a brand-new part to play this time around.

✦ Concepts & Colors ✦

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.

✦ Old Design ✦

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 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 ✦

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 implement more spiritual traits. Design #3 featured a blocky hood and large, prayer-posing arms to resemble an upside down cross while our most recent design leaned towards a body bag-like physique. As for the final outcome, you'll just have to wait and see!

Wait, only six developers!?

Because what long-winded project doesn't have any?