Art of RP7- setting its art direction of indie game.
Hey everyone! It’s Peter, the artist behind RP7. I like to share a bit about how the game’s art direction has evolved since I joined the project.
The art of RP7 shifted dramatically during the development.
When I came on board, RP7 already had two years of development behind it, with a pixel-3D hybrid style and highly optimized shaders. However, the shader pipeline was complex, and the art style felt like it wasn't fully utilizing Unreal Engine.
I proposed a new direction, first considering a voxel style inspired by Cube World and Minecraft.
e ultimately settled on a toy-like full 3D style. This choice was inspired by my love for small figurines, like the toys I play with alongside my 5-year-old daughter. It gave the game a tactile, charming feel.
prioritize gameplay readability over sophistication. For that reason, I chose to use a very small lens size to make everything look flat, ensuring that the far-left slot looks identical to the far-right slot.
I could 1 inch closer to transfer 3D look from sketch.
One challenge I encountered was scaling characters to the game slot size. For example, a bulky black knight turned out looking cute when scaled down, and eventually became a mummy with a swimming tube!
Retro JRPGs like Final Fantasy VI and Dragon Quest VI also influenced my design choices, especially in character proportions and animation. I aimed for a minimalistic color to help gameplay.
The monsters also use a limited color palette. Since the game requires fast reactions — as the situation can shift dramatically with a single slot — I used distinct silhouettes for each character and monster to make them quickly recognizable.
I also ran multiple experiments on the art creation pipeline, including using the VR modeling tool Gravity Sketch to create some 3D assets, like a crab sword master. Exploring these new tools allowed me to bring unique designs into the game.
Another challenge was making marketing materials. Even though I was in video game industry for 10 years, I had never made any marketing material myself. I squeezed all my knowledge to make it look good.
Even I hadn't ran any kickstarter campaign before!
It had been 20 years since I used illustrator. It wasn't fun to create path line to make sticker cutting line. I iterated 7 times to get okay from printing company.
I mostly enjoyed making all arts, including icons! Working experience in World of Warcraft team was helpful to make consistent looking icons.
I spend 4 years on this project. I couldn't satisfy 100% yet, but I learned how let it go.