Building the world of Kisetsu

At the earliest stages of production I, Kaylee, lead the effort to establish the world that is Kisetsu. The visual development and world building first began with research on the setting of medieval Japan. I began to identify authentic elements of a forested shrine.

Reference images collected.

From there I created several quick thumbnails of the environment to establish the player’s perspective and guide their vision and movement using the framing device of the red torii gates.

Afterwards, I began to focus more on the seasonal aspect of our game. Though our current release is scheduled to feature only one season, the pitch stemmed from a world of changing seasons. Japan has four distinct seasons - similar to us here in the Midwest - and that distinction orients the player to unique tasks as they progress through the levels of the game. I began creating thumbnail iterations and began exploring color theory to help choose predominant palettes for each season to curate a cohesive and distinct world.

These color profiles will help the artists make informed decisions about the characters and assets. The colors were picked carefully to ensure a visual language that emphasizes the emotions of unease and delight a player will experience as they restore the seasons.

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Author: Kaylee Walters