Early Concepts
Gumballs
Dodo Concepts
Character Refinement
Getting Closer
Final Character
Environment Design
Gameplay Screenshots
Intro Cinematic
Early ConceptsI was asked to join the project after their first pre-production phase. A solid prototype of the color matching mechanic existed but the studio wanted a stronger theme. The game had a circus theme (left) but the studio felt it needed a character at its core. So I came and brought my previous experience designing characters and stories to the project.I set about developing concepts that turned the game items into something that a character might collect ( Like pearls for an octopus sea captain in the middle, or gems for a mole miner on the right).
GumballsAlthough we tried out a number of ideas, coworkers kept commenting that our game looked like a bunch of gumballs in a jar. For our game to work correctly the shapes of each colored item had to be identical, however we chose to distinguish each by adding a flavor icon.
Dodo ConceptsOnce we settled on gumballs we tried to imagine who would need them. One of the artists on our team, Aaron Berchild, drew up a funny sketch of a dodo bird blowing a gum-ball so big it lifted him off the ground. Dodo's couldn't fly, so we imagined a wrold where one of them got really inventive, and the player could help them out by collecting more gumballs.
Character RefinementWe combined our favorite elements from the previous round into this set of designs.
Getting CloserHowever our last round wasn't appealing enough. Also the character looked like an adult, and we wanted the dodo to feel like a child so that the player felt a stronger motivation to help them. We rounded out many elements of his design ( like his beak) and gave him more childlike proportions ( big head and feet etc...)
Final Character
Environment Design Each level of the game would pull from a different layout. These level "jars" all had unique organic shapes that would grab the gumballs in different ways. We knew we wanted an island setting and initially set out to design a Dr. Suess style world of rolling cliffs.
However that approach made the world feel a little off, so we then went for a more natural approach ( left). That also didn't feel quite right either. We were trying to create an organic space in a composition that was specifically laid out by a designer. So we changed our approach and represented each "jar" as a structure made of loose stones implying that it was also specifically designed, but in the narrative world of the game. This worked well, and the more neutral color of the stones brought more focus to what was important, our colorful gumballs
Gameplay ScreenshotsIn the game various events trigger a celebratory visit from the dodo.
Intro CinematicMy team and I worked in collaboration with Gold Tooth Creative on an intro movie to introduce players to the world. We created the story beats in house and reached out to them to create the intro. What they delivered was beyond what we originally imagined. I provided art direction to the team throughout development.The Story: In our game Crash is a dodo bird living on a hidden island where gumballs rain from the sky.
One day crash discovers by accident that he can blow a huge gum balloon that lifts him off the ground. He is then able to do what he has always dreamed...fly!
However a huge gust of wind carries him far away to another island. In the game it is the players mission to help him collect more gumballs so he can get home. See the full cinematic
This game also continued my tradition of designing the logos for our original IP.
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