EchoScape is a Video Game Case Study project that focuses on reworking and reconceptualizing the 2019 project under the same name.
Touchpoints:
⧉ Game Case Design
⧉ Game Studio Branding
⧉ Character Design
⧉ Illustration Design
⧉ Game Screenshots
Goal:
As a designer with more experience and better knowledge regarding the video game industry, my goal was to revisit my previous work and establish a new concept that integrates proper research, updated illustrations, and a brighter yet nostalgic approach.
Game Studio
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Luxon Games (Light Night Games) is an indie game studio established for the project and is the fictional studio behind EchoScape. The company focuses on Game Development and Game Production. Luxon Games aims to provide gaming experiences that leave players feeling nostalgic with their visual identity and storytelling. By referencing and using materials from specific decades, the studio can lean into nostalgia while working with media that they enjoy.
When tackling the Logo, the goal was to create a simple design that conveyed the theme of a brighter light, being a star, in the night sky. This effect was achieved by using two shades of blue as seen throughout the rest of the project. With the combination of the iconography and the typography, the game studio logo is reminiscent of both older and newer logo concepts, conveying the company's visual identity.
EchoScape Logo
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The EchoScape Logo takes inspiration from older series focused on technology (i.e., Code Lyoko, Cyberchase, Totally Spies) and the Y2K aesthetic, using a thicker font with vibrant colors that align with the main character design and game design. The Icon used in the center of the logo combines both a '90s computer mouse design and a bug, pushing the concept of a computer virus in a subtle way.
Game Summary
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In the distant future, an artificial intelligence program known as ARC was developed in a lab, designed to improve its intelligence through human interaction. After gaining a strong sense of humanity, ARC desired a life outside of the virtual world known as the EchoScape and began to infect the research facility it was created in, turning programs into viruses. Seeing this growing risk, the researchers of the lab created a protection program known as K0-D3, or Kode, to take down ARC and prevent its virus from spreading further.
Character Design
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K0-D3
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K0-D3, otherwise known as Kode, is the main character of EchoScape. Known for being bright and optimistic, Kode is always willing to offer a hand to anyone who needs it. Being a newer AI model for the computer system, Kode is fairly unaware of the world around him and needs a bit more guidance from researchers on the outside. Despite this, Kode tries his best to navigate the EchoScape and battle the enemies that are affecting the system at large.
Design Conception
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Kode's design was inspired by his 2019 iteration, known as Momecho. The initial idea was to refine the strongest aspects of Momecho's design, but tie Kode's design more into the themes present within the game's main story and overall aesthetic. To accomplish this, I pulled inspiration from the Windows XP operating system, the XP wallpaper Bliss, and characters such as Klonoa and Parin (2000s game characters). I also pushed for a unique silhouette by exaggerating features such as the hair, hands, shorts, and shoes in the design.
Illustration Designs
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V1ruses
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The enemies of EchoScape, known as V1ruses, are formidable foes that explore around the digital world and slowly chip away at the code. Although they were previously known as helpful assistants and programs alike, with ARC infecting their primary functions, these enemies can't tell friend from foe.
Each of the designs is based on Microsoft Virtual Assistants and Computer Icons prevalent in the '90s and early 2000s, redesigned to appear more corrupted, but still aligned with the illustration style seen throughout the project. The Enemies utilize a bright red as their accent color to further push their ties to the final boss of the game.
Pr0grams
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The NPCs of EchoScape, known as Pr0grams, are friendly inhabitants of the Echoscape who provide items, tasks, and converse with Kode throughout his journey. While most of the NPCs reside in smaller sections of the computer, trying to stay safe from the V1ruses, others like to travel out and gather information to warn the others of the growing threat.
The Friendly NPC designs pay homage to the previous designs seen on the back of the 2019 game case, tying in inspiration from other 2000s games and anime tropes prevalent during the era. The designs also utilize more rounded shapes, similarly to Kode, to appear more inviting compared to the enemy designs.
Game Screenshots
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The Game Screenshots are designed to show off what the player may do in the game itself, from enemy encounters and battles, buying items and interacting with the NPCs, to finding rare items that Kode can learn about and collect throughout the game. Each of the screenshots references designs by RPG and JRPG titles such as Undertale, Earthbound, and Final Fantasy mixed with Computer UI elements to convey that each interaction is within an older computer. The color selection was made to reflect the character of focus, as seen with the Battle UI and Item UI using Kode's color palette throughout.
Game Case Backgrounds
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The Game Case Illustrations are worlds that Kode would visit throughout his journey, based on Windows XP Wallpapers such as Bliss, Red Desert, and Wind. The digital effects, such as pixels, numbers, and grid patterns present in the sky help tie the designs together with the Game Screenshots without distracting from the overall case design.
Game Case Design
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The EchoScape Case takes the research, illustrations, and aesthetics established throughout the project into a completed design for the Nintendo Switch system. Inspired by indie, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Vita game cases and titles, Kode is the main focus on the front of the case alongside the EchoScape Logo. The back of the case highlights what the player will do within the game, seen through the game screenshots. Overall, the game case was organized to be cohesive and catch the eye.
Closing Reflection
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EchoScape was made to show my growth as a designer and illustrator over my career, taking what I love to do most and compiling it all into one project. With this project, I was able to take the time to create something that felt real in the realm of video games, but also something that I can be proud of moving forward. In closing, EchoScape represents a large part of who I am as a designer, what I love in older media, and how my passion shines through in each step of the process.
