Hey Feather Fanatics!

We’re thrilled to unveil our new backer name, chosen from an array of fantastic suggestions. Our team voted, and this one stood out as a favorite!

For Week 2, we’re diving into one of the most exciting aspects of game development: the art!

This is our first venture into creating a connected series of games, all themed around birds but each with its unique flair. To maintain a cohesive yet distinct style, we decided to collaborate with a single artist, Lyss Menold, known for her work on Wild Gardens. Lyss eagerly embraced the challenge and brought each game to life with her versatile artistry.

For this fun and quick game, we wanted a casual look reminiscent of family vacations and long summer evenings. Inspired by the vibrant Caribbean, the art celebrates the beautiful parrots and hummingbirds of the region, with a style and color palette that echo its rich pop culture.

One of the things we kept going back to where the colors. We wanted to make sure they were vibrant, and every card was eye popping while still being easy to read.

This game demanded a sillier, more chaotic theme to match its gameplay of stacking tall towers of birds. With chunky wooden bird components, we needed serious personality in each piece. Through trial and error, we perfected a set of whimsical birds, each fitting perfectly into their unique shapes, creating a delightfully silly tree that would rock just the right amount.

We also wanted to make sure the squirrels had just as much personality as their feathered friends. We honestly loved all the concepts of these nutty critters and had a very hard time deciding on which ones would eventually end up in the game.

Despite its seemingly straightforward spooky theme, this game was the hardest to nail down. We aimed for art that was both eerie and elegant. After experimenting with various concepts, we settled on a dark yet chic aesthetic. Realistic corvids set against beautiful natural environments, accented with mystical touches, brought the perfect balance.

The backs of the two decks in the game presented a similar challenge. We wanted to make sure they were distinct so players would know immediately which was the Bird Deck and which the Ghost Deck. It was important to make the game easily to play without breaking the spooky aesthetic. We ended up choosing the backs that were distinct but still had images that strongly correlated with the art on the front of the cards.

This game underwent the most significant transformation. Initially imagined as a fantasy battle among penguins with knights, rogues, and mages, Lyss proposed a fresh concept: Pride and Prejudice Penguins. With her idea the penguins would now compete for pebbles to win their love's affection. Her concept sketches were so compelling that we decided to change the theme to match this charming new idea.

One we decided on a love theme for the game, we thought about different ways that might look. Were these penguins normal looking and only imagining themselves in a Romantic Victorian world? Should their designs be simple or complex? How would a penguin even wear pants? Thankfully Lyss was able to try out different ideas until we found the perfect look for the game. 

Creating a series of games at the same time introduced many exciting challenges for our creative team. We hope you enjoy witnessing their transformation and seeing how each game came to life under Lyss’s artistic guidance.

Let us know which game’s art is your favorite! 

And as always, if you have any questions, post them on the project or email us at [email protected]

The Rose Gauntlet Team