I Hate This Place: How a Comic Shaped an Entire Visual Style

I Hate This Place is an isometric survival horror sport that very deliberately makes use of a lot of comedian ebook–infused design decisions. With the launch of the sport immediately on Xbox Collection X|S, I’d like to take this second to dive a little into the how and why this was finished to assist create I Hate This Place.

Dwelling Alongside the Authentic “I Hate This Place” Comics

The primary apparent purpose for the comedian aesthetic is that our sport is about in the identical world and universe because the award-nominated comedian sequence “I Hate This Place” by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin. However since we had been at all times going to be making a standalone story with our personal characters, we determined that holding that connection to the comedian sequence alive was vital, however it needed to be in a manner that wasn’t simply parroting the unique look.

Beneath are some examples evaluating the sport to the comics so you may see the place and the way we stayed true to the supply whereas additionally permitting our crew to make the artwork fashion and general really feel our personal. Components comparable to proportions, the vibe of the setting, sticking extra to realism vs a completely cartoony method, had been all taken from the unique comics. The place we selected to diverge was issues like within the shading, line thickness, and the usage of a wider coloration palette.

Bringing the 80s Again

For the reason that unique sequence takes place within the Nineteen Eighties, each the comics and the sport lean closely into that sturdy, stylized comedian ebook aesthetic impressed by that decade. This shouldn’t be a muted or sensible tackle horror. As a substitute, it’s loud, a bit graphic, and unapologetically excessive.

Visually, that once more meant thick black outlines, vibrant and punchy colours, and heavy distinction and saturation all through the world. Shadows are deep and deliberate, highlights pop, and there may be, in fact, loads of VHS-style static.

Sound You Can See

Whereas comic-inspired visuals are the obvious alternative, we additionally wished the gameplay itself to have comedian aptitude. One of the distinctive design decisions in I Hate This Place is how sound is communicated visually. As a substitute of relying purely on audio cues, the sport interprets sounds into comedian book-style callouts that seem immediately on the earth.

For instance, your footsteps are represented on display screen as daring “thud” results and are color-coded to speak quantity. Inexperienced footsteps imply you might be quiet, crouched, transferring slowly, and minimizing hazard. Yellow footsteps sign regular motion and average noise. Crimson footsteps imply you might be working or being loud, successfully turning into a beacon for close by threats. This is particularly vital as a result of lots of the monsters in I Hate This Place additionally hunt by sound, not simply sight.

Weapons observe the identical philosophy. Weapons don’t merely hearth out an audio crack. As a substitute, they visually rattle throughout the display screen with daring “bang!” and “ratatat!” results. Creatures additionally announce themselves with jagged, unsettling visible screech callouts, reinforcing their presence simply as they’re about to assault. As a outcome, sound turns into one thing you learn simply as a lot as hear, very like in a comedian panel.

Dialogue in Bubbles, Not Bins

One other manner we ramp up the comedian ebook presentation is thru character communication. Dialogue in I Hate This Place seems in speech bubbles above every characters’ heads reasonably than as conventional subtitles on the backside of the display screen. This retains conversations grounded within the feeling that you’re taking part in by a graphic novel reasonably than watching a cinematic overlay.

Out there Right now on Xbox Collection X|S

At its core, I Hate This Place is about honoring the comedian whereas discovering methods to make its visible language interactive. The thick strains, vibrant colours, on-screen results, and speech bubbles should not simply stylistic prospers. They’re intentional design decisions meant to form the way you learn the world and make it really feel like each a sport and a comedian ebook on the identical time.

Thanks a lot for studying. I Hate This Place is out immediately on Xbox Collection X|S, and we actually hope to see you on the market on our twisted, haunted ranch!