Art Style
Deepwild uses a modern, high-fidelity pixel-art style inspired by games such as Owlboy and Shovel Knight.
The goal is modern pixel art rather than retro pixel art: enough fidelity to support expressive characters, detailed environments, and atmospheric worlds without losing the clarity and charm of pixel art.
Environments
Environments should sit between Owlboy and Shovel Knight in visual fidelity.
- Detailed and handcrafted without becoming overly intricate.
- Strong silhouettes and recognizable landmarks.
- Distinct visual identities for different biomes and locations.
- Layered backgrounds should provide depth without competing with gameplay.
- Avoid an overly low-resolution or 8-bit appearance.
Characters
Player characters and NPCs should use a stylized, expressive character style inspired primarily by Owlboy, with Shantae as an additional reference.
- Characters should be readable and expressive at gameplay distance.
- Strong poses and silhouettes should communicate movement and personality.
- Animations will generally use approximately 4–8 frames per action, with additional frames when beneficial.
- Player characters and humanoid NPCs should share a common visual foundation.
Character Construction
Characters should use reusable racial body bases where practical.
Customization may include:
- Race and racial body
- Face and facial features
- Hair and hairstyles
- Clothing
- Armor and equipment
- Accessories
- Other cosmetic features
Additional interchangeable body parts may be introduced if they provide meaningful variety without excessive production complexity.
Races should remain visually recognizable through differences in body proportions, facial features, skin or body characteristics, and defining traits such as ears, horns, or tails.
Environment Art
Environments should feel handcrafted, colorful, and visually layered.
Biomes should have strong identities through combinations of:
- Color palette
- Terrain and geological features
- Vegetation
- Architecture
- Lighting and atmosphere
- Background scenery
Terrain and props should communicate their materials clearly while avoiding excessive visual noise or repetitive patterns.
Structures should feel appropriate to their biome, culture, or region. Player-built structures should use the same visual language as the surrounding world.
Environmental details should contribute to worldbuilding and storytelling where appropriate.
Visual Goals
- Readable — Gameplay elements should be immediately recognizable.
- Expressive — Characters should communicate personality through design and animation.
- Colorful — The world should have varied and memorable colors without excessive saturation.
- Distinctive — Biomes, races, enemies, and major locations should be visually memorable.
- Detailed Without Being Busy — Assets should feel handcrafted without becoming visually noisy.
- Cohesive — All visual elements should feel like they belong to the same world.
- Approachable — The visual style should appeal to players who may not normally seek out pixel-art games.
Pixel Art
Resolution & Scale
The game should use a medium-resolution pixel-art style with enough detail for expressive characters, environments, and animation.
Exact sprite and tile dimensions will be established using the player and environment prototypes.
Pixel Density
Pixel density should remain consistent across characters, environments, props, effects, and UI.
Important assets may receive additional detail where justified by their visual importance.
Outlines & Shading
- Use clear silhouettes to maintain readability.
- Avoid relying on thick black outlines for every asset.
- Outline colors may be tinted or integrated into shading.
- Use deliberate pixel clusters rather than excessive pixel noise.
- Avoid overly smooth gradients.
- Shading should communicate form without becoming visually complex.
Animation
Animation should prioritize strong poses, readable movement, and gameplay feedback.
- Most character actions should use approximately 4–8 frames.
- Additional frames may be used when they meaningfully improve an animation.
- Player, NPC, and enemy animations should clearly communicate movement, attacks, reactions, and abilities.
Color
Palette Philosophy
Deepwild should be colorful but slightly more restrained than Terraria or Minecraft.
- Each biome should have a distinct palette and visual identity.
- Strong colors should be used for emphasis rather than everywhere.
- Colors should contribute to atmosphere and environmental storytelling.
- Biome palettes should remain cohesive with the overall world.
Gameplay Readability
Color should help distinguish important gameplay elements such as:
- Characters
- Enemies
- Attacks and projectiles
- Hazards
- Interactive objects
- Resources and pickups
Gameplay readability takes priority over strict adherence to environmental palettes.
Lighting & Atmosphere
Lighting should reinforce the mood and identity of different environments.
- Time of day may influence world colors.
- Biomes may have distinct lighting conditions.
- Underground and enclosed areas may use darker, more atmospheric palettes.
- Magical or dangerous areas may use stronger lighting and color effects.
Visual Effects
Visual effects should be colorful, readable, and satisfying while remaining consistent with the pixel-art style.
- Combat effects should clearly communicate attacks, impacts, and timing.
- Magic and abilities should have distinct visual identities.
- Environmental effects such as weather, fire, water, wind, and particles should enhance atmosphere.
- Bosses and major events may use more dramatic effects to communicate their importance.
- Effects should remain readable and avoid excessive visual noise.
UI Art
The UI should complement the pixel-art world while remaining clean, readable, and functional.
- UI elements should use a visual language compatible with the game’s art style.
- Icons should be clear and recognizable at small sizes.
- Menus and panels should prioritize usability over decoration.
- Inventory and equipment interfaces should remain readable when displaying large amounts of information.
- The gameplay HUD should communicate important information without unnecessarily obstructing the world.
- UI may visually reflect the player’s character, equipment, class, and progression where appropriate.
References
These games serve as references for specific aspects of Deepwild’s visual direction rather than requiring direct imitation.
Owlboy
Primary reference for character and environment art.
- Character proportions and expressiveness
- Animation
- Environmental detail
- Pixel-art fidelity
- Background depth
- Overall polish
Shovel Knight
Reference for environmental art and gameplay readability.
- Terrain and environment detail
- Strong silhouettes
- Pixel-art readability
- Visual separation between gameplay and backgrounds
Shantae
Secondary reference for character design.
- Character proportions
- Expressive animation
- Facial features
- Character personality
Calamity
Reference for color and biome variety.
- Colorful biome palettes
- Strong biome identities
- Varied environmental moods
- Strategic use of saturated colors
Deepwild should generally use slightly lower saturation than Calamity while retaining a similarly colorful world.