Ink

Today I tried simplifying the graphics while still keeping the game visually interesting.

Since I’m a solo developer, I want to simplify some aspects of the game so I can develop it faster and focus more on the gameplay and atmosphere.

What I tried

• The whole world is now drawn in black and white ink, like a manga page: black outlines, dotted screentone for shadows, solid black for the deepest ones.
• Lines are heavy up close and turn thin and dotted in the distance, so depth still reads.
• Fog is a soft haze of dots, stepping back into near, middle and far layers. Far structures fade into it but never disappear.
• Look down into the void and the world sinks into black, with whatever’s below still drawn in white lines. It flips with every gravity shift.
• Light shafts, ink dust in the air, speed lines when you go fast, and a negative shockwave on every gravity shift.
• The old look is still there, one console command away.

I think this approach could work, but I also feel like it could be pushed into something more interesting.

I’m not completely sure yet.