Now That's In the Box Thinking

We work with a fantastic artist, Craig, who does our concept and box art.  The box art for Opac's Journey was well-received (see sidebar right) and I am thankful for the eyeballs it snatched when it was front and center on the Xbox Box Indie Marketplace.

As an aside, I highly encourage indie devs to put that tiny bit of effort in to appealing box art.  If that means working with an artist (usually to the tune of $100-200), I can't think of a better way to back your time investment.    Not only should it help pay for itself, but it's quite literally the face of your game and as a whole, the service.   You also help an artist (talented aspiring ones especially) get some exposure.  Win/win. 

I take this aspect of design quite seriously and as a result, Craig and I have had lots of odd email conversations about mystical creatures behind the scenes.   Often times, he probably thought I was crazy and come to think of it... I haven't heard from him in awhile.  But Craig made the extra effort to dive in to the game lore and understand the characters, and that's why it clicked.

When working on the Opac's Journey box art, I had several goals.   The stark figure of Opac reaching upwards was relevant to the game's mission - which is to reach the surface from deep within a cave.   It's the game's story portrayed in a very simple image.    The green "core" is important in terms of game lore, but it also draws an immediate connection with the in-game "checkpoints" which are essentially dormant versions of Opac's core.    Last, and probably relevant only to me is that you'll notice Opac is in a bit of a smoky form.  That's not how he always looks (see pic). That's Opac being "sparked" which is the creation process for his species.   And thus Opac being born (in a cave) felt like the perfect image for our debut title, aka the birth of our little company.

Turning to the Legend of Kilflame box art, we originally had a more complex design that not only featured Maya, but also a gaggle of other creatures in the background that swooped out from her cape.   The idea was to feature some of the unique creatures that Craig and I conceptualized.  And they were cool creatures.  The problem was it was a bit too busy.   Maya is the star and she deserves the spotlight.   So leaving the cape as the dark background creates stronger contrast and helps bring out the profile of her face and gauntlet.  And much like Opac, I realized that leaving her alone better captures the essence of the story anyhow.   Maya begins the story as an outcast, alone and uncertain - looking over her shoulder for the evil that chases her.

So... there's a bit of insight to how my gears turn.  Oh and she's hot - pshhhh that wasn't even intentional.