Inside The Making Of Cel-Shaded Exploration Game With Hand-Crafted 2D Animations

Introduction

The Explorator project started after my Master's degree from the Émile Cohl School. I wanted to create a playable prototype for my CV as a Graphic Designer, developed with Unity. I had discovered during E3 2018 the trailer for Sable, a game with a Moebius style, which completely amazed me. And I then tried to reproduce the same visual impression in cel-shading. I spent several years experimenting with artistic direction to arrive at the final result.

Development Roadblocks

Once the artistic direction was found, I tried to make a mock-up of what the game could be. I didn't have a particular idea, and I wanted to do the simplest thing possible, so I told myself that making an FPS by diverting the cute side of the universe with an explosion of hemoglobin could really attract attention.

I was able to present a trailer at Xbox@ID 2023, which worked really well, but many were disappointed to see that the game was an FPS because the artistic direction made it seem like it would be a cozy, relaxing game. which was my basic intention. But after a demo and early access, it didn't work. People who saw the look of the game were convinced it was anything but a shooter, and shooter fans didn't know what it was. 

Impossible to find an audience, early access is not taking off, and the publishers don't even take the trouble to respond to me, finding the project probably too paradoxical.

So I decided from now on to remove the shooter component to keep the focus on exploration. I am currently redoing a global gameplay overhaul where the player will have to cross narrow abysses in order to find resources.

Why This Art Style

There were two reasons to have opted for this mixture of 2D and 3D universes.

I was not at all experienced in doing 3D animation, so I chose to make 2D sprites inspired by old DOOM to simplify my work. even if it took a long time to draw. But I knew the final result worked in the end.

On the one hand, I told myself that elaborate 2D animation in a first-person game could also provide originality, so I spent a lot of time animating the characters vividly, making them vibrate, and it worked very well.

In fact, I didn't find much difficulty in the way of proceeding; the 2D characters already fit well into the stylized settings, and Unity already offers tools that allow this 2D/3D mixture to be easily implemented.

The biggest problem, or frustration if I may say so, is that a few months after the trailer, the Mouse trailer arrived. With the same concept of a 3D shooter with 2D, it was much better realized, with perfect animation. Which pulled the rug out from under me, I had that original concept, which has not become so since. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with my choice because it retains a certain originality.

Bringing 2D Characters into 3D

I use TV Paint, a 2D animation software. I draw the characters frame by frame, using a graphics tablet. I then export them as a sprite sheet on Unity, then I apply material on them which takes into account the lights of the level so that they blend into the scenery. The characters have several directional animations for their posture, so that we have the feeling that they are in 3D when we turn around them. I also had 2D animators for a period who helped me make other characters, with the same software, so it was easy to coordinate.

Achieving a Retro-Modern Cel-Shaded Style

Well, simply by making characters with clear lines and high image resolution. We have the feeling that they are also part of the decor, which is somewhat reminiscent of Franco-Belgian comic strips. I have a lot of these in mood boards that inspire me to invent these characters. I also got help from professionals in 2D animation to further refine them and make them blend better into the universe. In fact, it's stupid, but it's something we hadn't thought of doing on an FPS, even though the method is basic and requires a little more advanced animation

Worldbuilding 

Initially, the game was planned to be a comedy with an adventure storyline. I took the myth of Atlantis because it's a story that almost everyone knows. but also because the myth spoke of an advanced civilization. I wanted us to explore increasingly zany environments by sinking into the abyss of the island, testifying to the creative madness of humans, to their excesses.

I took as references beautiful urban environment landscapes with Art Nouveau style, which would go hand in hand with the cute graphic style. then references to futurism for the decadent side of Atlantis, with increasingly surreal, phantasmagorical levels of blocks that repeat and collide

Level Design

I draw inspiration from games like Far Cry and STALKER to create my levels, expansive environments with areas to discover independently, without dynamic location tracking. This gives the feeling that we're on our own and must navigate using the information provided on our map and the level's scenery. All the while, the player is rewarded with more treasure if they're curious enough to explore a corner that isn't mentioned anywhere. It was important for me to give this freedom because, on the one hand, many people have asked for this style of game, and on the other hand, it fits perfectly with the art direction, which encourages us to let ourselves wander wherever we want.

As I told you at the start of the interview, the game will completely overhaul the gameplay, the levels will become more vertical with caves to penetrate using a jetpack, and the atmosphere will be closer to Subnautica.

Finding Balance

I do playtests with my friends and family, and also based on feedback from early access players, to gradually balance each mechanic. I also start playing games of the same style to see how they work, get inspiration, and see the balances that work. Sometimes I put or modify elements abruptly, and then I see if it works in-game. Sometimes it can happen wonderfully all at once, or sometimes completely break the balance; it's actually a lot of testing time, replayability to check if it works together.

Reception from the Community

For the moment, the opinions are doubtful because the survival, shooting, and exploration component does not live up to expectations, but I am surprised to see how eager they are to know more about the lore of the universe, which was not the central point of the project initially. I will therefore develop the latter and modify the gameplay from scratch to give a game that meets expectations.

I am also happy that my wish to erase the shooting game aspect is well received, the community is understanding, and I expected a lot of disappointment and incomprehension, but they wish the best to make the game as high quality as possible, even if it means making sacrifices, which will require a lot of waiting time.

Future Plans

Take the heart of the gameplay from scratch! Provide a pleasant experience from the start of early access. Once the gameplay has been polished as it should be, the next big update should be on the city of Atlantis, offering magnificent environments to explore. If things go well, the game should be released in its final version by the third quarter of 2027. I will listen to the community to respond to suggestions, problems encountered, or needs for long-term early access.

Wishlist The Explorator on Steam.

Sydney, Remnant Games Studio

Interview conducted by Emma Collins