Sunset Devlog #2 – Aesthetics & Minimalism

Sunset » Devlog

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Hello & Happy Friday to everyone! It’s lovely to be writing the second Storysinger Presents devlog for you today. I hope you’re doing well!

Since Storysinger Presents is still getting our name out there, here’s a quick blurb on what we’re all about:

Storysinger Presents is a game development group with one goal: to create & elevate story-driven games. We create our own great narrative games, as well as promote those being developed by other talented game developers.

What does elevating story-driven games means? Well, it means supporting great narrative projects via retweets, streams…and giveaways! In fact, we’re running a giveaway for the entire Zero Escape series right now! More info on how to enter here.

Now, let’s talk about Sunset. Here’s what it’s about:

Kay is a magic research and development officer at one of the greatest corporations in the country. She loves her life, and her job. But today, after work, she’ll be forced to do something that proves just how lonely her life truly is. Because today, she signs the divorce papers.

This is a story about a magical society, and one woman’s life within it as a stage of her life comes to an end.

This narrative is going to be supported by a minimalist aesthetic. What that means is simple shapes & abstract representations of people and objects, which will be used instead of realistic depictions.

Here’s an example:

(Note: this screenshot is an early version of the game & may look different in the final release.)

There may be a narrative reason for this aesthetic that will be revealed later; you’ll just have to wait & see! But beyond narrative reasons, I have a real passion for minimalism & wanted to integrate this type of aesthetic into my work. My minimalist & abstract inspirations include Albert Gleizes’ On Brooklyn Bridge, Paul Klee’s Two Ways, & Steve Reich. You’ll hear more of how Reich inspires me once I start discussing the music in these devlogs.

Right now, writing for Sunset is 100% complete; hooray! Coding is about 20% complete & will continue to progress in the days ahead. Music is in the early stages of conception, & sound design hasn’t been started yet. Once we have audio to share I promise—you all will be the first to hear it.

Thanks for reading! To close, here’s a GIF of the title screen, which integrates the minimalist aesthetic: