Nintendo Life: Metroidvanias are a hugely popular genre in the indie scene right now. Why did you want to make one and what games in that genre have you played?
Ziliang Yang: Most of our team members are big fans of the genre. We play a lot of the most famous games in the genre, including traditional examples like Castlevania and Super Metroid, as well as modern ones like Ori, Hollow Knight, etc. But we don’t just enjoy genre names – we’re also big fans of games like Guacamelee, La-Mulana, OH THATand Phoenotopia: The Awakening.
At what stage in the development process did you decide on Afterimage’s beautiful hand-drawn visual identity?
It is quite difficult to determine the time when this happened. We experimented with a few different approaches to Afterimage’s visual style and ultimately settled on something we felt would differentiate Afterimage from the genre’s more popular aesthetic — something bright and colorful.
The world of Engardin looks absolutely amazing and each area is visually different from each other. What was the process of designing those areas while still feeling distinct yet connected?
From the very beginning, we dedicated ourselves to creating a world with more reality and integrity. And in this way, we were clear that this would be a story about experiencing various difficulties and crossing the whole world in search of a very precious thing that the protagonist was looking for.
Guided by this story, we were able to sensibly design different landscapes that were completely different and connect all these places with stories and motifs.
How important is the use of color when designing the world or characters, and what do you have to consider when using color to create the mood or atmosphere of a particular location?
We had already confirmed our main story before designing the maps, and thus we deliberately chose “red” and “flame” to imply the crisis at the beginning of the whole game, as well as the layout of this evil force represented by the “red flame”. ” in the most dangerous ending sequence.
Meanwhile, we’ve been using “green” for the first maps where you’ve just started your journey; and “blue” for the area of Goliath Hidro (Water), because it represents help and protection; “golden” for the Holy Land to emphasize its majestic dignity. Using these overall color designs allowed us to not only highlight the characteristics and styles of the different areas, but also better match the emotional changes of the entire adventure story.
When you were creating Renee, the main character, what did you take into account to make her stand out in the world and against the other protagonists of Metroidvania?
Renee was not cut out to be a “destined savior.” She gradually grew from a protected person to a protector other, because this design enriched the character of our protagonist. And because of this, Renee’s image may not seem overly “heroic”.
We didn’t really consciously put much effort into differentiating our characters from other games, but we did add importance to the worldview and relationships of the characters in Afterimage (as well as their motivations) — which, as a result, made Renee the one and only main.
Many of the side characters have beautiful and eccentric designs based on animals. Can you tell us why you wanted to design so many animal-based characters, how you incorporated them into the world, and do you have a favorite?
We intended to create a more diverse world where humans are only part of an ecosystem consisting of many intelligent life, and different types of life have their own responsibilities and significance for the common maintenance of Engardin’s survival and development.
We found that designs based on animals or plants can better convey their responsibilities and traits, such as the birds flying in Albedo Tower; fish swim deep in the water; cats walking through jungles and mountains; mushrooms lurking in caves; and vines twisting the abandoned Holy ground. If you’re wondering about my favorite, it has to be cats!
Did you or the team struggle to design or build it into the game?
While we were experimenting and finding our own visual style, we ran into a problem where we wanted to make a Metroidvania with bright environments. But in scenes where the overall landscape was relatively bright, there could be trouble distinguishing a character from the foreground and background. Integrating the entire environment while providing an easy-to-understand gaming experience was a difficult challenge early in development.
What do you think it is about hand-drawn visuals that so captures people’s imaginations?
For us, the hand-drawn style has always had a unique charm, and we ourselves loved the tension that this art style represented. No other visual solutions can replace that unique tension.
This interview has been slightly edited for clarity.
Many thanks to Ziliang Yang for taking the time to talk to us about Afterimage. You can grab this beautiful indie Metroidvania right now on Switch or all other platforms. Let us know if you play the game and enjoy it in the comments!
