Anachroma being an open world exploration game where we wanted to offer the players a great variety in the environments, we decided to set the game in an archipelago. In order to reinforce the mystical aspect of the scenario / lore that we wrote, each island was designed with a different type of biome, a color palette and an architectural style for the ruins that it contains.
Assigning a different biome to each island was a choice that allowed us to give a strong identity to each one of them and to make the player willing to discover what their next destination would be. Our goal was then to put the player in a perpetual discovery mindset so they never get tired of exploring throughout their adventure.
The proximity of so many very different climates being, however, not very "realistic", we relied on the mystical aspect of our world in order to make the whole consistent.
First island: the Meadow
In addition to the various biomes, each island has its own unique color scheme. Indeed, although the players may be familiar with the types of environments encountered, the choice to use unconventional colors was a way for us to surprise and immerse them in a state of contemplation.
The point is once again to make the players more willing to explore their environment.
The second island: the Dense Forest
Finally, the game being completely devoid of texts and voices, the narration is fully environment based, and most of the story elements can be found in the ruins of each island.
These ruins, by their location, their state or the wall paintings and inscriptions they contain, tell the players what happened to the world around them. The progressive understanding of the story is once again part of the plan of encouraging the players to explore more and more. Understanding the story is also totally optional if some players are only interested in the puzzle aspect of the game.
Orthodox ruins of the second island
Once these three pillars were defined, the design of each island could then begin. We first conceived them in simple large blocks and defined where the different points of interest would be, always taking care to add a tall central landmark so the players never feel lost.
Once the shape and overall size of the island had been set, we started to build the land and to design the world assets. Finally, we placed all our assets, while ensuring that we maintained sufficient visibility on the different points of interest, by making them sticking out or by applying colors that contrast with the rest of the environment.
Different stages of an island design