Chiaroscuro - Environments and Level Design (GMS)

- Chiaroscuro's environments are meant to be minimalistic and monochromatic in style, and designing them has been a complex process from start to finish. The game's color palette works hand in hand with its levels to convey a specific mood for each area the player traverses
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Environment Art:
- I wanted the hues in each room to be rich without drawing too much attention away from Rose and her surroundings. Therefore, I used brightness and saturation to communicate depth, where the backdrops are lower in saturation but lighter in value. In addition, as the environment nears the foreground, I wanted to keep the player's eye on Rose while also making the locations of platforms and obstacles unmistakable at a glance. I solved this issue by making the foreground blend with a lighter shade of black, ultimately balancing what's in view with what's in the background without overwhelming the player with information.
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Level Design:
- After deciding on the composition of the environments and their color palettes, the easy part was out of the way. The next step was finding a balance between adding eye-catching scenery and implementing elements of explicit and intrinsic level design. When designing levels, it's essential to keep micro and macro design in mind, which stands especially true when creating an adventure game like Chiaroscuro. Ultimately, my goal was to make these levels look pleasant while being able to tell a story when one is placed next to another like a puzzle piece. I wanted each room to feel cohesive in the world while being balanced as a game and aesthetically pleasing as an art piece.