Shade – 2D casual interactive
novel game with match-3 elements

About Redemption Games

Redemption Games is a mobile gaming company that specializes in casual games. Redemption Games is all about creating immersive games with engaging art and compelling gameplay.

7
years on the market
California-based
25+
employees
10M+
downloads

SHADE

Shade is a game in the classic format of an interactive novel, where players have to make decisions that will affect further events. In addition to the choice-based gameplay, the game offers an exciting match-3 component.

Production Workflow

We had a massive task to create all the 2D visuals for the game, so we decided to work according to the time-tested pipeline.

GOAL

Our goal was to create all 2D game art: characters, environments, illustrations, backgrounds, splash screens, and covers in accordance with the requirements for style.

challenge

Our challenge was to create realistic 2D art which at the same time will be quite lightweight and appealing for casual players playing on mobile devices.

Shade

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Stage 1. Sketching

All art was created from scratch. Initially, we had a clear technical task regarding the desired type of art, according to which we prepared black-and-white concepts. They represented several variations of characters or compositions. There were 5 types of concepts in total: characters, their outfits and hairstyles, backgrounds, illustrations, and splash screens with covers. Then the client approved the concepts, and we could proceed to the coloring stage.

Stage 2. Color drafting

This stage took place only at the beginning of the partnership. After a couple of months of work, the client was convinced that we had perfectly studied their expectations, preferences, and style, and began to give more freedom of action. We could create new concepts, change the composition, and so on. The approval stage of the color drafting was left to our discretion, there was no need for any revisions since the client was satisfied with our work.

Stage 3. Rendering

We had about 10 tasks in parallel, so the delivery of different types of art was carried out evenly. Since after the approval of the concept, we immediately took on the coloring and preparation of the render, without wasting time on revisions, the work went quickly and smoothly. After the rendering was completed, we prepared the file in the required format and provided the final version to the client.

Team Structure

We have a lot of experience working with realistic 2D art for interactive novel games, so we assigned an experienced team of 2D artists for this project.

  • 2D character artists

    Responsible for creating characters and their outfits and hairstyles in accordance with the required style.
  • 2D environment artists

    Engaged in the creation of game backgrounds, splash screens, and covers with all the necessary elements and props.
  • Project manager

    Provides a high level of planning, organization, and execution of the project for timely delivery.
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Values Delivered

A clear organization of work allowed us to cope with a large flow of tasks while maintaining consistently high quality in accordance with all deadlines.

In just over 6 months of work, our team created more than 200 illustrations and 80 characters for the game. The creative freedom given to us by the client was an exciting challenge and a great joy to be able to demonstrate our artistic vision beyond the scope of the technical task. Thanks to a clear understanding of the client's vision and an exact match with the desired style of the game, we managed to achieve excellent results and deliver exactly the art that was needed to the client.