With the writing complete and the characters in place the next step was to visualise what these characters will look like.
I figured it will be important to keep the designs consistent across each character and that the easiest way to do this would be create a set of guidelines to keep them cohesive. At this moment in time when I imagine the game I visualise it to be pixelated, probably due to my inspiration from both Earthbound and Papers, Please. Whilst I am not versed in pixel art of anything I think it could work to my advantage due to it being quite rigid in its layout. Typically characters in this art style are composed within grid systems, typically corresponding with the game consoles capabilities. These grid systems will be a great strength for myself acting as guard rails for my designs. They typically come in 3 variations, 16 bit, 32 bit and 64 bit. I’ll have a look at each of these variations to see what will work best for me.
16 Bit
32 Bit
64 Bit
After reviewing the different styles available to myself I settled on using a 32 bit style. I feel 32 Bit allows for enough detail without over complicating things whilst also remaining quite simple in its approach. It really feels as though it encapsulates the best of both worlds. I think, unlike Papers, Please, that I will be designing full body characters and not just their profiles above the shoulders, the content writing has them coming and going so I think that the full body would work better in this regard.