Originally the main character, Rory, was meant to be a human female, based on Tessa Thompson's look from Men in Black: International. We decided to go with an alien, based on an axolotl, so as not to represent a specific race or gender. These initial sketches were done in Procreate on an iPad.
The look of the world went through three versions. On the left are early preproduction sketches designed to be colorful, weird, and charming. Toward the end of preproduction, it was decided that the world the player would be visiting would be entirely virtual, but with a dated look. To create an older virtual look, we looked at Gameboy graphics for reference, but this left the game looking very drab and caused some concern that a younger audience would not get the reference. The look of the world was revised to a low-poly style, which allowed for a return to a more colorful palette and would be more appropriate concept for the audience to understand. Character's body's and homes were designed to represent their personalities and interests.
