Hello again! We would like to share the latest developments in our final game project. We will be discussing our first milestone, which was completed over the course of the first two weeks of May.

At the start of M1, we made a significant change in the game's theme, transitioning from a Mayan-inspired temple to something completely different: Cats!

"Meowmentum Mori is a first-person single-player speedrunning platformer where you play as Mori, a novice catmage facing a series of coming-of-age trials in a pocket universe. In order to inherit the family elders' magic, you must run, jump, slide, and dash to magical orbs to finish each trial as fast as you can and become a full-fledged catmage!" (written by: Apoorv Taneja)

This shift in direction was prompted by design changes in the game, such as the removal of enemies and the absence of a weapon. As a result, the previous theme felt forced and no longer aligned with our vision.

Our primary focus during this phase was to create a new world concept and establish a visually cohesive style. We immediately began collecting references and researching environments featuring ruins, floating islands, and runes. This helped us develop a concept for the magical aspects of our game. Simultaneously, we started working on tiling textures and created our first set of play-space affecting props. We also went through multiple iterations to finalize the design of our main character. To maintain a clean screen for players to focus on the fast-paced gameplay, we opted for a character rig with two paws. Once rigged, we created initial animations and prepared them for implementation in the game engine (with Apoorv's assistance).

One of the major challenges we faced was establishing a strong visual identity for this new universe, as our in-game visuals were still in the early stages. To address this, we took a screenshot from one of the levels and created a paint-over proxy. This helped us visualize how all the cat and magical elements would come together, serving as a key reference for the upcoming milestones.

Embracing this significant pivot in our development journey, we recognized the importance of rapid ideation and letting go of concepts that no longer resonated. This experience taught us the valuable lesson of embracing constant change, a crucial aspect in the video game industry. Understanding how to adapt and prioritize the game concept is something we will always remember throughout our careers.

During this stage, our main resources and tools included Miro, Procreate, Photoshop, Substance Designer, and Autodesk Maya.

That concludes our M1 art recap, and stay tuned for our M2 recap coming soon!

Written by: Ivonne Medina Vivas and John Santana Guio

Lineup of textures, VFX and assets.

First level Gameplay

Character Design iterations for Mori (Main character)

Clothing Design First Pass 

Clothing Design Second Pass

Screen Mockup

Rock and Dirt textures

Floor texture done by John Santana.

Hazard First Iteration done by John Santana.

Rune decal testing

Key Reference (Paint over proxy)

Key Reference Paint over done by John Santana.

Greetings, ArtStation community! We are thrilled to provide an update on the progress of our final game at VFS Game Design Program. Today, we would like to focus on the key aspects of our project and highlight our achievements during the preproduction phase. All assets were done by myself and John Santana Guio.

From the beginning, our primary objective has been to create a visually immersive environment with a distinct stylized approach. During the early stages of development, we set our game within a Mayan-inspired temple, blending prehistoric elements to establish a compelling narrative ambiance.

To ensure a cohesive vision, we meticulously gathered diverse references and crafted a comprehensive media design document that you can check out here. We drew inspiration from games renowned for their stunning visuals, enabling us to create concept art for our main characters and environmental elements. Adhering to our game's pillars and aesthetic, we also developed scale blocks for our primary adversaries. Additionally, we conducted UI and UX iterations to craft captivating game screens.

One of the notable challenges we faced was refining our game idea and establishing a compelling narrative that complemented the gameplay. Through regular team meetings, we fostered a collaborative environment that enabled us to reach a consensus on a concept. This allowed us to swiftly iterate on concept art and 3D modeling.

As the preproduction phase progressed, we recognized the significance of effective communication among team members. We emphasized the need to exchange ideas, share visual sketches, and gather essential references to ensure a unified vision and alignment.

Throughout this journey, our primary resources and tools included Procreate, Photoshop, Adobe XD, Miro, and Autodesk Maya.

Stay tuned for our upcoming M1 recap in the following weeks as we continue to deliver exciting updates on our project, and expect lots of changes!

Written by: Ivonne Medina Vivas and John Santana Guio

Main character design.

Main checkpoint design.Heavy enemy design.Floating enemy design.Basic enemy design.

Main Character design process video.