Well, well, well, if it isn’t my old nemesis: another art topic. But, whereas in previous posts, I could do nothing more than speculate on the tribulations behind the development of artistic masterpieces, this time, I have some direct skin in the game. Sure, it might be a little flabby and shredded—kind of like a snake’s dead skin, if I had to describe it—but I still have it! And I plucked it by being the one to create the initial sketches for the various tools and accessories that Astraia can craft in our Vertical Slice.

But first, the final products, as they’re important references for our little discussion here:

Great, right? Thanks, Ren! But truly look at all those bad boys; they’re pretty ramshackle, right? Kind of like they were cobbled together with a bunch of resources that aren’t meant to go together, but have been forced to do so because of the machinations of some young 12-year-old with a habit for building stuff, right?

Okay, maybe you didn’t think exactly that, but it at least crossed your mind (I hope).

This was an intentional choice to showcase Astraia’s creativity, building all these weird devices and outfits with a bunch of random materials she found in some backwater, decrepit factory. This also works to further emphasize Astraia’s position in Pygunjú; she doesn’t get access to higher-end materials, so she’s forced to scavenge for less desireable alternatives (that she makes work anyways).

To further explain this intent, this here’s a picture of the Kokusi Gloves, an accessory you, yourself, can put together in the game!

All you need is a Borkuba Rock, a Copper Ore, an Iron Ore, and some Kente Fabric. Now, here’s that same image with all the resources marked:

Yeah, this was drawn by me. How’d you know?

But the gang’s all there, held together by Astraia’s ingenuity and the favor of Zaku and Umba. Is this a sustainable method of design? Probably not, since the required materials for items will definitely change at some point during development, since that’s much easier than altering an entire design. Is it cool to do?

Oh yeah baby.

As you come across more designs throughout the game, try to determine where all the materials you use end up! I poured some sweat into this, so I’ll make sure it’s properly appreciated, gosh darn it.

Using Junk to Create Junk: the Tool and Accessory Design Blog