The Gentle Art of Making Enemies

The element of our game Tempest Tower that we get asked about the most on social media is the art style. Specifically, the visual style of our enemies. There just seems to be something in how they look, fans repeatedly asked how we are achieving such a “crisp” and sometimes “clayish” look. Today we are diving into exactly that.

Return of the Lost Peepers

Meet the Peepers – the endearing little eyeball creatures that inhabit the world of Tempest Tower, and a kind of representation of consciousness. They always seem a little lost and “in over their eyes,” like they need a little help to cross the road or figure out where they’re going.

These little guys were looking for guidance in a previous, unfinished project. We liked them too much to leave them behind and felt they deserved the spotlight (and maybe the rescue!) they never truly received.

Creepers: Crafting the Anti-Peeper

As Tempest Tower is a tower defense game, enemies are essential. Lots of them. Our first concept was a direct counterpoint to our vulnerable Peepers: the Anti-Peeper. If Peepers represent consciousness, these enemies would embody its absence: hollow, vacant-eyed beings acting without clear intent.

To learn more about how the design of the default Creeper evolved and new designs were introduced. You should check out the Guest Blog we wrote for Unity. There are some cool videos as well as a description of the shader magic we are using to make the Creepers look so good! You can read the full blog here!

Happy day after release!

We are getting such great feedback on Tempest Tower at the moment and we are so excited to see that players are enjoying the game! We are taking all the initial feedback we hear into consideration and we will have a proper post launch news post at the end of the week!

Until then, don't forget to check out all the great games featured in the Nordic Game Sale!