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wewy

The World Ends with You
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Psych!

Square Enix has released a bonus set of exclusive game concept art ! The first set  gave you a glimpse into the developer's creation process for the awesome backgrounds, the second allowed you to see how the developers came up with the heroes and villains and the third showed you how they made Noise for The World Ends with You.

This surprise bonus release includes aspects of Psych and Pin design!

Enjoy!!

Slide 10: Initial " Psych" concepts
Initial 'Psych' concepts by wewy


Hasegawa-san: We arrived at the concept of " Psych abilities " to express the intuitive stylus control in battle. The board you see is from the original concept proposal. With the premise that Psych reflects a character’s personality, and since his characterization includes an interest in graffiti, we represented Neku’s Psych abilities in a graffiti style.


Slide 11: Psych and Pin digitization
Psych and Pin Digitization by wewy


Hasegawa-san: The above board shows how we realized the graffiti-style artwork in-game. We chose to use Pins as the source of Psych ability, since they fit the Shibuya style. We also saw the collection factor as important, exploring designs that are visible at the limited 26dpi resolution.


Slide 12: Brand logo and Pin designs
Brand Logo and Pin Designs by wewy


Hasegawa-san: Some Pins carry associations with fictional brands that we created for the game. The same Psych ability can have different effects depending on its brand. We tried to keep the style of each brand consistent so that players could easily tell which brand a Pin is a part of. That way, players can easily collect and use the Pins within their favorite brands.

The World Ends with You is In Stores Now!!!

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Make some noise!

Square Enix has released the next set of exclusive game concept art ! The first set  gave you a glimpse into the developer's creation process for the awesome backgrounds and the second set allowed you to see how the developers came up with the heroes and villains of The World Ends with You

Now with the third set release you are invited to see how the developers make noise!  

We've taken some of the highlights of the developer's insights and posted them here but for more information about specific storyboards, click on the thumbs!


Slide 7: Noise tattoo design
Noise tattoo design by wewy

1. Why did you choose animal skeletons to define the tattoo shapes?
Hasegawa-san: Artwork in this title is not based on polygons, and I was looking for an art form that can be expressed effectively in two dimensions. I came up with the tattoo style as a solution because it is meant for a flat surface. I used animals’ bone structures to let the tattoo designs stand out from the overall silhouette. Also, I personally like the skeletal shapes.


Slide 8:  Noise design
Noise design by wewy

1. What was the general concept behind the tribal designs?
Hasegawa-san: The tribal designs are meant to describe monsters that are different from the animals they are based on, existing between the real world and the two-dimensional game world. 



Slide 9: Noise animation
Noise animation by wewy

1. Is there any difference between animating for game systems and for television/film?
Hasegawa-san: We did not use any special animation software, instead relying on traditional pen and paper. We decided on the general animation direction in the planning stage before creating each series of frames. After manually preparing each frame, we digitized the artwork.

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Hot off the presses!  Heroes & Villains preview!  

Well, not literally presses, but you know what we mean!  Square Enix has decided to release the next two sets of exclusive game Concept Art a little early.  The first set of concept art boards gave you a glimpse into the Developer’s creation process for the awesome backgrounds in the game, “The World Ends with You”.  

And now we are giving you a preview of the next set of Concept Art, where we can see how the Developers came up with the heroes and villains of “The World Ends with You.”  We’ve taken some of the highlights of the developer’s insights and posted them here… for more information about specific storyboards, click on the thumbs!

Slide 4. Character Design
Character Design by wewy


1. Is there a particular connection between each character’s outfit and their personality?

Nomura-san: I tried to exaggerate each character’s image according to the essence of his/her personality.


Slide 5. "Joshua" Pose Digitization
'Joshua' Pose digitization by wewy

.1. What physical feature is most important in conveying a character’s mood or emotions?

Kobayashi-san: There are many body parts that are important in conveying mood or emotion, but I personally focus on the eyes and mouth. They are the parts that reveal the most subtle changes in a person’s mood, so I keep revising until I am pleased with what I have drawn.


Slide 6. NPC Design
NPC Design by wewy

1. What other games have you designed for?

Kobayashi-san: I was in charge of character design for Musashi: Samurai Legend and Mario Hoops 3-on-3, which was developed in Osaka.

Coming soon: How Square Enix makes Noise!

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Square Enix has generously provided deviantART with the exclusive rights to distribute Concept Art Boards demonstrating the creative process used in their new game for the Nintendo DS The World Ends with You.  Haven’t you always wondered, “How did they come up with that?!”  These boards can hopefully answer that question.

And now for the first installment of these Concept Art boards. We’ve taken some of the highlights of the developer’s insights and posted them here… for more information about specific storyboards, click on the thumbs!

Slide 1: Initial Background Concepts
Initial Background Concepts by wewy


What do the four center panels demonstrate?
We explored colors and moods with game elements such as enemies as well as differentiation of the RG (real ground) and the UG (underground) worlds.


Slide 2: Background Angle Tests
Background Angle Tests by wewy

What is the significance of the angled backdrops?
In designing for this title, we kept the game’s main concepts in mind:
- Shedding the conventional on-screen presentation
- A worldview grounded in Japanese urban culture

We over-exaggerated perspectives in order to preserve the unconventional style that the game is based on. For example, we displayed the “104” building and the poster large and extremely angled, so that it would look massive and eye-catching.

The “104” building was drawn in exaggerated perspectives, as if it is falling onto the town.  We hoped to depict this tall lanky landmark in the horizontal DS screen by using this bold expression. The design centered on the iron bars in the entrance, rather than the building as a whole.


Slide 3: 104 Building Design
104 Building Design by wewy

Could you explain the reasons behind the locations that were chosen?
We were originally planning to use all of Greater Tokyo to create a variety of battles and scenery. We eventually settled on Shibuya where we can best explore the iconic elements of contemporary Tokyo, such as fashion and subculture. We believed we could express those concepts with better focus by limiting the setting to Shibuya.

These Concept Art Boards are unique in that they were created specifically for challenging YOU to create your own backgrounds, dream up new heroes or villains using your awesome skills as a traditional or digital artist to show the development team just what you’ve got!

Are you up to the challenge? If so click here

Check back soon for more installments featuring hero and villain creation!!

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