The art of Miasma

Intro by Jakob Andkjær Poulsgærd, Environment Artist

Initially, I was both curious and hesitant about the idea, considering the challenge of creating a horror experience in just five days. However, Thomas' passion for the idea quickly won me over, and I found myself fully on board. Our journey began with a modest team of four, and while our initial scope was limited, our collective ambition expanded as our team grew.

I took on the responsibility of leading the art team, ensuring that the visual intricacies of our levels aligned with the high standards we had outlined beforehand with Thomas and Rasmus. Numerous technical challenges emerged, particularly concerning the engine scene structure and transition areas, which I gladly tackled. Fortunately, our exceptional art team required minimal guidance in their designated areas, allowing me to concentrate on resolving these challenges.

The Miasma art team comprised of Mathis, Carl-Lewis, Noah, and Stephan, who all delivered outstanding work. On my side, I mainly gravitated towards the more complex technical environment setups, including the apartment and all the transition areas where the cube hovers just out of reach. Crafting the identity of this enigmatic and uncharted space was a great experience, and I am really happy with what I achieved within four days timeframe.

Although it felt like we had only scratched the surface and there was much more to develop, upon reflecting on the project, I'm impressed by the amount of work we accomplished and the amazing quality we achieved. It was a testament to our discipline, well-defined framework, and, of course, the talent within our team.

- Jakob Andkjær Poulsgærd

When our Director shared his vision for the project, I was particularly drawn to the "loop" aspect, where players find themselves in a recurring environment, reminiscent of the likes of PT, but with ever-evolving changes.

We specifically drew inspiration from the concept of the Backrooms. These spaces take the familiar and twist it into something uncomfortable. As our team divided tasks, we quickly solidified the thematic elements of the environment. In my case, I gravitated towards designing a hospital setting. This choice held personal significance, given my recent experiences with hospitals around the time of the project. It also aligned seamlessly with the theme of loss, a central element in the player's journey.

In my interpretation, the playable character was reliving the trauma of visiting the hospital's mortuary to identify the body of a friend. The core idea behind the recurring loop was to depict a progressive deterioration of the environment with each repetition, mirroring the deteriorating state of the character's mind. The second loop featured subtle changes, but things escalated rapidly in the third and fourth. Looking back, I would have preferred a more gradual transformation, but the constraints of time were a limiting factor.

While the project's workflow was routine for me, the environment I created was a departure from the norm. I had to contemplate how to redecorate the same space four times, how to reveal these changes to the player, how to light it, and what message I aimed to convey. Some of these attempts may have been more successful than others, but that's the beauty of IOI Week – it grants us the freedom to explore creative avenues beyond our everyday work.

- Carl-Lewis Saunders

The intent was not to rend the fabric of reality but to evoke a more subtle and disorienting effect rather than a jarring shock.

In selecting the setting, I deliberately opted for what might be considered the most common and (dare I say it), boring place, an open-floor office with numerous cubicles, carpeted floors, and good old CRT monitors. This choice, influenced by the original Backroom video, aimed to fill the environment with an eerie yet strangely familiar ambiance by juxtaposing an old-school office with contrasting colors.

As I wanted to add some iterations to confuse the player, my mind went through different scenarios. Originally, I had an idea about some leaking water from the walls and/or the ceiling. I also thought about electric traps or some creepy insects bugging (pun intended) the player. While playing around and manipulating our Engine, eventually, I came up with this distortion effect (originally designed as an explosion wave) that would subtly alter the player's vision. The further you are from the source, the bigger the distortion. But as soon as the player gets closer, the effect disperses itself. It seemed like the more confusing option and the most fun to play with, as the player will be confused and might get closer to investigate, only for the effect to disappear, leaving the player uncertain whether it ever existed in the first place.

Reflecting on the area I dedicated myself to, I'm genuinely pleased with the outcome. Additionally, I managed to subtly incorporate one or two additional “confusing”' moments within the scene—some pretty obvious, while others are cleverly concealed. Perhaps, at some point, you might enjoy seeking out these yourself.

- Mathis Widrat

When faced with the challenge of onboarding over 20 people within a week for a project with a need for immediate productivity, we decided to create a flexible framework. This framework allowed team members to apply their diverse inspirations and influences within defined boundaries.

On the visual and conceptual side, I collaborated with Thomas and Jakob to develop the project's look, set the tone, and create a moodboard. During the week, my role involved supporting tasks like designing a logo and graphics for the character, aligning it with established themes, and contributing to storyboards and sketches. The most exciting part was witnessing the talented team collectively bring the project, named Miasma, to life beyond our expectations!

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