Arcana: Level Pages, Set 2

Arcana: Level Pages, Set 1

Arcana: Help Pages, Set 2

Arcana: Help Pages, Set 1

From the Backup Drive: Arcana - Art of Alchemy

Arcana: Art of Alchemy was a game I worked on for a period towards the end of 2009 with a small team of fellow game professionals. Arcana was inspired by a fantastic indie game called Auditorium. It's worth a look if you've never played it. Both our game and Auditorium tasks the player with bending physical forces in order to solve various puzzles. Aside from our unique take on the subject, we steeped our game and its puzzles in a fine stock of magic theming, specifically that of Alchemy. We were targeting the Apple App Store for iPhones and iPod Touches. We were nearly finished with it, but internal politics created an impassible obstacle and sadly, the game never saw the light of day.

Years later, the original code gathers dust somewhere half a world away, and even if old quarrels could be quelled, it's likely long past compatible with modern devices. All that remains is the art.

When I set to work on Arcana I dove into the subject and did some research. I decided to set each of the game's puzzles on a page of an alchemy tome, as if the player had found a magical text book that could literally demonstrate ideas live; something that one might find if they looked in the library of Hogwarts.

As the idea developed, I ran with it. Instead of creating a background texture for use in the levels, or even several, I created a unique background texture for each puzzle, as if the player really was reading through a journal. And with that, I decided to weave a story into the pages. You could play the game and enjoy it, completely ignoring the pages. But if you took the time to read it, a story would unfurl.

Each page has original sketches in additional to the art. Some sketches were made for the game specifically, others were culled from old sketchbooks I had lying around.

Since I put some time into this, and no one gets any enjoyment out it growing old on a hard drive somewhere, I give you, gentle reader, Arcana's background art. Above, you will find the splash screen/main menu as well as the level select screen. The vials filled with liquid as you beat each level. There are over 50 unique backgrounds. More will come as I post them.

Sadly, the level backgrounds lose a little without the game icons and the force particles that went over them, but hey, it's all I got! You can at least still enjoy the sketches and follow the journey of a young boy who discovers the true power of alchemic transmutation.

Enjoy. = )

Winner, Winner!

Various trophies for a horse game in the works.

A Ton of Stone

Icons for iOS game we're finishing up at Leviathan.

Shown here are increasing amounts of stone purchasable in the store.