Dev Diary – Behind Bloomtown’s Pixels: A Focus on Art

Good day, Bloomtowners! 

Many of you praised the pixel art, and the art direction of the game and had some questions about the iteration and creation processes used. So while we were working on the next update that will be released very soon, we wanted to create a blog that will shine a light on the team crafting Bloomtown behind the scenes. In this dev diary, we’ll dive into the game’s art, and design.

We’re going to be diving into the pixel art magic of Bloomtown: A Different Story with Vitaly, our Art Director. He is here to share his insights on how we approach and craft the game’s visuals.
So check the Q&A we have lined up for you, where Vitaly discusses and explains our creative process!

What artistic influences shaped the look and seel of Bloomtown’s Pixel Art?

I grew up playing games like Chrono Trigger, Far East of Eden Zero, Earthbound, Final Fantasy, and Shin Megami Tensei… The list can be continued for a long time, and perhaps this whole background helped me take a broader look at the world of Bloomtown.
However, while these classics are cherished for their signature nostalgic value, their visual styles wouldn’t resonate the same way today. Pixel art has evolved a lot, embracing a “pure style”—if you can call it that; clearer shapes, carefully selected palettes, and smooth animations.
And of course, texture plays a key role. Many artists now try to avoid the dithering effect, striving instead for a cleaner narrative, at the expense of shapes and palettes—a trend often noticed in gamedev.

This approach to rendering allows us to utilize a wider range of tools. For example, we often use many different gradients and soft brushes in post-processing to subtly expand the palette and, of course, to create and achieve the right mood.
One of the projects that greatly impressed me and influenced Bloomtown is, of course, Eastward, a game that stands out by its incredibly beautiful and stylish art.

What’s your favorite character design and the creative process behind it?

It’s hard to pick just one favorite character, but if I had to choose, it would be Hugo. Designing him was especially fun, considering the absurd transformation he undergoes in the game’s darker realm..! In the early stages, we toyed with a lot of crazy ideas for his design and combat behavior. And of course, Hugo is a good doggo!

Can you walk us through the design process for a specific character?

(e.g. How did you translate their personality and backstory into pixel art?)

In general, our character design process is quite straightforward. The game designer describes the character in one sentence, and from there, the rest begins to draw itself, taking into account the environment where we meet that character.
Take Ruth, for example—she has a passion for radio equipment, and she works out of a cluttered garage/workshop. Her design naturally evolved into a tomboy girl in a bandana and jeans, reflecting her hands-on, no-nonsense personality. And when the game introduces you to Ruth in her environment, everything makes sense—it’s clear she is dedicated to her hobby, and she can be trusted to fix something.

Bloomtown’s world is a beautiful blend of cute and unsettling. How did you achieve the balance between these contrasting themes?

Initially, when we conceived this project, our game director set the tone by referencing two writers—Ray Bradbury and Stephen King. My task was to create a setting that balanced the cozy, calm world of Bloomtown with its darker, more distorted reflection, the Underside, where secrets and dangers lurk.
Choosing the right color palette and post-processing techniques was crucial to avoiding a jarring dissonance between these two worlds. By expanding the palette with contrasting shades and making the render more tactile and tastefully deteriorated and destroyed, we struck the right balance.

Can you walk us through the design process behind Bloomtown’s locations?

It usually starts with the game designer outlining the location and its events. I then create a concept sketch that captures the palette and mood. I always try to make each place feel lively, filled with various little things and details, so that it speaks for itself and tells a story on its own.
For larger locations, we break down the process into initial blocking and then filling it with points of interest having various unique assets.
Many decisions are spontaneous, such as a giant kraken in the library, or the heads of giants in the abysses of the forest underbelly. I’ve always enjoyed adding some touches of absurdity and a sense of nightmare to these areas.

Did the pixel art style evolve significantly throughout Bloomtown’s development?

Of course! It has evolved significantly, reflecting how all team members grew and evolved themselves! Considering this, we actually kept an impressive amount of the old content.
We tried to minimize the visual gap between the early assets and the later ones.We also refined our approach to using these assets, and although some older demons were retired from the project, the new ones we created are far superior.

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We hope you enjoyed this deep dive into the art of Bloomtown. 🧡

The Bloomtown Team