Someday You'll Return

2D Digital game

15. 06. 2020
(Duch)

Someday You'll Return was released in April this year and was developed in Brno (May 5, 2020, Unreal Engine, the current Steam distribution platform). Studio CBE software is the home platform of Jan Kavan and Lukas Medek. Experienced developers with a rich and years-built portfolio (J.U.L.I.A.). Thanks to their work, both developers work in art, so they naturally know the environment of FaVU BUT. Lukas Medek studied in the Multimedia Studio (head of the studio Richard Fajnor), where at the same time Vladimir Kudelka (Rememoried) and Vojtech Vanek (Dark Train, Kominikovo) also studied. Jan Kavan is a specific personality, covering a wide range of work and creation. Jan is a professional musician, game developer and teacher (JAMU, FEKT BUT). The scope of the author's work in the game development itself intertwines a number of separate professions. The connection with Lukas Medek, who is a professional graphic artist in both spatial dimensions, thus gives rise to a unique pair of authors.


Signed laminated map in a metal stand with a roof (SYR, screenshot, photo)

The current project thus represents a special path. Not only for players, but also for the developers themselves. It is the view of the developers on the chosen topic, its controversy, poetics and overall processing that moves the team forward. Preferably, the narrative adventure game is carried in the colors of autumn, a landscape of gloomy thoughts and paths that can be real. The game thus touches real localities or objects and plants in the colorful but dark nature of the landscape.


Someday You'll Return - Kozel Rock, screenshot

The formal interest of the project is one of the ways of financing. The game is a pilot project in Czech Republic supported by the creative Europe grant program. This fact is reflected in selected game elements and is partly related to the overall layout of the game. In addition to Czech based tourist signs, it also uses direct cartographic connectors. There are also signs with an overview of plants or game and many other elements. The use of obvious to subconscious elements in the design significantly contributes to the final atmosphere of the game. The game is an adult in the genre due to its virtual conscience. In the game world we can find a number of visually and culturally significant objects that still resonate in the Czech environment. In terms of design, they represent civilian but very attractive elements.


Someday You'll Return - interior and exterior assets, screenshots

The following text will focus on the April period, but last year. The Someday You Return project was in full swing in game development at the time. Lukas Medek contacted us with a question, could anyone from the studio get involved in creating 2D illustrations?

Yes!

The first wave was mainly about illustrations of diaries of key characters (main character David + Stela). The aim of the diary illustrations was to capture the different age levels in the drawings themselves. Adapting to the child's stylization of the drawing and catching it up to adolescence was an interesting challenge.

An audition soon took a place, which contained an exact assignment. Numerous parts of the studio took part in it. Numerous parts of the studio took part in it. Each design also included the author's style stylized into children's drawings.


Overview of proposals from all participants in the audition:


Diary, drawings at the age of 8 and 14, design - K. Cendelinova (combined technique)

Diary, drawings at the age of 8 and 14, design – A. Fasorova (combined technique)

Diary, drawings at the age of 8 and 14, design - L. Polaskova (combined technique)

Diary, drawings at the age of 8 and 14, design – Z. Risianova (combined technique)

Diary, drawings at the age of 8 and 14, design – Z. Volkova (combined technique)

Diary, drawings at the age of 8 and 14, design – P. E. Hofmann (combined technique)

In the end, the last two proposals passed to the finals, from Zoe and Peter. The collaboration later expanded to include the processing of herbarium and other illustrations used variously in the game (posters, coats of arms and others). Zoe focused mainly on Stela's diary illustrations. Petr portrayed the main character's diary and herbarium. Lukas Medek also entered the field of 2D graphics.


Someday You'll Return - diary (Stela), Z. Volkova, screenshot

Someday You'll Return - Herbarium, P. E. Hofmann, digital draft

Someday You'll Return - Herbarium, P. E. Hofmann, digital draft

We thank Jan and Lukas from CBE for the opportunity to participate in Someday You Return in these cases. Project experience of this type is always welcome for us. We look forward to more!

This story really happened!


Someday You'll Return - adaptation of St. Clement's fortified settlement, screenshot

In conclusion, it is good to point out that the game was also released in the physical edition of the publisher X-Zone. The unconventional concept of the game artifact in a solid full-color book has the proportions of a thin DVD cover. It combines an art-book and a license case, plus other souvenirs.


Someday You'll Return - X-Zone Edition