I designed the game Kingdom of Kuru with the aim to be enjoyable and at the same time pleasing to the eye. Kingdom of Kuru is a casual game, but with a fantasy culture. It is inspired by multiple civilizations in a way that’s not normally seen within the genre. I drew inspiration from India, Egypt, and the Dominican Republic to create this fantasy world.

Background

To mix all these societies, it was important that all aspects of the game’s environment and characters felt related.  We want this world to feel large with plenty of it’s own history and culture. For instance, tropical forest area resembles the forests of the Dominican Republic while the desert areas pull inspiration from Egypt by incorporating pyramids and writing that resembles hieroglyphics. The palace of Kuru was created after studying a mix of Arabic and Indian architecture..

Designing the Characters

The overall features of all the characters including the villains were created from a strong influence and fascination of the Japanese miniaturization style called chibi. Chibi is a style of art where characters have larger heads and often used to depict child versions of characters. Despite Japanese influence, many of the main characters are of black race. Kiros looks like a fierce and strong character while Kara seems to be a little bit more rational but at the same time adventurous.

Optimize for Mobile

The visuals were formed by a desire to optimize for mobile and play to the strengths of the platform. This involved stripping away unnecessary details, freeing me up to focus instead on simple forms and shapes. We ultimately arrived at a bold colorful 2d style. The game’s dynamic scenery allowed me to explore a range of contrasting color palettes to add some variety and intrigue to the game, as well as enhancing the overall level of ambience and immersion.