About Firmament
Firmament is a puzzle-adventure game created by Cyan Worlds, the legendary indie game studio behind the best-selling games Myst and Riven. Featuring a unique steampunk aesthetic, deep storytelling and world-building, Firmament is the story of a seemingly abandoned world which the player is invited to explore and unlock the mysteries of.
Firmament is a fantastic visual feast, with thrilling new sights to see around every corner. At the same time, the world of Firmament feels completely plausible; as though it were constructed with a bigger purpose in mind…
The Art Direction
The narrow window between “simply cool looking” and “completely plausible” is the space which Art Director Derrick Robinson, working side-by-side with Creative Director, Eric A. Anderson, and a talented team of digital artists were compelled to explore.
It’s easy to think that making video game art must be a simple process once the team has the assets complete, but careful consideration about the placement of each asset is necessary as the game comes together, as Art Director Derrick Robinson explains…
It can be tempting as creators to pack our worlds full of things that do not serve a purpose. Props, set dressing, characters, to whole levels even. The thing Cyan Worlds prides itself on is to infuse every space- every single object- with a depth and purpose that lends the visuals a visceral feeling of intent which can be felt even subconsciously. When done right, this gives the player a sense that they’re not just playing a game, but are, in fact, inhabiting a “real” world.
Derrick Robinson, Art Director
Crafting a new world from the ground up was a key directive for the art team on Firmament. Building a brand new world that would be both removed from the art styles of Cyan’s other well-known games and itself a huge environment to house puzzles only Cyantists could craft was an immense challenge.
Taking inspiration from sources as varied as steampunk, fantasy, and hard (technical) science fiction, the team flavored each creation with the breadth of their imaginations, bringing to life a vast new world for players to lose themselves within.
