Stupid Never Dies’ 4th Dev Diary Takes an Artistic Turn

Before Phenixx Gaming, I was an art student. Specifically, I thought for a while that I would get an art history degree, before I realized that I loved writing more than I did regurgitating dates and names. Stupid Never Dies’ 4^th Dev Diary takes me back to something I love: dissecting art styles and picking at the way things look.

Stupid Never Dies’ 4^th “Deep Bite” showcase takes a look at how GPTRACK50 created the tale of Davy’s Orpheus-esque plan to save his lady love. Specifically, Producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi walks you through every bit of the game’s creation in an artistic context. Here is what the press release says about the new deep dive:

“Wonder how Stupid Never Dies got its signature visual style? Today, in a new video, Producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi takes a deeper bite into the visual style of their upcoming pop-punk action RPG Stupid Never Dies ahead of its launch on PC and PS5 next week on October 21.

GPTRACK50 wanted to create a visual style that stood out from the crowd, much like the game’s protagonist, Davy – nothing too polished, but rebellious, emotional, impactful, and something that leaves a lasting impression. The team drew upon their neo-pop punk theme using colours and styles that tied into the nostalgic feel of that sound. Weaving together a hand-drawn style to 3D models through carefully constructed linework and shadows, and blending classically familiar with modern elements to create something that felt dynamic and hand-crafted.

Over Technology (OT) is a core mechanic to Davy’s – and his enemies’ – arsenal, so integrating it organically into the monster designs was key. To make enemy power easily identifiable by the player, the more powerful the enemy, the more dangerous the dungeon, the more menacing the visuals become.

Since the story is from Davy’s perspective, the team wanted to make the player feel immersed in his mind. It was decided that the UI, and other visual details should look as if they were things that Davy would have lying around, or drawn by himself.”

As I’ve said in previous pieces, if you want to try Stupid Never Dies, a demo is available now. I’m really excited to see what the finished product of Stupid Never Dies is like. I love creative projects like this, but there’s only a week till the release, so check out the demo while you can.