At the inception of our project, we had a lot of ideas swirling around. However, the one we call 'Neon Noir' offered us a unique chance to delve into a previously little-explored game aesthetics. Striking black-and-white art style with strong colour accents enabled us to showcase some of the best features of PSVR2, such as HDR, which made the visuals look more vibrant and lifelike; an improved display resolution that let us showcase the highly detailed materials and VFX and, of course, the enhanced performance that made it all possible! Here you can see a few environmental concepts that were created during our exploration phase.
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Synapse is a mix of heart-pounding action, striking visuals, eye-tracking wizardry, telekinesis, and beautifully mysterious audio, all amped up by the powerful new PlayStation VR2 headset.
Being the Art Director on Synapse was both challenging and very exciting. The main idea was to make the whole game almost exclusively black and white, with electrifying neon pops, creating an immersive world that would feel holistic and impactful without the use of colour. It was a brave move from the get-go, and I'm thrilled to say we pulled it off as Synapse became the most downloaded VR title of July 2023, and was also featured in a PlayStation VR2 promo video!
It was my first go at art directing, and I couldn't have done it without the support of our lovely, tight-knit, and super talented team. They brought their A-game, and we made magic together!