Dear Insane Children,
I was anxiously awaiting the color render of this Bill The Lizard as Boss Fight image from Norm. And Omri delivered this morning. And I just had to rush over and post it ASAP.
IT IS AWESOME.
For the record, here’s the briefing from Monday that drove the creation of this image. It provides a bit of background on what you’re looking at here and where it will fit into the game.
Art Task Briefing & Background Information:
This is the boss version of Bill McGill while he is in possession of the Brain of the champion.
Explore the boss encounter aesthetic and mechanics.
As this area is BRAIN themed, the idea is that Bill McGill is using the Brain to create massive, distorted and terrifying hallucinations for Alice.
Show Alice encountering one, or all of the following potential encounters:
1. Alice VS a Colossal Ruin from Madness Returns.
2. Alice VS SOMETHING THAT SCARES HER. (what could it be? Radcliffe Representation Subconscious Encounter? Orderlies, Doctors or Asylum themed?
An amalgamation of a Beast Made with Failed Taxidermy Parts? (Her Dad Sucked At Taxidermy? Alice walks in on her dad preparing the family dog or cat for taxidermy. Guts strewn about the table. It scares her? This is what she encounters her after Bill dives into her fears?…. American, let’s choose or build on this.)
This encounter will take place in the center of the Workshop, in the Vale of Tears.
Bill and this combat encounter is the last thing standing between Alice and the Brain of the champion.
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Additional Background Information:
The payoff and build-up for this entire encounter, is that at the center of this threatening, and hellish area, is dumb, tiny ol’ Bill.
The theme of this section of the game is “Brains” and intelligence and wit.
Bill has none of these naturally, but while in possession of the brain, he has these qualities.
The humorous side of this, is that in fact, Bill is an idiot.
And a completely unassuming and less threatening character in his own right.
Once Bill’s illusion and command over the Brain is disconnected, his hallucinations fail, and he resumes his placid stance.
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Art Task Output:
• First, explore and establish Character Designs of Bill the Lizard
• Once Bill’s Character Design is established, render a NARRATIVE scene of him atop a throne in the Serpent Temple. Either “wired-in” to the Brain of the Champion, (in a vat behind him, or simply with a massive, oversized brain in a crudely-made cradle).
• Show Bill commanding a TERRIFYING HALLUCINATION against Alice atop his throne.
• Show Alice and Cheshire Cat in Combat against this Hallucination or bracing herself against an incoming attack from it. She is scared.
The boss encounter is the fight against a Hallucination, with Bill commanding it.
Render this scene for the Design Bible.
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Gameplay & Closing Narrative Notes:
To complete the encounter, the player needs to sever Bill’s connection to the brain.
Once this is done, he will immediately become an idiot again, and call off the attack on Alice.
He acts like he doesn’t know what’s going on, and is completely unaware of the carnage he’s caused.
He is a sympathetic, friendly character towards Alice, and is not killed. As soon as he loses connection to the brain, he just assumes his dumb ol’ Bill guise.
Bill hands over the brain to Alice without any hesitation, and leads them out of the temple once Alice has the brain. He then waves goodbye to Alice and Cheshire cat as if they’ve just left a tea-party at his house. He wishes them well and thanks them for stopping by.
As he does this, he realizes he doesn’t really know what to do next with his life. Oh well.
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Oh well indeed! What now?
Lots more amazing art and design on the way. That’s what!
From Shanghai with Awesome Illusions,
-American