Location Sketch: Old Sierra Burying Ground

Sketch by Hazel Mitchell based on a concept by Josh Roberts

One thing that’s bothered me from the moment I decided to split Rise of the Hidden Sun into four parts is that the first episode is quite a bit shorter than the subsequent ones. It’s more of a set up to the main action than anything else, in much the same way that the opening sequence of an Indiana Jones movie is different than the primary quest.

So even though we’re focusing most of our efforts these days on completing all of the episode one animation sequences, I’m also tinkering with the early background screens to introduce a few more locations. Basically, it’s a way to expand the universe of episode one without introducing any new puzzles or animation sequences. (Some objects are being moved around within the game to justify the existence of these new screens, however.)

This location sketch here is for a new area called “The Old Sierra Burying Ground.” This is not a final screen, but it’s close enough that I thought I’d share it. I’m really happy with how it’s turning out. I’ll post the final pencil art version when it’s completed, along with some notes about what we changed, and why.