Overview
Leviathan Games was contracted to create a mobile freemium game with the Horse Life Adventures brand. This series had seen wide release on console platforms like the Nintendo Wii and DS.
My Role & Mission
My role on the project was to design, develop and implement the 2D user interface graphics for the game. Once graphics were made, I was responsible for integrating them directly into the Unity project. The game itself was freely available, but was supported with in-app purchases. It needed to ring true to the original IP and appeal to fans of the series, while also bringing in a new casual game audience.
Process
I reviewed the existing products in the series as well as competing titles both in the casual games space as well as in the horse training genre. We worked with the IP holder to include graphics they had already created and to get continued approval for the overall direction of the process.
I wanted a clean, crisp, and friendly UI that was colorful, fun and approachable. Using simple white frames allowed for easy scalability across different mobile platforms and resolutions and allowed the vibrant icons to take center stage.
Artwork was created in Photoshop. When working inside my creation tools of choice I usually like to use vector layers, effects, and smart layers to keep any imagery as scalable as possible. Most of the graphics for this game were made the same way.
I also was able to contribute illustration to the game's world, creating a grassy farm with paths that revielved themselves as the player built out their farm.
I had a ton of fun creating icons for the game. This included both icons for the various in-game resources as well as traits for the horses. Players were able to breed horses and doing so allowed them to pass traits on to their offspring.
I also created the 2D world map and icons for the game.
