americanmcgee

Devil In A Box

Added 2020-10-26 04:02:05 +0000 UTC

Dear Insane Children,

It's the week of Halloween! YAYAYAYA!!! The best week of the year!

And what better way to kick off this week than with an exploration of themes and styles for the re-imagined Jack Bomb weapon in Alice: Asylum?

The team is working through a variety of ideas led by Alex's concepts for a redesign. At the top of this page (main image) is the "original" redesign idea done by Joey a while back.

Alex did an initial redesign which took the weapon in a much more sinister direction. This was prompted by the fact that the Jack Bomb will be introduced to Alice through a Boss Battle with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. This is also where she acquires the Jack Bomb for her own use.

Of his redesign Alex says:

I'm unsure if this concept I've created is better suited for use ONLY in the Tweedles Boss Fight. Perhaps when Alice collects it after the Tweedles are defeated, it changes into a more child-like version, like Joey's original design?

Food for thought also; it's pretty common place to have unlockable aesthetic skins for weapons.

Could we have a "default" skin for each weapon, and some other variants that can be unlocked or achieved via in-game objectives?

I see this a lot in other games, and I think those levels of player customisation are welcome additions to any title.

And though I like the design for its own sake, I asked Alex for some adjustments...

The design concept and art look good, @Alex Crowley but they also feel like they come from the game Twisted Metal more than from the Alice series. The issue is they are "pure dark" without much in the way of whimsy, madness, or "twist." To be twisted they have to feel like they still retain some elements of the original underlying design that Alice's mind would have started with.

Yes, these could be some sort of End Stage skin or Rage Box Version. In that context, they'd be perfect. As the starting point of the weapon - and one of the first weapons she's given... a bit too dark. And that's coming from someone who likes it dark!

The result is something I think fits a lot better in the Alice universe and within the scene we'll find this weapon.

Alex also suggested another twist...

Of which he said...

I'd like each weapon to have secondary fire modes, so primary is remote detonation of AOE effect explosion damage. (Like Rabbit Bomb in Madness). Secondary is a perimeter guard, or stationary turret deploy. Get too close, tentacles lash / whip and do damage, or constrict / restrain foes, and once a damage threshold is hit, the death scene is getting consumed by the box. Maybe with a tasteful burp and blood spray from the box. In the pile for consideration.

And who can say no to tentacles? It's like my all-time favorite movie monster the Face Hugger from Aliens. Woo.

Let us know in the comments below what you think of our Devil In a Box.

There will be a special Halloween Live Stream later this week (usual time/place) over on Twitch. Details on that in another post later this week.

Any guesses as to what costume I am going to wear? What about Font Lord... I have no idea what he has in store but knowing Martin, I'd say it is another Anime character. What do you think?

Anyway, should be a fun stream. Hope to see you all there!

From Shanghai with Boo!

-American