How a Hollywood monster designer and clay models created the terrifying Naytiba – PlayStation.Blog

Mixing style, action and scary monsters is a familiar formula for action game success. However, with the first PlayStation title, Star blade, developer Shift Up is adding more unique touches to the equation. The big point of this difference comes from its creature design, which is quickly becoming a central element of the upcoming action-adventure experience.

Stellar Blade combined many assets in creating the giant race called Naytiba. These resources include real-life animal research, 3D clay modeling, and the support of famous Korean movie monster designer, Hee-Cheol Jang, who initially participated as a consultant. consulting but ultimately became more involved in the actual design and production of Naytiba. .

We sat down with the studio and monster designers to find out what makes Naytiba unique, diving into their many variants, such as Raven, Stalker, and Gigas to understand the process behind their creation. giving a new horror look to the game.

Birth of Naytiba

PlayStation Blog: Hee-Cheol Jang, how did you get into Shift Up and Stellar Blade? Did your creature designs from The Host and Okja get the conversation moving?

Jang: I remember visiting the studio one day after being contacted by Mr. Kim [Kim Hyung Tae, Stellar Blade director] and was surprised to see a workshop full of models and drawings. I think he made the suggestion after seeing my experience in creating clay models – scannable models – for touch-ups and 3D scanning during the design process. [movies] ‘Host’ and ‘Okja’. At the time, the film industry was moving towards digital models using ZBrush for efficiency reasons, so I was shocked at the idea of ​​using traditional 3D modeling/scanning to create the creature. material for a new console game project.

How does Shift Up decide what type of enemies Eve will face?

Director Hyung Tae Kim: What Eve encountered was an unknown entity powerful enough to destroy humanity. We deliberately designed them to be strange and scary, with missing eyes and faces in inappropriate places, which ties in with the content of the game.

The Naytiba people have a sense of awe, a cosmic dread about them. Why choose that direction instead of a more grounded approach?

Needle: Since these creatures never existed, they don’t need to be realistic. We really wanted them to look like different species or races. However, if you look closely, there are some designs that seem to be related to existing life on Earth, and I think you’ll understand why when you play the game.

Hee-Cheol Jang, is your process for designing creatures in games and movies different? For example, in a game, players have to interact with your creatures in many different ways, so does that mean you have to consider additional complexities when designing?

Jang: In most games, creatures are often the target of real-time combat, so it’s important to be able to combine their overall movement and design. Additionally, there are some aesthetic differences between live-action and non-realistic media, but they seem to be converging in recent years.

Is there a design that works well on paper, or maybe even works well on film, but for whatever reason doesn’t translate to a game?

Jang: In a movie, you can experience and understand the creatures throughout the runtime. In games, we are often forced to continuously interact with a large number of creatures in a relatively short period of time, which is not always carefully calculated. For example, I personally have a habit of introducing before/after gimmicks, which are often unnecessarily complicated or lengthy, making them unsuitable for resource generation or play.

Did the team encounter any personal fears when bringing Naytiba to life?

Needle: I think for me it’s the human factor. Something human but different, it’s scarier than just an ugly lump.

Clay creatures

What positives come from sculpting Naytiba designs from clay before bringing them into the digital world?

Concept art team leader, ChangMin Lee: Easy communication to coordinate multiple teams – and gravity. In the digital world, you can’t really feel gravity, but if you’re working with a physical sculpture, you’ll be affected by it because the weight of the clay is real. This is important in determining the shape and proportions of organisms.

For example, if you make a head that is too big for the body, it can actually cause the clay to crack or fall out. I think applying these constraints will help me design creatures that feel more realistic and grounded.

How long does it usually take to complete a design? Can you go into detail about the review and screening process?

Physical: Rough designs can be completed in as little as a week or two. Then it takes about two to three months to create the mold, and in those two to three months there are a lot of revisions and revisions. During discussions with other teams, specific body proportions, length attack methods and other attack and defense essentials will be discussed and agreed upon. Additionally, directed editing (received from Mr. Kim) is done by seeing and touching the actual sculpture.

Despite their fictional origins, did you consider the muscle and skeletal composition and skin texture of each Naytiba during its creation?

Physical: Absolute. In particular, the muscles and skeleton are based on real-life creatures. Skin texture is also referenced a lot. For example, skin textures of reptiles, insects, crustaceans, molluscs, etc., are mostly referenced. In the case of Gigas, the gorilla’s muscular and skeletal characteristics are mentioned a lot. The large shapes and concepts are fictional creatures, but without real-life references, they are just fiction.

Was Naytiba’s suggested movement discussed and informed the clay modeling process, or was that refined after the mode was scanned into the game?

Physical: Everything is discussed and adjustments are made in both the mentioned ways. During the clay modeling process, all teams, especially the animation team, discussed together. We talk about things like: “Does this design and these proportions make movement possible?” “How do we make attacks look cooler?”

After scanning, I often talk a lot with the 3D modeling team. We discuss practical and efficient issues, such as what details to keep and whether any design is unnecessary when creating a 3D model. Throughout this process, we make detailed design adjustments and perfect the final product.

How much clay did you use in total to create Stellar Blade’s Naytiba?

Physical: Let’s see.. I didn’t count, but maybe around 100kg? I think we used it a lot. Typically, a portion of clay weighs around 900g and I think I used over a hundred lumps of clay.

Design the bosses

Can you describe the three bosses that have now been revealed: Gigas, Raven, and Stalker, as well as any unique attributes that will stand out when Eve faces them?

Physical: Gigas and Stalker are creatures that resemble brothers in some ways. Both have unique moving saw blade shapes and I wanted Eve to feel scared and threatened by them. Raven, as its name suggests, has large wings and bird-like features. We chose black as the conceptual color to symbolize darkness and fear.

How do you find inspiration for boss monster-specific attacks?

Physical: At the preliminary concept stage, we first asked: “What part of the body/what weapon will it use to attack?” and work out the specifics as we go. In the process, we get inspired and continue until the end.

Is there any unique story about the designs of these three bosses?

Physical: When we were working on the initial ideas for the Giga and Stalker, we were happy to call them the fan and dryer brothers. Some boss monsters are what we call “openers,” but you’ll have to figure out for yourself which ones they are and what we mean by that.

Are there any special details you’d like to share with players that they miss when encountering these creatures?

Physical: If you look closely at some, but not all, of the monsters, you’ll see baroque symbols and statuesque faces. Sometimes you might not see them because the combat is so fast and dynamic, but keep your eyes peeled!

You can take a closer look at Gigas, Raven, Stalker, and the rest of Naytiba’s designs when you face them in Stellar Blade when it releases on April 26 for PlayStation 5.