Back in 2022, I had the pleasure of working on an underwater narrative game prototype that eventually became used for The Deep: Beyond the Reef. The main idea for the prototype was the exploration of an alien-looking underground world that was actually a human city, sunken by pollution and coated with years of coral and debris. I established the overall look and feel, helped out with set dressing, and worked on some UI explorations. Concepts I was in charge of creating were for the main playable character, an antagonistic creature that represented the ocean's pollution and mutation of natural life, and the key areas of the map including landmarks. The culmination of the prototype is documented in the trailer below. Many of the assets created, as well as the overall look and feel, were used to help in the development of The Deep: Beyond the Reef.

This project was my first delving into art direction. I was in charge of coming up with a visual language that would be suited for the limitations of VR and time, while maintaining a look of beauty, calm, and mystery that the ocean exudes. Below are some pages from the art bible I created, which also includes style references and inspiration for the concepts I created.