The development difficulty of Dead Cells itself was not very high; most of it could be implemented using existing programs in Unreal Engine.
However, the art model of Dead Cells was quite special. If they directly used the public assets available in Unreal Engine, it would have lost its unique flavor.
It was a pixel art style game that was between 2D and 3D.
This art style just happened to soften some of the more grotesque and terrifying scenes, but still preserved the original artistic atmosphere of the game.
When Dead Cells was first created, Takayuki was attracted by this unique art style when he first encountered it.
Without this unique art style, the game's appeal would have decreased by a third, and he might not have even bothered to try the game.
So, when the three girls left, Takayuki specifically emphasized the importance of the art style.
This was clearly Hamemi's area of expertise.
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Of course, this game also needed some simple 3D modeling, which wasn't Hamemi's strong suit, so the three girls still needed to collaborate closely.
During the process, the three girls carefully followed Takayuki's guidance, reporting their progress to him weekly, while Takayuki made adjustments to the game development at key moments.
Takayuki didn't make any adjustments to the overall framework of Dead Cells because there was no need to. It was already very perfect when it was made.
However, the sound effect improvements proposed by Oniko were strengthened.
This was to add even more appeal to the game.
At the same time, Takayuki also needed to keep an eye on the development progress of Titanfall.
Dead Cells was a small personal wish for Takayuki, but Titanfall was his big ambition.
Meanwhile, the players' anticipation for Titanfall was increasing every day.
That demo video from back then had been shared countless times on the internet.
And every time the demo video cut off when the Titan was about to land, viewers couldn't help but curse.
That was what they were most looking forward to.
Driving mechas!
That was the romance of men!
There had been other games with mecha control mechanics before.
But this time, it was made by Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
As long as it was made by Gamestar Electronic Entertainment, it was absolutely something extraordinary.
"Boss! Boss! We've got it! This should be the finalized Titan design!"
At the Gamestar Electronic Entertainment US branch, Takayuki's temporary office was suddenly burst into by a few excited young designers, their faces flushed with excitement, though their eyes were slightly dark from exhaustion.
They were a group of passionate creators who were willing to sacrifice everything to create the most satisfactory artistic work.
Gamestar Electronic Entertainment didn't have a tradition of overtime, but they were still willing to go above and beyond to complete the Titan design. They thoroughly enjoyed the process.
Of course, overtime pay was guaranteed.
A few designers, including the design director for Titanfall, came into Takayuki's office and presented him with the final Titan design.
There were over a hundred pages of Titan concept art.
From weapons, to the Titan mechs themselves, to various functions and detailed settings about the Titan mechs.
To get the Titan mech just right, Takayuki had given them a month off at first, allowing them to visit specific places to gather various materials.
During this time, some of them used their connections to get into military camps to observe different combat equipment.
Others traveled to remote areas to take photos and gather inspiration from natural landscapes.
Some even visited futuristic technology labs to explore the latest technological advancements.
In short, they all used their time wisely and gathered knowledge in every possible way.
Then, when they came back after a month, they began working tirelessly on their drafts.
"Boss, for these Titan designs, we first tried to create a human-controllable appearance and then combined some animal features for improvements. Finally, we added some elements related to modern combat equipment. This is our final product."
The art director proudly introduced their efforts to Takayuki.
It was truly not an easy task.
Each designer had put a lot of mental energy into creating the perfect Titan mech.
But it also accelerated their growth.
Takayuki picked up a few of the completed design drafts.
On them, Takayuki saw mechs that seemed as if they could truly exist.
The most prominent one was probably BT7274 from Titanfall 2's story mode.
Anyone who had played Titanfall 2's story mode would have a deep emotional attachment to BT, this Titan mech.
This Titan felt like a guardian and a partner by your side.
In the drawing, Takayuki saw that familiar figure.
This Titan in the sketch was almost 70–80% similar to the one Takayuki remembered.
After all, this was the only Titan that Takayuki had insisted be designed in a specific style.
Looking at this familiar Titan, Takayuki couldn't help but reminisce about the release of Titanfall 2.
Back then, Titanfall 2 was squeezed between Battlefield and Call of Duty. Although it sold millions of copies, it wasn't considered a success for a large company.
But Takayuki still vividly remembered Titanfall.
Just looking at these sketches brought back the feeling of playing that game.
Titanfall 2's story mode was truly flawless.
Takayuki couldn't help but smile, and the designers felt relieved.
It meant their designs had finally been recognized by the game god!
Takayuki put down the BT sketch and looked at several other Titan concept drawings.
These had some minor differences from his memories, but that wasn't important.
In fact, aside from BT, he didn't have as strong of an emotional attachment to the other Titans.
After all, the other Titans didn't have that same personal connection.
"Very nice, these Titan designs are excellent."
Takayuki gave them the highest praise.
This was the most faithful Titan design he had seen.
There was nothing more to criticize.
To do so would seem overly harsh.
"So, boss, can we start promoting this Titan design?"
Takayuki nodded without hesitation, "Of course, this is the best design. Let's get the marketing department ready to promote Titanfall!"
"Yay!"
The designers immediately high-fived in celebration.