I Hate This Place: How a Comedian Formed an Total Visible Fashion

I Hate This Place is an isometric survival horror recreation that very deliberately makes use of numerous comedian e-book–infused design decisions. With the launch of the sport at present on Xbox Sequence X|S, I’d like to take this second to dive a bit of into the how and why this was achieved to assist create I Hate This Place.

Residing Alongside the Unique “I Hate This Place” Comics

The primary apparent motive for the comedian aesthetic is that our recreation is about in the identical world and universe because the award-nominated comedian sequence “I Hate This Place” by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin. However since we had been all the time going to be making a standalone story with our personal characters, we determined that holding that connection to the comedian sequence alive was essential, however it needed to be in a means that wasn’t simply parroting the unique look.

Under are some examples evaluating the sport to the comics so you possibly can see the place and the way we stayed true to the supply whereas additionally permitting our staff to make the artwork type and total really feel our personal. Parts comparable to proportions, the vibe of the setting, sticking extra to realism vs a very cartoony strategy, had been all taken from the unique comics. The place we selected to diverge was issues like within the shading, line thickness, and using a wider colour palette.

Bringing the 80s Again

For the reason that authentic sequence takes place within the Eighties, each the comics and the sport lean closely into that sturdy, stylized comedian e-book aesthetic impressed by that decade. This isn’t a muted or practical tackle horror. As a substitute, it’s loud, a bit graphic, and unapologetically excessive.

Visually, that once more meant thick black outlines, vibrant and punchy colours, and heavy distinction and saturation all through the world. Shadows are deep and deliberate, highlights pop, and there may be, after all, loads of VHS-style static.

Sound You Can See

Whereas comic-inspired visuals are the obvious selection, we additionally needed the gameplay itself to have comedian aptitude. Probably the most distinctive design decisions in I Hate This Place is how sound is communicated visually. As a substitute of relying purely on audio cues, the sport interprets sounds into comedian book-style callouts that seem instantly on the planet.

For instance, your footsteps are represented on display as daring “thud” results and are color-coded to speak quantity. Inexperienced footsteps imply you might be quiet, crouched, transferring slowly, and minimizing hazard. Yellow footsteps sign regular motion and reasonable noise. Pink footsteps imply you might be working or being loud, successfully changing into a beacon for close by threats. That is particularly essential as a result of most of the monsters in I Hate This Place additionally hunt by sound, not simply sight.

Weapons observe the identical philosophy. Weapons don’t merely fireplace out an audio crack. As a substitute, they visually rattle throughout the display with daring “bang!” and “ratatat!” results. Creatures additionally announce themselves with jagged, unsettling visible screech callouts, reinforcing their presence simply as they’re about to assault. In consequence, sound turns into one thing you learn simply as a lot as hear, very similar to in a comic book panel.

Dialogue in Bubbles, Not Packing containers

One other means we ramp up the comedian e-book presentation is thru character communication. Dialogue in I Hate This Place seems in speech bubbles above every characters’ heads reasonably than as conventional subtitles on the backside of the display. This retains conversations grounded within the feeling that you’re taking part in by means of a graphic novel reasonably than watching a cinematic overlay.

Obtainable At present on Xbox Sequence X|S

At its core, I Hate This Place is about honoring the comedian whereas discovering methods to make its visible language interactive. The thick traces, vibrant colours, on-screen results, and speech bubbles usually are not simply stylistic thrives. They’re intentional design decisions meant to form the way you learn the world and make it really feel like each a recreation and a comic book e-book on the identical time.

Thanks a lot for studying. I Hate This Place is out at present on Xbox Sequence X|S, and we actually hope to see you on the market on our twisted, haunted ranch!

I Hate This Place

Feardemic

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$29.99

$23.99

Get pleasure from your keep within the worst place on Earth.

I Hate This Place is an isometric craft-based survival horror recreation set in a cursed land full of reality-bending nightmares and terrifying creatures that thrive in the dead of night. You’ll must scavenge, construct, sneak, and battle if you wish to make it out alive.

Basic Craft-Primarily based Survival Horror

Scavenge each nook of Rutherford Ranch to remain alive. From haunted forests, a derelict city, to infested bunkers. Discover a world teeming with hazard as you collect important sources, craft important gear, improve your campsite, and rebuild outposts to have someplace to cover.

Day Prepares You. Evening Hunts You

A dynamic day-night cycle that adjustments the world. Use daylight correctly to discover, scavenge provides, craft what you want, and put together for what’s coming. When evening falls, the actual nightmares come out to play. Extra enemies seem, stronger and extra aggressive than earlier than. The panorama turns into tougher to navigate with simply your flashlight. Typically your finest hope is to seek out shelter and hunker down until morning.

Lethal Silence Goes A Lengthy Manner

Stealth and fight go hand-in-hand right here as most of the twisted creatures in Rutherford Ranch hunt and stalk you by sound alone. Brute power will usually simply land you in an early grave. Use sound to your benefit, luring creatures away out of your path or cleverly main them straight into lethal traps you laid.

80’s Vibes Meets Comedian Ebook Aptitude

Impressed by the award-nominated comedian e-book sequence created by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin, I Hate This Place involves life with daring colours, a punchy retro comedian e-book type, and a heavy dose of ’80s aptitude. A novel mix of horror, darkish humor, and simply the proper contact of camp and gore the place unsettling dread meets stylized appeal.

Developed and printed by Damaged Mirror Video games – based in 2024, co-development horror label beneath Bloober Workforce S.A. Damaged Mirror Video games and Bloober Workforce are registered emblems of Bloober Workforce S.A. in US and/or different nations. “I Hate This Place” and all associated logos, characters, names, and associated indicia are © 2025 Skybound Interactive LLC. “I Hate This Place” relies on the comedian e-book by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin. SKYBOUND, SKYBOUND GAMES and any associated logos are registered or in any other case protected emblems of Skybound, LLC. All different copyrights and emblems are the property of their respective homeowners. All Rights Reserved.