At a recent event, Game Rant got an early sneak peak at the upcoming horror-exploration-mystery game Mundaun. The game takes place on an alpine mountain peak of the same name, as the protagonist gradually uncovers a sinister evil that has changed the local landscape and its people. One of the main draws of the game is its somber, creepy take on the unique setting of the Alps, but that dark tone is assisted by an art style unlike any other game.
Mundaun is a fully 3D game in which every texture is scanned from hand-drawn pencil illustrations. At first, it appears to be a simple black and white gray-scale, which alone makes the game feel like an homage to creepy films from the 40s or 50s. However, the devil is in the details, as upon closer inspection, every texture has been hand-drawn. This lends each texture an organic, natural appearance, along with subtle details like uncanny faces etched in the whorls of wood beams. The game's creator, Michel Ziegler, had a lot to say about this unique look.
I just love drawing with pencil, and drawing on paper in general. It’s very natural for me rather than working digitally. Graphite is a very cool material because you can do dark colors, fine lines, you can use the eraser.... There’s also randomness to drawing and scanning, it adds an element of surprise, and some of the best things come from that natural and random process.
Ziegler also explained that using pencil added to the dark tone of the game. The Alps may be a beautiful landscape, but in black and white they take on a totally different feel. "... It reminds me of some early Swiss black and white films that make [the Alps] solemn." Clearly, the use of pencil fits the game perfectly, especially considering the safe room showed off in the demo was an artist's cottage, and one of the puzzles involved drawing a bridge onto the landscape. The artwork isn't just thematic though, as it seems the creator also chose to draw by hand for the fun of it.
I love this part of the experience, and it makes good on some of the more annoying or mundane things about programming and troubleshooting. It allows me to take a resource and translate it into pencil, which adds dark tone that’s ideal for this game.... The main reason is that I love it.
Beyond the interesting artwork, Mundaun seems to be a very capable horror game that relies on a well-built setting and overwhelming eeriness to deliver unease, and possibly morbid curiosity, rather than just fright. We look forward to seeing more of what the game has to offer, but at the very least, it is a great showcase of unique art and excellent worldbuilding.
Mundaun will launch in early 2021 on PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.