Desert Child has a bunch of influences; some games, some films, some music, some books, some places I’ve traveled, some just cool architects I had to study at college. I’m going to do a few Devlogs abut them.

I guess the initial spark of the game came from wanting to see more of the world of Cowboy Bebop. When I first saw Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, I was like “Oh shit! This is like Blade Runner, but sunny!”

Cowboy Bebop is, for me, what cyberpunk would look like in the most plausible sense. It gives a genuine feeling that the urban environment comes with more benefits than disadvantage, something I can’t believe is the case in something like Blade Runner.

I took a tonne of inspiration from the lo-fi tech of the show as well, which sits somewhere between Star Wars and Alien.

I’ve taken a lot from architects I had to study at college. Shin Takamatsu is a Japanese architect famous for his mechanical, futuristic buildings.

I’m not actually a big fan of this style, but a singular building that looks futuristic can set the tone for an entire scene, so then I basically can do whatever I want with the surrounding buildings.

I see things all the time that I like and try to incorporate them into the city. I’ll leave a few images that I’ve found around the net that I found particularly exciting.

Oh, and stay tuned, because I’m writing another Devlog on my inspirations for how the world and it’s characters move and animate.

Peace.