Might and Delight exemplify handcrafted Indie games
Swedish game studio Might and Delight really knows how to make games that stand out visually. Its attractive-looking paper art style on the Shelter series is, in my mind, unmistakable. I can recognize the studio’s work at a glance; it’s just that distinct.
Its latest title is The Blue Flamingo, a bite-sized shmup which released today on Steam. While it looks nothing like the games that came before it, The Blue Flamingo stands out all the same. The game world and its inhabitants were created entirely with handcrafted miniatures. Fresh off from working intensely on Shelter 2, the company stated that it wanted to “try a completely different graphic pipeline, not using digital 3D at all.”
Here’s an excerpt taken from the title’s website about the distinctive visual style: “A 32 feet long handcrafted model was made specially for the game, along with countless props and assets that were filmed and photographed. The green screened material was made into sprites and combined with the background to mesh the visual image together.
“All the effects, rocket flares and explosions were created using firecrackers and other pyrotechnics. Strings with magnets pulling cars, small lighted miniature trains and shiny animated cloth are all details in the process behind The Blue Flamingo world.”
While admittedly not the biggest shmup guy, I’m snagging this one. It’s just too cute to pass up.
