how a Hollywood monster designer and clay models shaped the terrifying Naytiba – PlayStation.Blog

Mixing style, action, and fearsome monsters is a familiar formula for success in action games. However, with its first PlayStation title, Starblade, developer Shift Up adds a lot of unique style to the equation. An important point of this distinction comes from its creature design, which quickly became a central part of the upcoming action-adventure experience.

Stellar Blade incorporates many assets into the creation of its race of behemoths called the Naytiba. These resources include research on real animals, 3D clay models, and help from famed Korean movie monster designer Hee-Cheol Jang, who originally joined us as a consultant but later ultimately more involved in the design and production of Naytiba. .

We spoke with the studio and monster designer to find out what makes the Naytiba unique, diving into several of their variants, such as the Raven, Stalker and Gigas, to understand the process behind creating a new face of horror in gaming.

The birth of Naytiba

PlayStation Blog: Hee-Cheol Jang, how did you get involved with Shift Up and Stellar Blade? Was it your creature designs from The Host and Okja that moved the conversation forward?

Jan: I remember visiting the studio one day after being contacted by Mr. Kim [Kim Hyung Tae, Stellar Blade director] and be surprised to see a workshop full of models and drawings. I think he made this offer after seeing my experience creating clay models – scannable mock-ups – for communication and 3D scanning during the design process of [movies] “The Host and “Okja”. At the time, the film industry was moving toward digital models using ZBrush for efficiency reasons. So I was shocked by the idea of ​​using traditional 3D modeling/scanning for creature creation for a new console gaming project.

How did Shift Up decide what type of enemies Eve would face?

Director, Hyung Tae Kim: What Eve encounters is an unknown entity powerful enough to destroy humanity. We deliberately tried to design them to be strange and unsettling, with missing eyes and faces stuck in the wrong places, which fits the content of the game.

The Naytiba feel a sense of terrifying, cosmic horror. Why choose this direction instead of a more grounded approach?

Kim: Since these creatures never existed, they didn't need to be realistic. We actually wanted them to look like different species or races. However, if you look closely, there are a number of patterns that appear to be related to existing life on Earth, and I think you'll understand why when you play the game.

Hee-Cheol Jang, was your creature design process different for a game than for a movie? For example, in a game players need to interact with your creature in different ways, does this mean you need to consider additional complexities when designing?

Jan: In most games, creatures are often real-time combat targets, so being able to match the sum of their moves and design is important. Aside from that, there are some cosmetic differences between live-action and non-photorealistic mediums, but they seem to be converging in recent years.

Have there been any designs that worked really well on paper, or maybe even worked in a movie, but for whatever reason didn't translate into gameplay?

Jan: In a film, you can experience and understand the creatures throughout the filming. In games, we're often forced to interact with large numbers of creatures repeatedly in a relatively short period of time, which isn't always well thought out. For example, I personally have a habit of adding before/after tips, which are often unnecessarily complicated or drawn out, making them unsuitable for resource creation or gameplay.

Were there any personal fears that the team exploited to bring Naytiba to life?

Kim: I think for me it's the human element. Something human but different, more terrifying than a simple bump.

Clay Creatures

What are the positive aspects of sculpting Naytiba creations in clay before bringing them into the digital world?

Concept Art Lead, ChangMin Lee: Ease of communication for coordinating multiple teams – and gravity. In the digital world you can't really feel gravity, but if you are working with a physical sculpture you will be affected by it because the weight of the clay is real. This is important for determining the shapes and proportions of creatures.

For example, if you make a head that is too big for the body, the clay may crack or fall off. I think having these boundaries in place helps me design more realistic and grounded creatures.

How long does it typically take to define a design? Can you detail the review and refinement process?

Lee: Rough designs can be finalized in just a week or two. After that, casting takes about two to three months, and during these two to three months, many revisions and revisions are done. During the process of discussion with other teams, specific body proportions, length attack methods, and elements needed for other attacks and defenses are discussed and agreed upon. Additionally, revisions according to instructions (received from Mr. Kim) are made by seeing and touching the actual sculpture.

Despite their fictional origins, do you consider the muscular and skeletal composition, as well as skin texture, of each Naytiba at this stage of their creation?

Lee: Absolutely. The muscles and skeleton in particular are based on real creatures. Skin textures are also heavily referenced. For example, the skin textures of reptiles, insects, crustaceans, molluscs, etc., are mostly referenced. In the case of Gigas, the muscular and skeletal characteristics of gorillas are heavily referenced. Large shapes and concepts are fictional creatures, but without real references, they are just fiction.

Does the proposed movement of the Naytiba come into discussion and inform the clay modeling process, or is it refined once the mode is scanned into the game?

Lee: Things are discussed and adjustments are made in both directions mentioned. During the terracotta modeling, all the teams, particularly the animation team, meet and discuss. We talk about things like: does this design and proportions make the movements possible? How can we make attacks cool?

After scanning, I usually chat a lot with the 3D model team. We discuss practical and efficiency issues, such as what details to keep and whether there are unnecessary designs when creating the 3D model. Throughout this process, we make detailed design adjustments and finalize the final product.

How much clay did you use in total to create Stellar Blades Naytiba?

Lee: Let's see… I didn't count, but probably around 100 kg? I think we used a lot of it. Usually a serving of clay weighs around 900g and I think I've used over a hundred.

Design the patterns

Can you describe the three currently revealed bosses: Gigas, Raven, and Stalker, as well as the unique attributes that will stand out when Eve faces them?

Lee: Gigas and Stalker are creatures that are sort of like brothers. They both have unique shapes of moving saw blades, and I wanted Eve to feel scared and threatened by them. The crow, as its name suggests, has large wings and bird-like features. We chose black as a conceptual color to represent darkness and fear.

How do you find inspiration for specific boss monster attacks?

Lee: At the rough design stage, we first ask ourselves: what body part/weapon will he use to attack? and fine-tuning the details as we go. During this process we get inspired and continue until the end.

Are there any unique stories in the design of these three boss monsters?

Lee: When we were working on the initial concept for Giga and Stalker, we had fun calling them the fan and dryer brothers. Some of the boss monsters we call openers, but you will have to find out for yourself which ones they are and what we mean by that.

Are there any special details you'd like to share with players that they miss when encountering these creatures?

Lee: If you look closely at some, but not all, monsters, you will see baroque symbols and sculptural faces. You may not be able to see them sometimes as the combat is fast and dynamic, but keep your eyes peeled!

You can get a closer look at Gigas, Raven, Stalker and the rest of the Naytibas designs as you face them in Stellar Blade when it releases on April 26 for PlayStation 5.