Role: Character & Environment Artist
Duration: 2019
Tools Used: Adobe Photoshop, Unity, Autodesk Maya, Zbrush
Duration: 2019
Tools Used: Adobe Photoshop, Unity, Autodesk Maya, Zbrush
Polezniki is a slow-paced, environment-driven walking simulator that follows a curious courier on a journey across fragmented lands, delivering packages to the remnants of civilization. As the courier moves from one destination to the next, the world itself becomes the storyteller; revealing subtle traces of humanity, survival, and connection in a post-collapse landscape.
Game Concept
Set in a quiet, vast world shaped by decay, memory, and mysticism, Polezniki invites players to engage with storytelling through environment alone. There is no dialogue, no combat — just observation, movement, and curiosity.
▸Genre: Narrative exploration / Walking simulator
▸Mood: Introspective, surreal, melancholic
▸Core Themes: Solitude, loss, forgotten civilizations, meaning through motion
Tools Used
▸Maya (3D modeling)
▸Zbrush (Sculpting and texture)
▸Unity (Game engine / Animation)
▸Photoshop (concept art / layout)
Project Goals
To tell a story without words, relying only on the world’s visual and audio cues
Moodboard of Rock formations
Silhouette Environment Thumbnails
Inner mountain Concept
Outer mountain Concept
Visual Inspiration & Art Style:
▸Inspired by Nepal’s towering peaks, terraced hillsides, and sacred landscapes
▸Concept art explores stark contrasts: harsh rocky terrain softened by mist and quiet vegetation
▸Emphasis on atmospheric lighting, muted earth tones, and detailed environmental textures to evoke feeling and place
As part of Polezniki's prototype development, I created a set of animated character states including idle, jump, and movement cycles to bring the courier to life. These animations were designed to reflect the emotional tone of the game; subtle, weighted, and grounded in realism.
Reflection
Polezniki was a deeply personal project that allowed me to explore emotional worldbuilding and storytelling through environment alone. Without dialogue or exposition, the challenge was to convey themes of solitude, loss, and quiet persistence using only visual and spatial design. Drawing inspiration from the landscapes of Nepal, I aimed to create environments that felt sacred, abandoned, and alive all at once.
Developing subtle animations; including idle, movement, and jump states in Unity, helped bring the courier to life. Their small, deliberate presence was designed to feel purposeful against the vast and haunting backdrop of the world. Every element was crafted to support a slow, introspective gameplay rhythm.
Due to time constraints, I wasn’t able to complete the full texturing and colour passes for the game environment. While the core mood and mechanics were in place, refining the visual finish would have further elevated the player’s emotional connection to the world. If I revisit this project, I would focus on integrating colour storytelling earlier in the process and plan a more manageable scope for finishing key visual elements.
Despite its unfinished aspects, Polezniki confirmed my passion for designing meaningful spaces where storytelling emerges organically; not through words, but through the terrain, atmosphere, and pacing of the world itself.
