Our vision for Crow’s Requiem has always been ambitious: the final game will feature fully 3D backgrounds, letting players pan the camera to uncover context clues, worldbuilding details, and subtle surprises. To help bring this to life, we brought the awesome Edwy Araujo onto the team.

But, as any game dev can tell you, the process always shifts. Adaptation is survival. What started as a push toward full 3D evolved into a hybrid approach: craft the settings in 3D, then flatten and finish them “as 2D.” Cinema 4D builds become Photoshop composites, blending technical modeling with painterly mood.

This is how we shaped the Collector’s cabin for the demo:

Research the Fridge

The player’s truck cabin needs to feel lived-in, oppressive, and believable. So, first step is digging our gloved Collector fingies into references. The Collector’s vehicle is based on refrigerated trucks, reimagined for New Horizon. We studied real-world interiors, like those shown in this reference video, and adapted their utilitarian design into something suited for carrying bodies, not food.

Wireframe Bones

In Cinema 4D, sketches became geometry. Steering wheels, buttons, and cables were modeled into place. 

At this stage, the truck existed only as wireframes—a technical shell waiting for life.

Clay and Shadow

The clay render stripped everything down to light and volume. This helped refine proportions and highlight areas needing more detail, like scratches on the dashboard,  the tablet's docking bay, a military-like radio, and oh-no-many-more-surprises.

Shader Skin

Textures added history. Plastic is stained, paint chipped, and leather worn. Nothing is clean or new, especially because stickers and other details already clue you in on who the previous vehicle owners could have been. The truck had to feel like a tool that had survived years of use in the Plaguelands.

Adaptation & Polish: Photoshop Decay

The last step happened in Photoshop, where the 3D world crossed into the 2D output we needed for the current build. Cracked and scratched windows are added, environmental fog gives it atmosphere and depth, and the city now looms beyond the windshield. 

Follow Our Journey

From idea to execution, through pivots and delivery, we’d love for you to follow our indie dev journey here on Itch. Playtest Crow’s Requiem, tell us what you think, and join us on the road ahead.

Next stop: full demo at Brasil Game Show 2025 in October.