Exploring the 2D Art of Crow’s Requiem

When we first set out to define the visual identity of Crow’s Requiem, we knew our characters couldn’t just look “cool”—they had to feel lived. Each silhouette had to carry the weight of history, ideology, and the burden of survival in the Plaguelands.

After all, there’s a mix of challenge and excitement when you propose to a team: shall we create a genre?
What is Pandemicpunk after all? How does it look and feel?

The conceptual cooking began!

Inspirations: From Moebius to Demobaza

Our initial moodboard was a mix of three strong pillars:

• The lineart clarity and surrealism of Moebius
• The layered utilitarian fashion of Dune
• The post-apocalyptic modular design of Demobaza

Together, they pointed us toward a world where function and form blur; every coat, stitch, or pouch tells a story of scavenged survival, barely hanging production, or militant devotion.

First Steps: Realism as Foundation

We began with a more realistic rendering approach, aiming to understand body language, fabric flow, and equipment distribution in a grounded way. These early studies helped us anchor the anatomy and gear logic of each character.

Development: A Stylized Twist

Soon after, we felt the pull of minimalism. We studied artists like Mike Mignola, who masterfully uses negative space, exaggerated silhouettes, and dense shadows to evoke mood with striking efficiency.

This phase taught us how much can be communicated with less, and how restraint can enhance storytelling.

Polishing: Precision & Imperfection

The current style merges both worlds: we use solid base shapes to maintain readability and structure, but layer them with sketchlines, noise, and intentional imperfections. The friction between clarity and decay mirrors the themes of Crow’s Requiem—a world barely holding itself together, torn apart by decay. 

 At this stage, one of our biggest stylistic references was DMZ, by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli, whose artwork (and story, really) felt “the right type of dirty” for what we were aiming at.

“There’s power in what you leave unfinished. The mind fills in the cracks. Sometimes, that’s where the characters’ souls hide.”

— Isaac, Lead 2D Artist

Archetypes: Masked Souls of the Plaguelands

We’re proud to share now our first finalized character concepts, which include the three playable archetypes—The Listener, The Whisperer, and The Enforcer—along with initial iterations of their modular outfits, survival gear, and masks that affect gameplay.

Each item isn’t just cosmetic—they offer bonuses, narrative flavor, and mechanical trade-offs. It’s protection, identity, and ideology, all in one.

“The characters in Crow’s don’t wear gear to look cool (even if they still do look fire in them!).
They wear what’s needed to survive, and sometimes, to believe in something.” 
 — Isaac, Lead 2D Artist

Enter the Plaguelands, Crow

We’ll continue evolving the cast of Crow’s Requiem as we dive into faction characters, NPCs, and deeper customization options.

Soon, you’ll take your first steps into our world with the open prototype build, which will be released very, very soon on Itch. Stick around for the first taste!

Thanks for walking this visual journey with us, and stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes as the Plaguelands take shape.

💀 — Team Ex Ignorantia