2. Worldbuilding

Devlog #2: Worldbuilding – Carving Life Into the Forgotten

There’s something profoundly fulfilling about building a world from nothing. Not bound by logic, genre constraints, or even gravity—worldbuilding is where we let creativity spiral. It’s where discarded metal becomes sacred relics, lost knowledge sleeps in the roots of alien technology, and old crash-landed engineers become reluctant heroes. This process doesn’t just lay the foundation of a game—it is the game.

When we started sketching the first concepts for our pixel art universe, the ideas came in sparks, then avalanches. What began as fragments—an old man, a broken spaceship, a mysterious planet—quickly evolved into a rich network of lore, characters, and biomechanical oddities. In this devlog, we’ll take you through our latest journey into the tangled roots of MAZK's worldbuilding.

A Planet Full of Forgotten Intentions

At the heart of this universe is an unknown, uncharted planet, where the dust never settles and the ancient refuses to die. This place isn't abandoned—it’s slumbering. Every environment we drew came with questions: Who built this? Why was it left behind? Is it really inactive—or just waiting?

You can see this in the Broken Spaceship, half-buried, taken over by moss and time. The old man—our protagonist—has crash-landed here. Whether he’s fleeing or searching is a story we’ll leave for the player to uncover.

Machines That Remember

We love the idea of machines that seem broken but still think. That concept led to entities like the Sleeping Mamba, labeled “Old Artefact” in the artwork. The design evokes reverence—almost tomb-like. Is it a defunct AI core? An ancient alien AI? A god?

This mystery continues in the Cable Maze, a tangle of pipes and nerves more alive than inert. It warns of getting lost without a map, and the Cable Maze Data Center shows us why: beneath all the wires lies a creature-machine hybrid, bristling with crimson sensor-eyes. It suggests a mind, or a surveillance system—or something darker.

Ancient Hardware & Strange Devices

The sketches show tools and units that enrich the tactile feel of the world:

The Organic Hardware and Patina Plant hint at tech grown like crops.

Code Transmitters and the RAM Bot are relics of a civilization that engineered life and logic as one.

Notes like “Code with a wheel, code mouth” emphasize our approach: cryptic, intuitive tech design that feels just as handmade as it is alien.

This style also ties into how the player will interact with puzzles, unlockables, and hidden pathways throughout the game. Expect machines that feel like puzzles themselves—objects that don't just serve a function but tell a fragment of history.

Alien Cyber Tribes

In the bottom panel of the concept sheet, you'll find our Alien Cyber Tribe. They are not enemies. They are witnesses of this world, draped in cloth, partially mechanical, with glowing digital eyes peering from beneath their hoods. They might guide you, warn you—or simply observe as you dig deeper into the planet’s forgotten roots.

Design-wise, these figures are a counterpoint to the protagonist: where he is old and clunky, they are timeless and silent.

The Philosophy Behind the World

We believe in building places that suggest rather than explain. A machine shouldn’t just say what it does—it should make you want to know. A landscape shouldn't just be scenery—it should raise questions.

Worldbuilding isn’t about crafting answers. It’s about designing questions that are worth playing to uncover.

This devlog barely scratches the surface of what’s planned. As we go further, you'll see how these environments evolve into levels, how characters gain voices and motives, and how the lore we’re crafting weaves into every interaction.

Next Up: Pixelart

Thanks for following our journey. If you want to dig deeper or send us your thoughts, we’re always happy to talk about worldbuilding, pixel art, or game design quirks.

🎨 A project by Artur Fast + Simon Zeller