CONCEPT ALBUM: EVIL BEN FRANKLIN AND THE ART OF HENRY HATSWORTH
With its flagrantly outlandish Old Blighty stereotypes mixed with fantastical turn of the century steam-punk block puzzle tropes, EA’s DS puzzler/platformer Henry Hatsworth and the Puzzling Adventure will likely remain one of the top one of the most creatively directed visions of 2009.
As I’ve mentioned before, most of the kudos there can be attributed to art director Jay Epperson‘s wood-block and paper-cut vision for its puzzling realms from the Livingston-ish explorations through the tribal Mysteria, the floating islands and dirigibles of Skysland to that Puzzle Realm itself, Hatworth manages to capture big wonder on a tiny screen.
Now, in a site first that will launch a continuing series, Epperson has given Offworld permission to reprint the game’s concept art in glorious full-resolution. Think of it like The Big Picture, but for games.
And the series couldn’t have started at a better place: over the following pages, you’ll find all the game’s environments, the first stirrings of the game’s enemies both fragile and fearsome (pork hork!), and — as a special bonus — a look at some of the game’s bosses that never made it into the game, including, as hinted in the title, one Evil Ben Franklin.
Continue on to The Art of Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure.
Jay Epperson portfolio [also, Epperson’s sketch blog, Henry Hatsworth home. Thanks to both Jay and game director Kyle Gray for their help putting the feature together.]
[Developers! Have a game you’d like to see in a future edition of Concept Album? Let me know!]
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