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At one point there was an idea that the Arranger Temples would unexpectedly connect in a vast underground maze. This would allow shortcuts of difficult overworld sections & access to otherwise-unreachable places! The finished game is more focused & streamlined, but it’s still fun to daydream about!

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Prototype Jemma gives away the vintage of this early Arranger mockup. The primacy of the grid, supported by jagged-edged scenery fragments within an abstracted space, pointed towards the final visual style. But I would wander through various alternatives before rediscovering this guiding beacon much later…

Another map from early in Arranger’s development. For me this is fascinating to explore both for its divergences from and adherences to the world of the finished game.

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WEREWOLF!! Not included anywhere in Arranger. Please submit your fan fictions for Jemma versus Wolfman.

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In Arranger, one of the big questions early on was, does Jemma walk? Since the grid moves with her, should she instead keep her feet rooted and flap her arms or wear a big fan or move through space some other way? We decided that walking is so natural and fundamental, we had to embrace it!

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From Arranger development, another creature corrupted by the Static! This transformation is less drastic, less monsteresque. In the final game Static does not corrupt things in this way, but it does develop into a sentient humanoid form!

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This early concept art from Arranger portrays Jemma as an adventurer in a classic mold. I was looking at paintings by Joachim Patinir with their craggy jutting rocks, dark recesses and blue horizons.

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Another early monster design from Arranger. Suppose the Static creates monsters by fusing together multiple innocent beings, and on defeat they fragment apart? Like Sonic but with higher art overhead. This was not used.

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Early on in the development of Arranger we talked a lot about the personality of our main character, Jemma. She’s a youngster bringing change, but also tapping into the power of lost generations. I wanted to show her as “innocently impudent”. In the final game she’s a little different, but some of the spirit is the same.

Today we have some unused monster designs from Arranger. Recall these things are comprised of Static, meaning they are coagulated human spiritual rigidity. Hence the contortions and gripping hands. I like the first one a lot, looks very miserable!

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This is an unused monster design from Arranger. You can see the brutality in his eye while the purple goo (later dubbed “static”) inhabits him. He’s evil but capable. The ears becoming shoulder pads is the best idea I had between 2017-22 (don’t steal it)