The brief
Hollowbright wanted a cosy town that felt different at 7am and at midnight, without drawing everything twice. The team was five people, and the art budget was one of them: me.
What I built
A modular castle kit of 214 tiles, painted once in flat colour and lit in engine with four lighting keys: dawn, noon, dusk and night. Windows, lamps and the forge carry their own light, so the town wakes up on its own when the sun goes down.
Every building started as a grey blockout before it got a single colour. That's where the silhouettes were decided, and it's why the castle still reads at 16 pixels tall on the map screen.
Result
Lanternfall shipped in March 2025 to a 94% positive rating. Players kept posting the same screenshot of the market square at dusk, which is the best review a background artist can get.
