Happy Birthday to the first prototype of Bouquet Bleue ! Even if the start of the project itself can even date back to the end of 2023, most of the ideas and story bits that made it to the current cut were aligned a little more than a year ago, in January 2025.
Back then, it was a lot different. From a 3rd Person RPG, to a mix with Point and Click elements, to now a in-real time point and click with dungeon crawling, the formula evolved a lot.
Factors were multiple : Lack of time, ambition way too high, difficulties to make it somewhat interesting… Having a clear vision of what you want to do from the start can be quite complicated and can really depend on what you enjoy doing at the moment as well.
Let’s break down what has been done so far.
Fixed Gameplay :
Calling it “intensive gameplay” would be a stretch, but this mix of the cinematic and the interactive is what I ended up choosing for Bouquet Bleue. (Until the next drastic change that takes two months to implement, of course.)
With this format, it’s no surprise that Bouquet Bleue is story first and gameplay second. For some, these simple loops (Such a clicking, picking up, etc…) can be enough as it is.
The original third-person RPG approach was due more to a lack of vision. As I worked on the few scenes I had created, I thought, “Wouldn’t it look better as a point-and-click game? Attention to the environment works much better in these types of games.” Movement and exploration were also far from smooth.
During outdoor scenes, large camera angles capture the general ambiance. I would tend to say that details are less important than the overall composition.
This may seem like 101 to some of you, but the placement of objects in a scene and the space (Attention wise, not in literal size) they occupy can significantly impact how a first-timer interacts with the environment.
In contrast, the interior scenes are presented as a dungeon crawler inspired by my SMT IF play through (Wow, that game was garbage compared to II). Serve a more closed-off area interested in socialization and details. Depending on the situation, they can be reassuring, annoying, or terrifying.
Some features are still in their infancy. For example, weapons still malfunction frequently. It’s something I’ll probably rework before the demo containing the first few days is released, but we’ll see.
Any idea on a weapon I can add next ?
Characters :
Even if the characters themselves were me made at the start, they wouldn’t be what they are without the help of an illustrator… and friend, that I’d like to call Ru. Not only in their design, but the way they are written.
“I remember thinking of two of my OCs (designs by Monochrome-Nocturne) with similar buns to Marine while designing her [R°1 & R°2]. Henha gave me a bit of Maya from Ace Attorney vibes while drawing, but I didn’t open her sprites and look while drawing her. For Rime’s undercut, I took inspiration from this Japanese person’s haircut (picture 3). So far the vibes I get are sci-fi and psychological, which made me keep the art less vibrant than my usual color palettes and a little serious unless you asked me for something more goofy in the expressions…” — Ruvik
All the things Ru introduced me to, either directly or indirectly, influenced my writing in a lot of ways.
It’s no secret that a lot of my world building was inspired by SciADV (Science Adventure). From concepts to relations with science, in an (often) still grounded space, with creepy undertones, to character relations, etc…
In our different ways, we both were influenced a lot by a mix of purely Japanese products are our own country culture, creating a strange homunculus.
“My artstyle changed a lot depending on my favorite series/games when I was younger. Especially Gintama, Danganronpa, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure influenced my styles. Because I love to draw women more and less muscular characters, Jojo’s effects disappeared mostly, but I think the others still linger. Currently, I am more into Elden Ring and I started to try more painterly styles thanks to that. I use lots of textures in my art and the person I got that from is Huke [R°4], the artist of Steins;Gate and Black Rock Shooter, both are still very dear to me… ” – Ruvik
FYI :
Originally being a classic RPG, Bouquet Bleue was supposed to have a battle system. However, due to the change in direction, the idea was scrap. Traces can still be found here and there.
Did you like today’s illustration ? It was made by Ruvik ! Click here.
If you want to buy it for yourself, It’s available in the VGSharp store ! Click here.
