Day One - Aquaria Concept Art
I’ve always liked thinking about BIG creatures. Lurking out there, out of human sight… having survived for so long just because they are the biggest, the toughest, the smartest, the meanest! I think most people have a certain fascination with gargantuan animals, as they pepper the pop culture and mythologies of every civilization. It also happens to goes really well with that idea that is so prevalent in video games - the “boss!” Needless to say, in Aquaria there are some big critters lurking about - ancient monsters that are centuries old and dwarf Naija by many times. Real “sea monsters,” if you will.
Some of these you will inevitably have to fight on your quest. To learn the secret of Naija’s identity and to understand how Aquaria came to be the way it is, you’ll have to face some very old, sometimes very angry beings. But there are also a bunch that you may not even see, hiding out in caves and old ruins, biding their time, and minding their own business. These monsters are often the mothers and fathers of their particular species, so you can imagine they’re pretty tough… it’s up to you if you want to take them on. But if you beat them, they will reward you in different ways. (Just how, exactly? Well, you’ll have to play the game to find that out! 
)
Nautilus Prime is one of the elder creatures we’ve shown off already, either in screenshots or in our trailers. She’s the mother of all the nautiluses in the ocean, and probably one of its oldest living creatures. Her shell is harder than rock, and covered with scars from all the fights she’s been in (and won). She’s also very protective of her children!
For day one, I thought I’d reveal this painting I did of Nautilus Prime and Naija, which I hope evokes the sheer size of “NP.” Naija is pretty tough, having had to fend for herself for so long, but compared to creatures like this… let’s just say it will take a lot more than brute force to take them down.
If you’re interested in seeing the steps I took to complete this painting, I’ve posted them along with some notes in the forums. Sign up, if you haven’t already! Okay? 
A _ _ _ _ _ _
December 1st, 2007 at 12:21 pm
FIRST COMMENT.
Okay, on a more civil note; High resolutions? For advertising purposes….(1650×1080plz)
December 1st, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Nice Update Derek! It is really interesting to see the steps and stages artwork goes through! It’s amazing the amount of work just for one image
6 more days.
December 1st, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Thanks, guys! Zam: I added a link to a high resolution version (click the link). It’s 1280 x 1024, which is the highest I have on me at the moment.
December 1st, 2007 at 12:52 pm
I love the art, it really gives a sense of just how outgunned Naija is… Can’t wait to see all of the bosses in the game!
I smell a new wallpaper, too.
December 1st, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Great picture Derek! I’m gonna go look at that step by step thing now.
I can’t wait to see what we get each day!
December 1st, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Sweeeeeeeeeeet.
Have you Bit-Blot guys played “Shadow of the Colossus”? Did that feed your fascination with big creatures and big bosses, Derek?
December 1st, 2007 at 2:53 pm
Thanks!
Danopian, I have played Shadow of the Colossus. Amazing game, and it definitely fed into that fascination. I love the idea of scale and how that affects one’s perception of things!
Plus, you know… it’s pretty badass to see anything that large.
December 1st, 2007 at 4:14 pm
BUT, Its more badass if you kill something that large! Just seeing it fall down is so awesome.
December 1st, 2007 at 4:43 pm
I like the description as well. especially that Nautilus Prime’s shell is covered with the scars of previous battles. It reminds me of the dragon in the hobbit, Smaug. Great imagination!
December 1st, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Nice work Derek. I really like the way the tentacles look on the sprite version: slimy! What kind of tablet are you using to do your art? I am looking into buying one, just not sure which to get since Wacom have so many choices.
December 1st, 2007 at 9:55 pm
I have one of the puniest ones they offer, the smallest Graphire2. It works just fine for me, and I like how portable it is. It’s cheap, too!
I think it depends, though, so definitely test them out first. I’m sure there are some people who would prefer bigger.
December 2nd, 2007 at 12:22 am
#4 GooooD Smelll !!!
December 2nd, 2007 at 6:24 am
Awesome stuff! Makes me want the game that much more! And optional bosses?? Always a great idea!
Question: Will there be a way in-game to know the names and histories of all these creatures?
December 2nd, 2007 at 6:25 am
Some of the history of the world is written in places in Aquarian. :]
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:22 am
Awesome ^^
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:52 am
[...] First concept art from Aquaria posted. [...]
December 2nd, 2007 at 10:26 am
So are we able to actually understand Aquarian?
December 2nd, 2007 at 12:34 pm
We understood it in the trailers XD
December 2nd, 2007 at 6:02 pm
HELLS YES FINALLY!!!!!!!
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:51 am
Derek, did you receive my letter?
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:04 am
You know, all this time I’d just assumed that Naija was really tiny. Probably because she looks a bit fairy-like.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:26 am
Does wanting to eat the graphics sufficiently state how awesome it is?
All awesome graphics to me looks edible, like the upcoming Starcraft 2.
December 5th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
[...] Day One - Aquaria Concept Art [...]