Inspirations

Games

A Short Hike

True to its name, this game's setting feels large enough to be explored for as long as you want without feeling overwhelming. The game is full of such sweet characters and it's a joy to play. I would love to make a game with a similar attitude and scope someday.

Celeste

I absolutely love Celeste's movement system and style of platforming. Its pixel art and character design are on point as well. Celeste was a major inspiration for my Little Bird Game, but I feel that I still have so much to learn from it.

Kirby's Epic Yarn

This is one of the most adorable, charming games ever made. The art style of everything made of yarn, fabric, and beads is always lovely, and the game's soundtrack is one of my favorites. Finally, I appreciate the game's tone and gentleness (for example, there's no level timer or life counter).

Gris and Neva

These are probably the two most gorgeous games I've ever played, both in visuals and in audio. The stories are beautifully told and the lessons to take away from a playthrough are plentiful. Gris and Neva underscore the importance of aesthetics to game design.

Abzû

I'm never a fan of water levels in platformers, but this underwater game has such fluid and fun controls that it makes me never want to get back on land. Its aquatic environments are beautifully rendered with a breathtaking array of different plants and animals all swimming and swaying at once. Furthermore, the game doesn't treat the ocean itself as scary or threatening, unlike many other water-based games. I would love to make an underwater exploration game that celebrates the ocean someday.

Hollow Knight

This was my first metroidvania and I have yet to find another that I enjoy nearly as much. While I like the visual and sound design, it's the movement, combat, and high skill ceiling that keep me coming back to it. Finally, I love the game's supportive community and all the fun to be had through multiplayer.

vivid/stasis

While I've played several rhythm games, I think I enjoy this game's music genres more than any other. I think the game's art is very well done too; it surprised me that pixel art could work so well for a rhythm game. This game was one of my main inspirations for Chronoviridia.

Rain World

While I find Rain World extremely challenging to play, I really admire the complexity of interactions between its systems. Its creatures feel lifelike and compelling despite being quite silly, and the game succeeds more than I think any other at making the world feel alive. I think this game has a lot to teach, and I hope one day to be able to learn from it.

Music

Brian Eno — Music for Airports

This was one of the first pieces of music that I listened to a lot on my own, and it continues to captivate me many years later. The emergent complexity derived from a small set of samples on loops is fascinating, but it requires great skill both to make samples that lend themselves to this style and to find the right loop lengths to create a compelling piece. This album inspired my music creation program Genera.

Chipzel — Spectra

Chiptune is perhaps my favorite music genre, and I have yet to find an artist whose chiptune I enjoy more than Chipzel's. Her composition is gorgeously layered and the instrumentation feels just right to me. I would love to do more chiptune composition in the future.

Friedrich Seitz — Concertos for Violin and Piano

Although these concertos were just intended for students to learn, I find them highly compelling. The music is somewhat simple yet so expressive! I have very fond memories of learning to play a few of these violin concertos, and I would love to emulate their style and structure in my own compositions.

Dvořák — Humoresque No. 7 in G-Flat Major, Op. 101

While I enjoy many of Dvořák's compositions, this is one of the single most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard. I enjoy the simple, consistent structure and I love the progression of emotions throughout the piece.

Gráinne's Projects