DEVOURED
How this artist turned childhood nightmares into video game monsters
Illustrator John Kenn Mortensen is translating his signature pen-and-paper macabre style into a digital dark-fantasy roguelike deckbuilder.
What: John Kenn Mortensen is collaborating with Chop Chop Games to develop the game FLASK, which integrates his grotesque, hand-drawn medieval creature designs into a digital, colorful environment.
Why it matters: This transition illustrates the technical challenges artists face when migrating distinctive, analog-based visual identities into digital game engines that require color theory, consistency, and readability.
Takeaway: FLASK is available for download on Steam.
Deep dive
- Mortensen’s traditional pen-and-paper process relies on high-contrast black and white imagery.
- Translating this for FLASK required working with a digital art team to balance his style with gameplay UI readability.
- Key artistic influences cited include the 1986 Jim Henson film 'Labyrinth' and the thrash metal band Slayer.
- The game uses a roguelike deckbuilder mechanic where card art acts as a layer over the foundational game logic.
- Mortensen highlights that digital tools like Photoshop and game engines allow for depth, shadows, and highlights that were previously impossible in his monochrome drawings.
Decoder
- Roguelike: A subgenre of role-playing games characterized by procedural generation of levels, turn-based gameplay, and permanent death of the player character.
- Deckbuilder: A game mechanic where players collect and manage a set of cards to define their capabilities and strategy throughout the game.
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