About the role
This position has been closed or filled.
Project Overview
Diorama Break is a pixel-art tactics JRPG featuring meta-narrative elements where players interact directly with the party. The game emphasizes a unique turn-based tactical battle system synthesizing elements of Fire Emblem, Into the Breach, and Transistor with fighting game mechanics like frame advantage and footsies. The world is a vibrant, naturalistic environment with semi-fantastical biomes rendered in an impressionistic style.
Role Responsibilities
- Create character sprite models for pre-designed major characters and new minor characters from written briefs.
- Play an integral role in the design and feel of environments.
- Conceptualize and mock up lighting and other procedural effects in Aseprite and work with technical staff to actualize them in-game.
- Help define the design and appearance of UI and menus.
- Translate the director’s vision by synthesizing direction, concept artwork, references, and design documents.
- Devise explicit artistic guidelines for production and communicate them to the team via documentation and visual explanations.
- Consult on future art team hiring decisions.
Asset Contributions
- Character sheets (all angles, including props).
- Character dialogue portraits.
- Stage thumbnails, sketches, and finalized background and prop art.
- General environment concept art and mockups.
- UI art and design.
- Note: All assets are expected to be in a painterly pixel art style, except for general environment concept art.
Requirements
- Professional experience as an artist on a shipped commercial-quality game, ideally in a leadership role.
- Extremely strong pixel art fundamentals and ability to match the existing quality standard and impressionistic aesthetic.
- Strong compositional ability and capacity to conceive of novel scenery and terrain.
- Ability to output expressive anime-style character art.
- Ability to translate high-res designs into pixel art while considering animation costs.
- Comfort working with Aseprite (or equivalent with willingness to learn Aseprite).
- Comfort working in a level editor to dress stages, validate ideas, and apply polish.
- Portfolio demonstrating required skills.
- Understanding of procedural visual effects and ability to integrate them into the aesthetic vision.
- Good communication skills and professional mindset.
- Comfort using Discord for remote communication.
- Note: Exceptional candidates strong in either character or environment art will be considered.
Nice-to-haves
- Familiarity with JRPGs, tactics games, and meta indie narrative games.
- Tax resident of Canada (preferred for grant reasons).
- Willingness to relocate to Canada for the duration of the job (studio will assist).
- Ability to produce character sprite animation.
- Good English skills.
- Familiarity with Git for source control.
Employment Details
- Full-time (32-40 hours per week).
- Fully remote; maximally flexible hours across time zones.
- Start date between October and January.
- Rate: Aiming for median pay for similar roles in Montreal, dependent on skill and experience.
- No weekend work expectations.
Tools and Methodology
- Custom engine that reads Aseprite files directly (retains frame timings, origin points, and collision masks).
- Fully custom level editor.
- Asset hot-reloading for immediate in-game feedback.
- Project management via Github repository, Github wiki, and a proprietary kanban-style application.
Studio Context
- Current team: ~9 people (director, producer, music composer, level designer, and art contractors).
- Studio structure: Studio Massimo Gauthier inc. (est. 2024).
- Production for full game starts January 2027 with a target release in 2029.
Interview Process
- Initial call with the studio head (approx. 60 mins) to discuss fit and pay rate.
- Paid art test (1-2 weeks part-time).
- Meet the team (approx. 30 mins).
- Finalizing contract terms.