According to Wylde Flowers developers, diversity has always been the primary priority.

This fall promises to be filled with plenty of intriguing independent games. One that we've been anticipating for a while is the captivating agricultural simulation Wylde Flowers. After making a big splash on the Apple Arcade, this charmingly cozy game has made a swift transition to the PC and Switch.

We hope you will like this beautiful little treasure as much as we did. It has an intriguing story of friendship and magic, a deliciously varied cast of weird characters, and plenty of pleasantly relaxed feelings. We had the good fortune to have a conversation with the brilliant and imaginative creators behind this charmingly cozy life sim before to its multiplatform launch.

We asked concept artist Iona Vorster and environment artist Riley Hanlin a lot of questions about the design process, how they created such a magical experience, how they created a wonderfully witchy world from the ground up, and how important it is for games to be inclusive and diverse. Now that you have a cup of healing moonflower tea, let's get started.

The calming, inviting environment that Wylde Flowers immerses you in is what really sets it apart, and it's obvious that Studio Dryrock gave careful consideration to this throughout the design process. Indeed, Iona affirms that one of [their] main objectives was to "create a relaxing and welcoming, friendly world," and that, above all, even with the mystery and adventure weaved throughout the narrative, they "wanted a place for players to feel safe."

They used sanded-off edges as one of their strategies, which Iona recognizes as a smart art direction choice from creative director Amanda. They "didn't want anything in the game to look sharp or pointy," she continues, emphasizing "rounded-off edges and friendly, chunky shapes" instead. Additionally, she says that the color schemes used were "very important in creating that sense of not only harmony but warmth throughout the environment and characters."

We were interested to know whether the developers drew inspiration for the scenery and people in Wylde Flowers from actual places, civilizations, or mythology because of the game's vibrant feeling of life. Iona affirms that "for the characters, [they] definitely did," and she goes on to say that "narrative lead Desiree has written an incredibly detailed backstory for every character in Wylde Flowers."

"All of that information was researched and based on real cultures, or in the case of a character like Aryel, folklore," the author adds, explaining how it was incorporated into the narrative or visualized in the character notions. They also collaborated with cultural advisors to make sure their portrayal was "accurate and respectful"; this considerate measure bears witness to the deep regard that Studio Dryrock and the Wylde Flowers development team have for their work.

Continuing on from this subject, Iona emphasizes that "inclusivity is an absolutely core part of the game" and says that "it was always at the top of the list when designing Wylde Flowers." According to her explanation, Wylde Flowers was developed "for people who don't often get to see themselves represented in games" and for those who don't often have access to "specifically created for them" games.

We had to question Iona and Riley if they felt the gaming industry as a whole was headed in the right way, given Wylde Flower's emphasis on diversity. Riley says that "there's been a positive shift recently" and that "the success of games like Wylde Flowers is a great step forward" and that "we're just at the beginning of seeing things change." While acknowledging that "some segments of the industry are starting to move in the right direction now," Iona emphasizes that "there's always more to do" and expresses her optimism that things will "continue to improve."

We were interested in knowing if Wylde Flowers' character and surroundings design stuck to their initial vision or changed over time. Riley notes that while "many elements of the game changed and evolved throughout the production," there wasn't much environment concept art; instead, artists were more likely to work from a "style guide."

She continues by saying that Riley had already designed the whole village when Ben O'Reilly joined the team as the first 3D artist. When creating the other places, this provided an excellent point of reference for the other environment painters. Remarkably, Riley feels that "the foliage was the aspect of the 3D art that changed the most". The reason for this is because the plants and trees underwent several versions due to the inability to utilize transparency on their textures, since it interfered with performance. Given that plants make up half of the game, as the name implies, this was a significant task!

Iona remembers that they "went through a few iterations towards the beginning of development" with regard to the general character design, adding that "the initial direction [she] took for the characters was less stylised and exaggerated." The group, however, felt that Wylde Flowers should go in a different direction and preferred a more emotive look, particularly with their facial motions.

Before settling on the present style, the team "explored a wide range of different options focusing on stylization and proportion" at this time. Once it was figured out, there wasn't much of a change in the design, but Iona had to redo a few early characters to make them fit the new aesthetic.

We were also interested in learning more about the creative process: did they create the settings and characters first, then build the tale around them, or the other way around? The quick answer, in Iona's view, is "a bit of both." When Iona began creating the character designs and 3D artist Ben O'Reily began creating the settings, there was "already some story."

After Desiree Cifre, a narrative designer, joined the group, "she created the giant character biographies and completely wrote the story from start to finish." The "story was firmly in place" at this stage, and they "used it to inform all [their] design choices," from characters to new landscapes, and even for objects like the town monument, as additional members of the team joined and further art was created.

Iona says that "it really starts with the narrative design of a character, and having a proper sense of who they are as a person" when it comes to giving the 3D models a sense of personality and a design to match. After hearing the backstories of the characters, "she could clearly picture them in her head so [she] didn't have to create too many concept variations of a character," according to the author. Following that, "it's just a matter of bringing that sense of a real personality to the other steps of the pipeline," as animator Mike and character modeller Soo-Ling expertly put it.

Every Wylde Flowers character has a house of their own, and many of them have stores in the village, which is a great reflection of who they are as individuals. Riley stated that "having character sheets for each character, so when [they] designed their homes or shops [they] had heaps to work with, but also had access to the people who actually wrote those characters" was "one of the best things about working in an indie studio," which he found to be true when designing these.

Riley discovered that, if you ask yourself, "how was that pot knocked over?," it was "hard not to create your own little narratives when you're creating environments." Had it been cleaned up, perhaps? According to her, "creating your own scenes within a scene adds more personality and strengthens the sense that these are real people."

It's fascinating to learn about the development process for the game after spending several hours stumbling onto Wylde Flowers' magnificent universe. "Watching words turn into concepts, to these funny little greybox characters [they] call jellybeans, and then into these amazing characters" was Riley's favorite aspect of the production process. Talking to the jellybeans always made her smile, she discovered, as they "had some funny placeholder lines while the writers were creating the real ones."

Riley shares a humorous story about his time spent developing Ravenwood Hollow, when they "only had concepts for the characters." Although what she says about "Peri having these awesome wings" and "Westley being quite tall in werewolf form" may seem wonderful, she also notes that "she had to create practical environments for them," which is a lot harder effort than it may appear. Character artist Soo-Ling was left in stitches when she "ended up taking some of the characters [they] already had and stretching them out to emulate the new concept characters so [she] could at least build doorways."

As previously indicated, Wylde Flowers began out as an Apple Arcade title before making its way to the PC and Switch. Riley said, "Actually on the art side we haven't had to change much," in response to our question about whether the team encountered any difficulties porting Wylde Flowers to other platforms. They added that they "built the game for all Apple devices so it looks great on 4K TVs as well as tiny phone screens." Consequently, they were forced to "incorporate a few extra polygons here and there, but nothing too drastic."

We wanted to find out whether Iona and Riley had a favorite character and, if yes, why, given the devoted and enthusiastic workforce at Wylde Flowers and the plethora of fascinating people they got to meet. Riley acknowledged that each member of the team has a favorite, and while she personally loves each character, Shelby is her favorite overall. You never quite know "when" he is talking about, which makes for some of the most fascinating discussion, she says. "I just love his entire look, and he's super sweet when you gift him his favorite things!"

Iona concurs that everyone has a favorite and emphasizes that it's difficult not to—all of us at PT do, after all. Since Iona has worked so closely with each character, it's difficult for her to choose a favorite. However, since Hazel is "more than a little mischievous," Iona will "always have a soft spot for her," saying, "I hope I can be half as cool when I'm her age!" We both think that Hazel is a true jewel.

With so few people, working on a project as personal as Wylde Flowers must be a very unforgettable experience filled with many successes and setbacks. We were interested in learning about Riley and Iona's particular highlights from the trip and what made it memorable.

granted that "being given an entire fantasy village is an environment artist's dream," Riley claims that working on Ravenwood Hollow was undoubtedly her favorite aspect of the production process. Riley remembers that at their very first team meeting, Iona presented the designs for Ravenwood Hollow, and Riley was amazed by how amazing it seemed. She continued, saying that "Iona and I actually got to work on that area together and it was a lot of fun sharing ideas," adding that "she couldn't have imagined in that moment that [she] eventually would be the one who got to make it."

Iona, on the other hand, cherished the opportunity to work on every facet, including creating VFX, locations, characters, and lighting. Nonetheless, she says that collaborating with the Wylde Flowers team was her favorite aspect of the trip. "It's been one of the best experiences of [her] career so far," she says, adding that "everyone is so talented and passionate, but most importantly friendly and kind."

The creative director Amanda Schofield responded, "Riley and Iona are busy building some truly special content updates we can't wait to tell you about," ensuring that we can expect to hear all about them after the Switch and PC release on September 20. Naturally, we had to inquire about what lay ahead for Wylde Flowers and Studio Dryrock as a whole.

Wylde Flowers is a very lovely game, and getting a behind-the-scenes look at the team's enthusiasm for the game just serves to deepen our affection for it. We really appreciate Riley and Iona taking the time to speak with us and provide such thoughtful, in-depth responses; it has been a true pleasure.

See more from Riley and Iona's Art Station accounts to see more from the amazing girls we spoke with here. On September 20, 2022, Wylde Flowers will be available for purchase on Steam and the Nintendo eShop. Alternatively, if you would want to learn more before making a purchase, you can read our Wylde Flowers review.