Glamour Spell – the making of a Pendula Swing episode

We are getting ready to release Pendula Swing Episode 5 – Glamour Spell, on May 16, which is precisely one month from now. You can already wishlist this episode here <3

Glamour Spell unlocks the Entertainment District and grants Brialynne the access to the speakeasy in Old Town. This is the episode most focused on the glamour and elegance of the American Roaring 1920s, allowing you as Brialynne to “party like the great Gatsby“. We want to bring forth all the opulence and vibe of the 20s! Expect pearls and headbands, swing music, sequin dresses, a fancy department store, a barber shop, a shady quest to gain access to the (in)famous speakeasy, and even more illicit dwarven ale.

We are having a lot of fun building this new episode and so we thought we would give you a visual glimpse into what it takes to make it!

We already knew, roughly, what areas we will build and what they will contain when we started to work on Pendula Swing. Stil, every month or so we review the concepts we have and improve them. For Glamour Spell, we started by making concepts on how we want the Entertainment District, the Department Store and the Speakeasy to look like.

Pendula Swing Episode 5 - Glamour Spell

Pendula Swing Episode 5 - Glamour SpellPendula Swing Episode 5 - Glamour Spell

Pendula Swing Episode 5 - Glamour Spell

Besides concepting areas, we also prepare concepts for new characters, outfits or important elements that have an impact on the story or are visual actors in building this fantasy version of the Roaring 1920s. For Glamour Spell, of course we focused a lot on 1920s glamour fashion, and since elves are seen as the beautiful sex symbols of those times, they get extra attention.

Pendula Swing Episode 5 - Glamour Spell

When we start to build an area, we typically follow this process: first we add elements used in previous episodes that we can reuse, then we focus on the Must Haves which are central, important assets to highlight that chapter, including the tweaking and improving of reusables, and then we focus on nice-to-haves – which is a long and ever growing list. So this is how one Pendula Swing area – in this case, the Entertainment District – looks like when first in game.

Pendula Swing Episode 5 - Glamour Spell

Then we focus on the inside areas and detailing. Here are a few very work in progress glimpses into a more advanced Entertainment District and the Speakeasy.

Pendula Swing Episode 5 - Glamour Spell

Pendula Swing Episode 5 - Glamour Spell

Starting with Episode 5, we also want to represent our fans, especially if they never really felt represented in the games they play. Here is a character we are building for one of them – we found inspiration in her both from an aesthetic perspective, but also for this character’s story and the fact that she has a cat in Pendula Swing.

Pendula Swing Episode 5 - Glamour Spell

If you feel underrepresented in game and would like us to create a character in Pendula Swing in your name, tell us on Discord, Twitter or Facebook! And if you like what you see, please consider wishlisting Pendula Swing Episode 5 – Glamour Spell, on Steam!