Four Guardians
This project is a world-building concept and pitch bible for a story-driven 2.5D adventure game. It follows Cheong-ah, a young woman who disguises herself as a boy after being blamed for her grandmother’s death and exiled from the royal family. Guided by four spirit guardians, she journeys across a divided kingdom to restore balance and reclaim her destiny. Inspired by Korean folklore and mythology, the game combines fantasy storytelling with emotional themes of identity, courage, and redemption.
Role
Creator, Visual Development Artist
Created with
Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, Procreate
Logline
When spirit guardians reveal to a young woman that she is the key to saving her kingdom, she must return home to stop her cousin from taking the throne.
Overview
Four Guardians is a story-driven 2.5D adventure game concept inspired by Korean mythology. It follows Cheong-ah, a young woman who disguises herself as a boy after being blamed for her grandmother’s death and exiled from the royal family. Guided by four guardian spirits, she travels across a divided kingdom to purify corrupted beings, uncover her identity, and reclaim her destiny. The project blends traditional folklore with modern storytelling, focusing on themes of courage, faith, and self-discovery.
Run Down
The game combines exploration and emotional storytelling across diverse regions of the kingdom. Players experience key moments such as Cheong-ah’s identity being exposed, her near-death fall from a cliff, and her fateful contract with the White Tiger guardian. Each region reflects a distinct cultural and environmental motif inspired by Korean tradition, including famine-stricken lands, coastal villages, and mountain shrines. As the story unfolds, Cheong-ah restores balance to both the spirits and her own heart.
Visual Direction
The visual direction of Four Guardians is inspired by Korean traditional art and nature. Each guardian spirit represents a symbolic element such as water, fire, wind, and earth, reflected through color palettes and environmental design. I focused on blending painterly textures with 2.5D composition to create depth and harmony between folklore and modern fantasy.
Map
Baegho Territory
Most temperate region, rich from river systems, the wealthiest
Recent widespread plant death incidents
Cheonglyong Territory
Harbor development, primary industry is fishing, strong sea winds
Prevalence of cliff faces, narrow sleeves in clothing
Drought occurrences
Hyunmoo Territory
Closed-minded nature, prophetic family, Queen’s maternal side
Mining industry, large iron production, developed weapon crafting
Cold climate, famine outbreaks
Jujag Territory
Hot spring industry development, long-sleeve fashion for ventilation
Harbor trade, thriving foreign commerce
Sea whirlpools occurrence
Character and Costume Design
I explored multiple color variations to find the balance between personality, symbolism, and harmony with the world’s atmosphere. Each costume design reflects the cultural influence of the kingdom and the elemental traits of the guardians. Through this process, I aimed to visually express Cheong-ah’s transformation and emotional growth throughout her journey.
Environment and Prop Design
I designed the house thumbnails and props to reflect the culture and atmosphere of the kingdom. Each structure and object carries symbolic meaning related to its region, inspired by traditional Korean architecture and crafts. Through variations in color, texture, and form, I aimed to express how different environments and materials shape the characters’ lives and emotional tone of the story.
Style Frame Development
I created a series of thumbnails to explore lighting, composition, and emotional tone before refining them into final style frames. Each frame represents a key moment in Cheong-ah’s journey, using color and atmosphere to convey the story’s tension and mood. Through this process, I focused on how light, texture, and scale could express the world’s mysticism and the character’s internal transformation.
