Designing Fred's world
Why MEKAI Games uses hand-drawn characters, strange locations, and dark comedy to make every duel recognizable.
ยท Fabio Festa and Pietro Carnevale
Fred is not a traditional hero
Fred is an ordinary unlucky person trapped in increasingly absurd fights. His world needs to feel grounded enough to recognize and strange enough to make every new opponent a surprise.
The hand-drawn style lets us keep imperfections, exaggerate expressions, and give each location its own visual rhythm.
The mechanic must stay visible
Art direction cannot hide the game. Hands, enemy states, rewards, cards, and shop choices need clear silhouettes and hierarchy even when the scene is detailed.
We treat readability as part of the illustration process instead of adding it after the artwork is finished.
A world worth expanding
The format gives us room for new enemies, locations, events, and visual jokes without changing the core rule. Each addition should feel like another piece of Fred's unlucky journey.
Future devlogs will show more of this process as new material becomes ready to share.