DA'AJAB7AD

Introduction Word 3

Art Direction 74
London 4

Posters 82
Thames Port 15

Casebook Sketches 85
Black Edelweiss 27

Screenshots 91
New Orleans 39
Game Logo 97

Lighthouse 48
Frogwares During the War 103
Insanity 62
 IA/AflA7dAMABA7A/Afld

Take a glimpse into the making of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened. A process
where we did our best to combine the sophisticated and timeless Victorian world
created by Arthur Conan Doyle together with the dark and mind-shattering
atmosphere of the Cthulhu Mythos, brought to life by HP Lovecraft.

With over 100 pages of concept art, sketches, and final renders, the art book
delivers a look into the creative process that gave form to The Awakened.
A collection of carefully crafted environments, intriguing characters, and
everything in between that is needed to make a game world come to life
throughout a project.

Whether you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes or Cthulhu Mythos or just appreciate

art, we hope this book has something to offer. So, grab a cup of tea, sit back, and
enjoy this journey through the world of Sherlock Holmes The Awakened.
 LA7A/AW¶LAHA/AV7AGA/A¥A¢RaA/

One of the more final pieces in the art direction process. These concepts were drawn exclusively for the atmosphere of daytime
London to illustrate what we had mainly settled on as a team at this point. These were then shared with the wider development team
as a clear benchmark on what we all want to aim for.

5 London
6 London
 IA/A¡AWSAA¢A'A7cAYAGdWAL7A/}AQAaflAWAWGAW

This was one of the locations we knew for sure would carry over
from the original game so we did our best to keep quite a few
elements of the layout the same as a bit of a tribute. On top of that,
the main goal is to depict a recognizable Victorian interior with
an air of coziness with the fireplace light.

7 London
 WaAWAG}AQRA7A Watson’s gloomy room inside Sherlock and John’s
shared apartment on Baker Street. The room was
created primarily for cinematic purposes and was
redone to look nearly identical to the one in the original
2007 release of The Awakened.

LA7A/AVGDAyA⁄A
Since most of the overall mood of the game was
established from the original release, we had a lot
of the art direction already determined for us. That,
plus the circumstances of the game being made during
a period of war meant we didn’t have as much time and
freedom to experiment with other ideas. That said,
we did at least try to see if moving away from
the constant “gloom and morbidity” in London, even
if just for a moment, would work. The idea did not
blend well with the rest of the game so it was quite
quickly dropped.

8 London
 LA7A/AVGAWNAA¥AW
The story of The Awakened has us come to London
twice, with the second time being under much more
dire circumstances. So, we decided to set these later
London locations at night so we could further turn up
the sense of gloom and dread beyond what we’d already
done with the earlier daytime locations.

9 London
 LA7A/AW¶LAHA/AV7AG
Another dire day in Victorian London. This concept
was created to help reinforce that the team knew the
atmospheric direction we wanted to go in as the opening
London levels set the stage for the rest of the game.

10 London
 This is one of the first concepts
BaA$AWSAMAJA¢eAMNABAM of Baker Street at night as we tried
to nail down the exact emotions,
light, and mood we were hoping
to apply to the rest of London.

An example of what we were

looking for when it comes to the
overall art direction. Here we tried
to draw a dark day on Baker Street.
Later, this idea was abandoned,
as everything was too similar
to the night, and we already had
the concepts for the night done.

11 London
 BaA$AWSAMAJA¢eALAAJA¶
We abandoned the idea of a library on Baker Street
quite early in production. The room would have
required quite a lot of work from multiple teams
to make it feel like a genuine library. The idea was
repurposed to be a bookshop so it could be smaller
and easier to make.

LA7A/AVGBAHA7A$A¥AL
After it was decided to ditch the library we created
the bookstore. Even this image is repurposed as it took quite
a few elements from an earlier library concept art.
12 London
 LA7A/AVGLAdAWMAWABAe
Additional iterations in search of the final colors and silhouettes
of the female NPC outfits we would then populate our locations with.

SAeA'AcAYAGdWaAL/PAAHAWA'e

AJA7AyAWLQSAABA'e
Concept of an upper-class English lady
who is meant to have an air
of sadness to her. We eventually did not
use this concept in production,
as there were some conceptual and
Various iterations in our search for the main attire for Sherlock and Watson. The guiding principle here visual inaccuracies.
was not to deviate too much from the established and known “Victorian” style, but still add a little bit
of flair and extravagance to make the characters stand out from the crowd.

13 London
 LA7A/AVGLAdAWPAflAHAWA(eA
Concept art detailing the various styles of female Victorian outfits we might place on our NPCS. The outfits range from those worn
by the rich upper class, right through to prostitutes working the streets of London. Much of these were modeled off of documented
historical designs but we then experimented more with the actual colors to make them easier to distinguish.

14 London
 ANAAMAWA¥A¢PA[b
Concept piece to help further steer the team on the type
of lighting we wanted to achieve with the pub location.

MaA/AGAAfldeA

16 Thames Port
 TAsA7LA¢HeAflA¢AQ
Our intention here was to capture the feeling of two detectives
who seem to have lost their way in their investigation. The only
way forward is to go down the stairs into the „unknown”
to continue their journey. The composition of the buildings
was done in such a way that all attention was focused
on the characters.

17 Thames Port
 Concept art for the entrance to the underground temple located at Warehouse 12.
WaAJAWHA[ALWBQeAWGAW Markings in an ancient language, mystical hands, and the profiles of nightmarish
creatures are all there to give the player the impression they have come across
something detached from the current time period and that something dark and
ominous awaits them beyond that door.

18 Thames Port
 TAaAWLPAHAJAWaAflAWHA[AW0H
This is Warehouse 12, where Sherlock and Watson first discover
the secret entrance to the underground temple. The look
and design is based on the classic interiors of old London
warehouses.

19 Thames Port
 Cobbled factory streets cluttered with bins, crates, and other debris near the harbor.
TAaAWLPAHAJASAMAJeAW Only one pub in the whole area offers workers any bit of respite at the end of grueling
work shifts. The idea was to depict an atmosphere of loneliness and nothingness
in a time when the industrial revolution was in high gear and workers were treated
as resources to be used up.

20 Thames Port
 TAaAWLPAHAJAE“baADA.AWM
Thames Port, a typical non-central
London embankment, where factories
and warehouses line the same waters
that people fish from to have any sort
of livelihood.

TAaAWLPAHAJA
DA7AsAIANAJ
The Thames Port area was one
of the art team’s favorite locations
to work on. Recreating 1880s
industrial London but with a heightened
emphasis on the gloom and
desperation of the time period. These
feelings then naturally blended in with
the horror feel of the whole game.

21 Thames Port
22 Thames Port
 IA/A¥eTAAJA¢AGAWADHA·A/A7Afl
Another concept that illustrates the search for the intended atmosphere and mood, this time with our hero
part of the scenery to see that his attention-grabbing profile still sits well within the gloomy environments.

23 Thames Port
 IA/A¡AWWA¢PA[A
The interior of an old pub where the intention here was to show a worn and mysterious establishment. But the overall effect felt more like a rustic
and charming place to unwind, so we didn’t get it exactly right. However, thanks to clear art direction and lighting, we were able to successfully
achieve this in the game itself when recreating this location.

HA7A.AW¶A7A“HAA.A¢
The home of a poor Nepalese immigrant
family who temporarily settled in London.

24 Thames Port
The vagabond signs and symbols used to mark warehouses in Thames Port.

25 Thames Port
 MeA/A'AQA'A[A.PAABeAGAWAPAflA7AWA(AW
Various iterations and styles for the straitjackets to be worn by the patients in the Mental Asylum
location. Since the clothes patients would wear were always going to default to beige or white,
loose-fitting clothing, we decided to at least get a little creative with the straitjackets.

27 Black Edelweiss
 MeA/A'AQA'A[A.AflANA.
In the original game, the atrium had a few gameplay moments
attached to it. However, in our remake, we shifted those moments
to other locations. Despite the room now not being needed, we still
put time and effort into remaking it. It is a notable area in the layout
of the whole asylum and it almost felt like we would be taking away
from the memory of the original game if we were to cut it.
28 Black Edelweiss
 WaAWAG}AQRA7AMAWAeLyA“
We thought a lot about the rooms in the Asylum, as these weren’t meant
to be just dire cells where people are tossed away, which was something that
might have been seen in the original. The idea is the hospital is making some
genuine attempt to accommodate and help some of its patients. On the flip
side, we needed to avoid it feeling like some holiday retreat. In the end,
we struck upon the idea of using very old and ominous decorative pieces
to place around the interiors. That way it feels like the rooms are there for
people to intentionally live in, but still avoid it looking like a relaxing, 5-star hotel.
29 Black Edelweiss
 OA/A¥eTAJABAMA7AWAWLyANA“
This concept art of the scene where Holmes and Watson travel to the Mental
Asylum in the Swiss Alps was created to assist the cinematic team. The main
idea here was to capture the sense of loneliness that has befallen the detective
duo. The choice of an almost empty carriage was to give the feeling that their
destination is one not many people willingly travel to.

30 Black Edelweiss
 TAeA¶A(ARA¢AeLAHAG Concept of the reception in the Asylum. The intention here was to give a sense scale
that the hospital is quite a sprawling facility, but nothing that might feel grand or
luxurious, let alone be seen as overly welcoming. Various medieval elements were
incorporated to keep with the idea of being able to use old, ominous decorations
throughout the location.

31 Black Edelweiss
 AQA'A[A.PAABAMA/AL
Decorative art that hangs throughout the Asylum location.
The main goal was to have a collection of artworks all set
in a gloomy, winter theme, to heighten the sense of cold
and isolation that the entire location is built around.

32 Black Edelweiss
33 Black Edelweiss
 AQA'A[A.BA¢A“eA/A
The first visual iteration of the Asylum basement. The obvious
inspirations here were medieval dungeons, places you do not
ever want to find yourself in, let alone when in a medical facility.

34 Black Edelweiss
 We created this piece for the cinematic team, but the idea was cut as there was no time to create
TAeA¶A(A}AQEAMeAJAHA such a complex exterior in the game for what would have amounted to a few seconds in a cutscene.

BacAYA£AWA¢ALyA[A“
As players would begin to explore the areas of the Asylum
where patients aren’t allowed, we started dropping more
hints that this facility has some truly sinister secrets.
Questionable treatments, restating people using medieval
techniques, placing certain people out of sight from
all the other patients.

35 Black Edelweiss
 PAJA7AWLQAHAGA¶Aa}AQOA„AeGAWA¢ALyA[A“
The main office of Professor Gygax needed to match her character - sinister, dark, and
troubling. In terms of the decorations for the office, the team felt they nailed it. But due
to the warm glow from the fireplace, there was a clash of feel here. With the right lighting
tricks though, the intended mood was captured once we started building the location in-engine.
36 Black Edelweiss
TAeA¶A(AKABAMcAeAG
A very basic concept piece for the kitchen location.
Since these types of kitchens never really had much in the
sense of decorations or intricate interiors, we decided to keep
things simple here.

37 Black Edelweiss
 Upscale New Orleans concept. This was another attempt at having at least one location
NeAsOAA'AW/ASA[AGAQAGA¢ feel warm and welcoming to give the player a bit of a visual respite. As with the London
attempt, the idea didn’t blend well with the whole game so it was dropped.

39 New Orleans
 IA/AeflcAA¶NA¢AsOAA'eA/A
Even more emphasis on the heat and chaos of the place with
vagabonds lining the streets. The buildings are modeled off
of early 19th-century architecture prevalent in the USA,
much of which has remained preserved in New Orleans
to this day. Inner city New Orleans 41.
40 New Orleans
 NeAsOAA'AW/A
BA7AWBAAHAMAe
At some point during his investigations in New Orleans,
Sherlock learns that a local prostitute might have some
crucial information. This concept piece is for
the Louisiana Nymph, a floating brothel anchored
in the main port. As with much of the art direction
of New Orleans, the emphasis here was on a feel of
scorching heat and grime that dominated anything else
that might resemble any sense of order and progress.

Upon leaving New Orleans, Sherlock encounters something he can’t explain

TAeBAACaA/qIA/NeAOAflA(AWL or rationalize, but he leaves with a book written in an unknown language that might
hold some answers. On the trip back to London, Sherlock was meant to obsess over
the book in his cabin. This concept piece was created for that exact cutscene which
would have shown Sherlock’s further fall into madness. However, the scene was
eventually cut from the game due to production time constraints.

41 New Orleans
 AMaA/ASAHAIAMAcAAG AMaA/ASAMAWA[AW
A portrait of Arneson while hunting. Located in his residence. Arneson’s portrait painting that is located in his residence.

42 New Orleans
 TAeCAA“ALAGe}AQHA7A¢AGNAWAsOAA'A¢aA/APAAflAW

The chapters set in New Orleans are the only time when our locations have any rays of actual sunshine. However,
to counteract any feelings that things here might be comfortable, we wanted to portray the bayou towns as places
of dire poverty, disorder, and chaos wrapped in almost relentless heat and humidity.

43 New Orleans
 HeAJAHA£AWAeSA·A.AL
For the swamp areas of the “American South”, the main focus
was placed on atmosphere, lighting, and color. From there, later
iterations were done mainly by playing with the light till we finally
landed on the desired atmosphere for our isolated backwater
Louisiana areas.

44 New Orleans
 SAWeATA¥AQWATAflAra AW¢Afl
The dock that greets players when they first come
to the isolated island in the heart of the swamps.
The idea was to show the player that something frantic
is happening here on the island, but away from prying eyes.

45 New Orleans
 OA[AWAMA¢BaANAL
A bayou swamp house. This is one of our
first-ever concepts for the swamp area.

46 New Orleans
 LAAMHAANAQeLAWAL¢AQ
Lens concept for the top of the lighthouse. We tweaked and finalized
this mechanism in-engine to emphasize to the player that this is a complex
object that will require you to investigate.

48 Lighthouse
LAAMANAeGAWA¢SAMA7AJA
Concept piece for the upper part of the Lighthouse
location. The intention was to show both the real and
metaphorical emotional storm that the characters
were going through.

49 Lighthouse
 SAeA'AcAYALMA¢daA'AHA/
Various ideas for Sherlock’s medallion which is used to open a series of secret
doors that you come across throughout the game.

50 Lighthouse
 TAeLA¥AWAHA[ALWRAHcAeALWAWRAHA7A“
The Lighthouse location was redesigned quite a bit during
development. Instead of one giant room as depicted here,
we eventually broke it down into smaller rooms. Nonetheless,
this image still proved very useful as most of the elements were
divided up and used to finalize the look and layout
of the individual rooms.

51 Lighthouse
 TAeLA¥AWAHA[ALW
Early in development, there was an idea to possibly replace
the Lighthouse location that you encounter in the original game
with something else. So, this very first concept piece for
the Lighthouse was drawn almost at random, as we still didn’t
know if the location would be included in the final game. But
the team eventually really gravitated to the idea of keeping all
the notable locations the same, and concept pieces like this
helped to inspire that decision.

52 Lighthouse
 LAAMANAeGAWA¢MaAGA(A¡
During the redesign of the Lighthouse location, we considered
having the lighthouse being attached to the overall level
so players could reach it at various points in the chapter.
This idea was later canceled and we reverted to the idea
of having the Lighthouse on a lone, isolated island.

53 Lighthouse
 TAeLA¥AWAHA[ALWE/AflA/Ae
The ominous entrance to the Lighthouse with faceless
sphinxes flanking both sides of the door. Faceless sphinxes
appear repeatedly in Lovecraft’s texts, most notably
as the avatar of the Eldritch god Nyarlathotep.

54 Lighthouse
TAeDAAHAG}AQLaA
A room that was meant to signal to the player that the Dagon
cult once resided here. This idea felt a little misaligned with
the HP Lovecraft mythos, so we redesigned the pool and lair
into a summoning ceremony area where the Dagon’s followers
would instead come and pray to the being.

55 Lighthouse
Another pass at the cave
location wherein this time
we tried to make them look
a bit more jagged and rough.
But it was decided this went
a bit overboard and didn’t
correspond to the Lovecraft
canon of cults that were
meant to feel established and
centuries old. As a result,
we settled on iterations
where there was a better
sense of human presence
carved into the walls.

56 Lighthouse
 CA7A.AWIAALBAHdeY A[DAAJA¢
This is the original iteration for the entranceway to the cave location. We focused
on adding a clear feel of mysticism to this area. The hordes of pirate-era-like wealth laying
strewn around were added to show that this spot had been used for centuries, to once
again give the feel that you are encountering something or someone with a history that
dates back far beyond Sherlock’s lifetime.

57 Lighthouse
Our second iteration of the cave location, wherein this time we got rid of the medieval-looking
cage and replaced it with bas-relief sculptures. Later in development, we ended up dividing
this room into two, reverting to the cage and replacing the bas-reliefs with frescoes.

58 Lighthouse
 DA7AsAGAWAHA¥eCArA¢A This is one of the trap caves that Watson and Sherlock fall into. We were aiming for a look
and feel that conveyed these caverns were transformed by people for something sinister,
with hints of the supernatural also taking place down here.

59 Lighthouse
 MA7A/A¢AGAWA7AMAWD7AG
This is one of our first iterations of our Dagon statue. The creature is first
mentioned by Lovecraft in the short story “Dagon”, where it appears
as a gigantic statue in the dreams of a troubled military officer. Described
as a giant amphibious humanoid sea creature in later stories, the Dagon
is considered a key deity in the Great Old One’s mythos. For that reason, MA7A/A¢AGAWA7AMAWD7AGII
we felt this first attempt seemed too slimmed down compared to the more Our 2nd pass at the Dagon monument. Our team was happy with
monumental descriptions in Lovecraft’s texts. this version as it more closely matched the canonical descriptions
Lovecraft wrote and also looked more like an actual statue rather
than a live creature.

60 Lighthouse
 TAJADAQ
A7ATAAWMABAGd
Concepts of some of the main
gameplay elements that could
appear in the insanity sequences.

62 Insanity
 A(A7AWBAGA.ASA7A'AWANAVe
Illustration from a series of paintings and sketches
we made on the theme of insanity where we were trying
to capture the loneliness of such a state of mind.

63 Insanity
 SAeA'AcAY}AQBA7ADAW/MABA¡MA7A/A¢AGAW
One of the many concept pieces we created as we looked
for inspiration for the parts of the game depicting Sherlock’s
downward spiral into insanity as he discovers the truth about
the Eldritch gods. Here, the inspiration is a huge monolith
dedicated to the Great Old Ones, the most omnipotent
of Lovecraft’s behemoth gods.

64 Insanity
 TAeLA¡AHAIAALa/A¶
Here we were trying to explore various options for how the playable environment in the insanity
sections might look. The team tried many different shapes, silhouettes, and structures as we searched
for the right balance between the feeling of loneliness, while on the verge of real and surreal.

65 Insanity
 ADed¶PAAWA
This insanity sequence appears in the game as the pathways with
the swinging axes. In this instance, we preferred not to draw the axes
themselves into the concept as these were already decided on. Rather
we focused on getting the rest of the location’s look and feel nailed
down as this was still in a debate at this point of development.

66 Insanity
 LaA/AV£FAJAMAAGdA
Created as part of a series of insanity paintings. Originally used to help steer the art
direction, these were later added into the game as paintings Sherlock would comment
on to add an element of foreshadowing.

IA/AaGAWAKA¢A¶AQA7AGAWQ
Very early and simple render of the stone slots for keys
that appear in our insanity sequences. Even though it’s
just a rock with sharp spikes, it took quite a few iterations
to make them look like part of the environment, but also
noticeable enough to locate while playing.

67 Insanity
LAAMANAeGMAyNAA¥AWAflA¢AQ

When designing the insanity sections, we wanted to bring in elements that the player encountered in the real
world so that there was this sense of blurred reality. The real mixing in with the surreal. The most notable
element we could think of is of course the lighthouse, as it played a key role in the story and wouldn’t have been
something players maybe saw in the background.

68 Insanity
69 Insanity
70 Insanity
 These symbols were originally meant to just be location decorations. Eventually, they were also adopted
into the actual insanity puzzles. We had one set of simple symbols while the others were more complex
and couldn’t immediately determine which would work best till we saw both in-game. After testing,
we opted for the simplified versions.

71 Insanity
 BA(ADA/AIAGAQaAMAy
Series of drawings for the 2D animation of an eye that blinks during the insanity
puzzles. The whole animation is made up of 16 frames that then loops.

72 Insanity
 MaA/AHAGA/A¥AWLABAM
One of our main art direction benchmark images. At the beginning of the project, we invested a lot of time
in concepts like these that would help guide the team throughout the rest of the concept phase. The most
powerful tool for conveying the right atmosphere is lighting, so lighting concepts like these were made first.

TAsA7SAAV¢AL
AWA7A¥AWCBAWA
Going deeper into the search
for the right lighting and
atmosphere to guide the rest
of the process. Here we were
using London during the day
and contrasting it with the
night to firmly establish that
we need the day to be equally
brooding and grim.

74 Art direction
 TAaAWLPAHAJASeAJAWL
Lighting art direction exploration in Thames
Port. The team was now starting to bring
in more elements of horror and Eldritch
mystery into the process.

75 Art direction
 LeAWYAANAIA“aAMA/RANAWAA'd
Concept piece for imagination spheres or sequences. These spheres were used to easily present the intended feel
of Sherlock’s mind during the investigation of the crime scene. In the final execution, we focused on making sure
these spheres corresponded with our art direction and didn’t come across as too fantasy-like.

76 Art direction
A7Y AJMABA¡AQPAA¶ABA/ATAflAcAYAL/AHY A[
The effect of an overactive imagination. We tried various VFX
options for this idea and in the end settled on the green/blue
glow to again avoid being overly fantasy-looking.

77 Art direction
 LA7A$HAA¡eAJSAAWflA(AHAD
This concept was one of our first, early iterations in the search
for the visual look and feel of Sherlock’s Concentration Mode.

CA7A/AWGAWAMeSAAW'AHcAY
A series of visual options for Sherlock’s concentration mode
when he is investigating certain crime scenes.
The team eventually went with the 3rd option from the left.

78 Art direction
 ArE eA¶PA(A¢A¥aAQ
AWAOA·A/CA7AflAQ
This is where our art direction mostly starts -
developing the color palette for each location. First,
it was just palettes, then concepts were drawn, then
ideas were implemented in the engine with the help
of lighting and various VFX.

79 Art direction
 A[C A(ALWPAAHAWA'eAQ

We went through many iterations of the cultist characters before we found what we were looking for.
On top of this, we struggled to decide on the main emotion we wanted them to convey. So, for quite some
time we created images of emaciated people wrapped in rags covering their faces.

80 Art direction
82 Posters
83 Posters
 Sketch of the Baker Street Bookshop

85 Casebook Sketches
 Sketch of the ring which opens the secret The sketch in Ashmat’s casebook that players find
door to the Arneson residence. at the exterior location of the Lighthouse.

86 Casebook Sketches
Sketch of the investigation that took place in Arneson’s residence. Casebook sketch of Asylum prisoner.

87 Casebook Sketches
 Sketch of a barmaid in the port pub. Padlock sketch for a casebook. Baker Street location.

88 Casebook Sketches
 A…aAJAHAflAWAeDflA.A

A proposed alternative style of sketches Sherlock would make in his Sketch of a lizard found in a secret room in Arneson’s
casebook. In the end, we opted for the style and design you see in- residence where the creature’s eye holds a lock.
game that is predominantly grey and feels like genuine sketches vs
overly stylized images.

89 Casebook Sketches
91 Screenshots
92 Screenshots
93 Screenshots
94 Screenshots
95 Screenshots
97 Game Logo
 KeAyAMGAJeAVAAflABaAWAHA A variant of our key art in grey. It was made as an additional option to try emphasize our
two heroes more. In the end, it was not used in any of our promotional materials.

98 Game Logo
 DeAQAYMALIAAHAG

Variations of the game icon that would appear on people’s PC desktops once
they installed the game. In the end, we settled on option 1.

99 Game Logo
 SAA LeA'DedAMA/
AWA7A'OA[AJKAADAQAflAWeAB$A¢AL
This artbook and very much the game itself, would not be what it is today were
it not for your support. Your belief and backing helped make this all possible
during a time of great turmoil for our team and country.

You kept our team motivated and inspired through some of our darkest times,
and we will be forever grateful to all of you for this. Know that you have all
written yourselves into the history and future of our studio.

Thank you again for your support. It means the world to us.
ARTIST CREDITS
CA7A/AWIAWAM
Vladisv Chenchik

Heln Ilnytska

terynaK Shpak

HDAJALWA
Marin Orlova

Svitlan Guncheko

jdaNe Strijkova

Mariy Sholudchenk

adimV Chepurnoi
 FAJA7A·AJA¢AD[AflA/AMA¢WaA
Throughout the making of Sherlock Holmes the Awakened,
our team had to live with the chaos and devastation of war.

These photographs and stories are just a handful of moments captured

during this time by some of us.

Like the various sketches, concept arts and digital paintings shown throughout
this book, these images and stories will forever be part of our game’s history.

102 Frogwares During the War

 For some on the team, the war came to their doorstep already in 2014
with the invasion of Donbas and Crimea.

103 Frogwares During the War

 SeAJA¶ OAAeLyA\PA[bAALBA⁄
I grew up in Donetsk and was planning most of my life
there. When the invasion in 2014 started I was a journalist,
working with local and international crews to help report
on the situation.

I was at the wreckage of Malaysian Airlines 17, interviewed

members of Ukrainian Army Volunteer groups and
documented some of the destruction. Eventually it was
clear that peace would not come to my home anytime
soon and so me and my family left almost everything we
had and moved to Kyiv to start life again.

February 2022 I found myself in the same nightmare

again, only able to take what I could carry and forced
to flee. I spent a month in refugee points in the west
of Ukraine until finally coming back to Kyiv in April
2022. There was a moment of calm that summer but
then in winter we went through the ongoing missile and
suicide drone attacks that were targeting our electricity
infrastructure.

104 Frogwares During the War

 GeAJABAD“ABA/ADAyA\AA/AMABA7A/
I’m from Mariupol so I personally saw what “russian bombed to rubble even after civilians clearly said
peace” looks like back in 2014. Drunks armed with it was filled with sheltering kids. The messages
guns vying for power, looting, pseudo-referendums, of desperation and pain I would get from friends
burning streets and armored vehicles occupying and family trapped in the city. And worst of all, the
our city. After a few months the separatists were news about my father dying, a victim of the cold
driven out and our city was returned to Ukraine. and hunger brought on by the russians. It was 4
It was around this time that I decided to move to months before my family could give him a proper
Kyiv but the rest of my family decided to remain burial in a ceremony I was unable to attend.
in Mariupol. When I left, I knew this war wasn’t
over and that someday it would catch me up. That’s
exactly what happened in 2022. I cannot describe how broken I feel, but doing
everything I can to help ensure victory helps keep
I, like many people across the country, were me stay sane.
preparing for this though. Emergency bags were
packed and plans were made. Everybody could see
the horde of soldiers knocking on our borders. But
what I wasn’t prepared for the sheer psychological
shock and devastation of it all. To wake up to
explosions outside your window, to see tanks
shooting at civilian cars and buildings, cruise missiles
flying above my head. Or watching in horror as my
entire hometown was turned into a pile of stones
and rubble. The historic Mariupol Drama Theatre

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Separatists broke into the Military Unit station to seize guns. Captured building of the Mariupol City Executive Committee.
That spring, my war in Mariupol started. (2014) (2014)

Burned Privat Bank building. (2014) Scenes from the sham Donetsk People’s Republic
independence referendum. (2014)

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 Armed Forces of Ukraine liberating Mariupol. (2014) Metinvest employees clearing Georgiivska street of makeshift
barricades left by separatists. (2014)

„Milana” mural view at Mariupol Freedom Square. It all likely

no longer exists, as with most of the city. The photo was
taken during my last trip to my hometown in November 2021.
Returning of the Ukrainian flag to its proper place in Mariupol
Freedom Square (2014)

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 In memory of
Dominskiy Nikolai Nikolaevich.
His spirit will always be remembered.

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 MaAJAOAflA(A7A\DeAQAG

Defensive perimeters on the outskirts of Kyiv.

Kyiv, February 24, the first night in March 20, evacuation by train
the „bomb shelter” which was the to the west of Ukraine.
nearest open basement in our area.

Summer 2022.
A missile hits Lviv
close to where we
were living.

A bus stop near our house in Kyiv

after being hit by shrapnel.

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 NadABaSAAflAyA¥A$A7A\CA7A/AWIAWAM

Kyiv, February 24, the first night The first days of the war, we took
in the „bomb shelter” which was shelter in the basement of our
the nearest open basement in our building.
Helped run a free drawing classes area.
for children in an evacuation center in the town of Ostroh.

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 My work (canvas, oil) „Returning.”

My work (canvas, oil) „Paths of Fate.”

My work (canvas, oil) „I’ll be back.”

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 OA$AaGAJY A7A¥AWrADA\MaA/A¢A“eA/A
The war came to us as we slept. I was awakened by
distant explosions that seemed to repeat one after
the other. Car alarms around the neighborhood began
going off, adding to the rising wall of noise. My husband
and our 6-month-old infant son were sleeping next
to me, while my 8-year-old son was in the other room.

In silence, my husband and I checked the news

on our phones, trying to comprehend if what we
were hearing outside was indeed what we feared.
Eventually, reality hit us hard. It was a full-scale
war. My mind went into overdrive on what to do
next. Do we run away? If so, where to and when?
What do we take with us? What should we tell
our son? We had been warned many times to be
ready for this, but we were so naive that we didn’t
even pack an emergency backpack. As if preparing
For eight days we slept March 4, 2022 (9th day
for the event would somehow make it manifest. in the corridor away of the war) evacuation
from the windows. from Kyiv.
I spent the whole morning looking out the window,
seeing neighbors driving away while were still
figuring out what to do. Most of that day is a hazy

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 memory. Long queues formed at shops, ATMs, and
petrol stations. Everyone was on the phone, trying
to figure out what to do and where to go. We all
Reunited with grandpa
after so many months had the same questions: Where are they attacking
of war from? Where should we go? How do we leave Kyiv
if there’s shelling on the road? We started hearing
that people leaving via the Zhytomyr highway in their
cars were getting shot at and killed by russian troops.
We couldn’t take the risk, so we made the decision
to stay put. We were paralyzed by fear of making
the wrong choice and having nowhere else to go.

On the eighth day of the war, a neighbor and long-

time friend reached out and offered my family
a lifeline. She was in a small village where her
parents lived and found us a house there. It was
old and without amenities, but it was much quieter
The house was so old that
much of the cooking was and away from the major fighting. That was what
done on cauldrons outside I had been waiting for, a straw to grab at. After
figuring out a safe route to get there, we started
packing our things, not knowing for how long we’d
be gone or what conditions we would be living in.

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 For the next seven long months, our home was
the village of Grabovets. We planted a vegetable
garden to have our own source of food, bought
some household appliances from local sellers, and
managed to get connected to the internet since we
had to work. Something that will stay with me to
the end of my days is the kindness and support of
the people in Grabovets. In the first few days alone,
they brought us various supplies, food, clothes, and a
stroller for the baby. We felt their constant support.

In September, my parents and grandmother joined

us. Their house was continually in the active warzone.
The quiet and cozy town of Marganets, but because it
is located near Zaporizhzhya, it was being hit near daily
by artillery fire from the occupied Energodar region.
By the time they left, their house had no windows
intact and most of the roof was gone. A few days
after they left, a shell landed right on the house. Now,
my parents and 85-year-old grandmother have
nowhere of their own to return to when this is all
over. Thinking about home

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 In October, my family and I decided to return to Kyiv
so that my parents and grandmother could have
more space. Kyiv had become a lot safer, my son
needed to go back to school, and being there allowed
us to better help with securing supplies to send
to my parents.

I feel we have all changed dramatically because

of this experience, including my son. All we now wish
for is to live in a peaceful and independent Ukraine.

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 OA(AaSAADAHA(A7A\QAGKAyA¶A(A7KAAGABeAWAO\
PAJA7AflA.A¢AflAQ

At a Ukrainian march for peace in Poland.

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 Our flat partially destroyed
by a nearby missile hit.

In Poland, collecting and preparing

gear and uniforms for soldiers
to be sent over to those fighting.

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 A/AVflAPAyAHA“eAWA\2DAJA

When I could, I volunteered with groups who provide

humanitarian aid providing supplies to the front or areas
that are cut due to the fighting.

In December 2022, a month after the right bank of the

Kherson region was liberated, I went on a humanitarian
mission with friends to remote villages where most
volunteers could not reach, delivering aid for civilians and
military personnel.

We visited a village where the military showed us a local

landmark — a crashed russian rocket intended for Mykolaiv
but instead it fell on the russian positions in the village. The
warhead was never found, and the majority of the rocket
body landed on a street in the village, but thankfully, there
were no injuries.

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 SArA'A/AGA[AWDAH\DeAQAG
For years I told myself war could never come to my
doorstep, not least to Kyiv, a thriving capital city in
modern Europe. In the months before, as the russian
army gathered on our borders saying they were
just conducting ‚exercises’, it became undeniable.
But still I hoped.”

On February 24th 2022 all illusions were gone.

Me and my family were woken at 5am to the sound
of distant explosions, sirens and our phones going
crazy with messages.

That first night we spent in a local school basement

that was our designated bomb shelter. But there
wasn’t enough room for all of us so we gave the
only available spot to my daughter while me and my
partner Alex huddled under the stairs.

Since we knew every night would be like this

we decided to try shelter in our home instead as best
as we could. We are on the 9th floor so not the safest,
but at least we could be together.

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 On day 4 I went out onto the balcony during an air
raid (I do not know what compelled me to do this)
and saw what looked like a rocket heading straight
for our building. It eventually changed course and
hit elsewhere. But that moment I realized we needed
to leave the city.

Alex however said me and my daughter need to leave

the country. He felt he wasn’t able to protect us and
wouldn’t be able to live with himself if something
ever happened to us.

The next couple of hours are a bit of a blur. Scrambling

to gather things, making plans along with back
up plan after back plan, all while trying to explain
to my daughter what was happening.

So on Feb 28th I made the hardest decision of my life.

I would go to Poland so my daughter could be safe
while Alex would stay. Half blinded from exhaustion
and tears in my eyes, we said our goodbyes. That
same day Alex enlisted into the Territorial Defense
Force.

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During the trip all around me I could see people
who’d had to make similar choices. You could see
it on their faces. Sheer emotional shellshock.

In Poland I felt safe and welcome. There were even

moments of happiness as we were staying with my
brother’s family. But my heart and thoughts were
almost continually on Ukraine. I’d scour the news
every day to understand what was happening.

And of course I would try to speak to Alex as much

as I could. It was gut wrenching each time saying
goodbye not knowing if this was my last conversation
with him.

A very clear reminder of this was how in March

an intercepted missile blew up in our neighborhood
in Kyiv. One person was killed, another six were
injured. The windows in our apartment were blown
out. The same building I was in just 2 weeks ago.

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 In April Alex was granted leave and so we decided
to meet up in the west of Ukraine which was a lot safer.

The one silver lining of this horrendous war

is it showed us a lot deep down what we valued
the most. So on April 20th, 2022 after being together
for 4 years, Alex and I decided to officially get married
in a small local court house of Lviv.

From then on I would visit once a month for a few

days, traveling between Poland and Ukraine. I would
send parcels home with supplies. I took part in an art
exhibition in Poland that was helping bring attention
to Ukraine. Anything to just keep doing something
that might help.

In August I decided to return to Kyiv. I missed home,

I missed Alex. The situation had become clearer.
And I wanted my daughter to go back to school
in her own country. This war had already interrupted
our lives so much that we were tired of the feeling
everything was on pause.

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 Returning felt right. There was a genuine feeling of hope and resistance in the county as we all did
what we could to get our lives back on track. We fixed up our home and settled back into life as best
as we could.

But this past winter since October has been brutal. The constant sirens and following attacks that
left us without power and sometimes heating would immediately jolt you out of any sense of peace
you’d built up in your mind.

My daughter is still a child but I can see how much this whole year has changed her. She has grown
up faster than she should have needed to, and her view of the world has changed a lot.

I know one day this war will be over and Ukraine will be free but I often wonder how many of us will
heal from this past year and what comes next.

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 VAWABA¶NecAA¶ALA¢AGA$A7\QA

Meeting up with Frogwares

teammate Andrii Gladchenko to help
organize supply and aid packages he
Last photo together with my family and his troops might need.
before they evacuated to Germany.

The first video call to the family with

them safe in Germany.
Collection of volunteer aid packages
prepared by me and my friends
to be sent to those fighting.
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 BA7AVGCA¢A7AOAyA\2DAJA

On February 25th 2022, the 2nd day of the full-scale invasion,

I was already standing in-line to join the Territorial Defense
Forces to join up and defend Ukraine.
It was not an easy decision and it was one that me and my
family had debated for months before it happened. I was put
through various basic training camps and deployed very quickly
to the defense of Kyiv. I served alongside my father in the
same unit. After Kyiv was defended and deemed safe, we were
deployed to various parts of the country and the frontlines where
I experienced things that have changed me forever.

I know in my heart that one day this war will be over and
we will win this. Everything will be fine and we can go back
to rebuilding our lives and trying to heal. Sadly though,
the price of freedom is very high.

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126 Frogwares During the War
 At the time of writing this, my father Volodymyr Chepovyi is listed
as missing in action. Wherever you are dad, know that we are all
thinking of you and we still believe.

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 RA7AQAL(APA'Ara AGAQAY¶\QA

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 A/AVflAHA(AVe$A\QA

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© 2023. Frogwares Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.