The Art of Scrapland

Did you know that in the early 2000s, concept artists’ workflows weren’t fully digital as today? They still were drawing on paper, and then applied color in the computer after scanning the original sketch.

Let’s take a look at some original Scrapland concept arts!

THE END is AVAILABLE NOW!

The end. Quite an appropriate name. A harsh shiver went down Aneska’s spine. The desperate cries of the test subjects still echoed in her head.

– Please, General. Be careful.

– I always am.

Watch the TRAILER here:

IGN’s best action-adventure games of 2021 is… Metroid Dread

In their own words:

“19 years is a long time to wait for anything. And yet, that’s how long Metroid fans waited for a brand new 2D Metroid game. Fortunately, Metroid Dread met those sky high expectations that came along with that 19 year wait and then some. Metroid Dread checks all of the boxes one would expect in a 2D Metroid game: stellar map design, an excellent progression of powers and abilities, and rewarding exploration. But on top of that, it also delivered some of the best boss battles of the entire series, tense encounters against the dreaded E.M.M.I. robots that were unlike anything else Samus had ever seen before, and the thrilling conclusion of a story 35 years in the making.”

Check out the full article here!

According to TIME Magazine, Metroid Dread is the best 2021 videogame.

In their own words:

“When most people think of Nintendo, they conjure up images of kid-friendly characters like Mario and Pikachu. But Samus Aran, badass intergalatic bounty hunter of Metroid fame, has long earned her place on the Mount Rushmore of the company’s characters. And after more than a decade without a proper Metroid game, Samus returned in a big way with this year’s Metroid: Dread, a 2D side-scroller for the Nintendo Switch that sees our hero stalked by artifically intelligent killer robots on the mysterious planet ZDR. Dread, which longtime Metroid producer Yoshio Sakamoto has been cooking up on and off for nearly two decades, is often legit scary—thought not quite on the level as something like an Alien: Isolation—and a delightful return to form for a classic and beloved franchise.”

Take a loook at the top 10 videogames of 2021 here!

On Scrapland Remastered visual improvements

The OG textures were small and compressed .dds files that didn’t allow any improvements, so we dug into old hard drives to find the original artist files and upscaled them using AI software. After that we fished them with manual retouches.

(Clic the images to enlarge)


OG Game

Remastered Version – Note how the walls and the cockpit changes a lot!

OG Game

Remastered Version – The character’s back has more definition, but also small details are essential, take a look at the flowerpots.

Also, lightmaps have been improved. Now they have more shadow detail and more light sources. In 2004 (the original game’s release year), the tech limitations didn’t make these long calculations possible, but today it is!

OG Game

Remastered Version – Can you see how now the colored light baths all the scenes? The maps feel more immersive than ever!

OG Game

Remastered Version – Now, the neon light bounces the walls and creates this cool sci-fi ambient!

We know that most of you are very passionate about Scrapland, and you would love to see much more features in the game, but please remember that this is not a Remake. This is a Remaster, so most part o the game code and tech are the same as the OG game. Our main goal was to adapt it to modern computers, fix the issues that this process causes (like shadow’s flickering), and recover Scrapland on a playable way.

¡Enjoy the D-Tritus adventure!

After the massive hit Metroid Dread, MercurySteam presents a remaster of its first game classic, Scrapland

Before Metroid Dread. Before Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Saga. Before even Clive Barker’s Jericho. The year 2004 MercurySteam debuted with an everlasting gem: American McGee Presents: Scrapland.

Back in the day, the press said:

Game Industry News (100) A visual feast and a stunning masterpiece.
Gamezilla (92) What’s great about Scrapland is this robot society. The graphics take most advantage of this with unique imagery and high levels of detail.
Trusted Reviews (90) Quite possibly the best game of its type since Grand Theft Auto 3 emerged in 2002.
Game Chronicles (88) Part Grand Theft Auto and part Beyond Good and Evil, Scrapland blends a vast array of genres into a single, cohesive package that should thrill gamers of all ages and genre preferences
IGN (82) It rivals World of Warcraft for sheer personality

Scrapland is a third-person action-adventure set in Chimera, a mesmerizing open-world inhabited by robots where humans are NOT welcome! Play as D-Tritus, a newcomer in the city with one goal: solve the hideous crimes of a serial killer that seems to be… A human!

Scrapland gives you the chance to impersonate dozens of robots with personal traits and skills absolutely looney. You will steal combat spaceships, tweak & custom them, and then fight for your life in wild races that even support multiplayer.

Unveil the serial killer in the exhilarated and lengthy single-player campaign of Scrapland. Or maybe you will be happier daring your friends to race and combat with spaceships. It’s all-in in this remastered experience of this classic: 4K resolution, high-res textures by AI upscaling; enhanced illumination and lightmaps; new servers to power the multiplayer experience with your friends; gamepad support, and many, many more goodies!

If you lost your chance seventeen years ago, or you weren’t even born yet, now’s your time! Scrapland Remastered is now available on Steam and GOG.

Metroid Dread wins the Best Action/Adventure Game Award

Thank you for voting Metroid Dread as the Best Action/Adventure Game this year at The Game Awards!

We’re so honored to hear that the action filled adventure of Samus’ latest mission was dreadfully satisfying!

Winter Hunt

The cold is coming… Enceladus is coming! It’s time to prepare your weapons for the extreme weather conditions. The most prized catches of the xenohunters awaken from their summer slumber to feed and procreate. Just make sure they don’t do it at your expense and bundle up.

– You can get new weapon skins as a monthly reward in adventure mode.
– A new weapon skin for all characters.
– New melee weapon, a combat sword available only during the approach of Enceladus.
– Exclusive character packs.

This content will be available only for the duration of the event.

DOUBLE GOLD WEEKEND!!

Cha-ching Cha-ching!

Is your wallet living in an existential crisis? Do you know what would make it happier? We got the answer: GOLD. TONS OF GOLD!!

From Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th, you’ll get DOUBLE GOLD in your game rewards!!

AMAZING, RIGHT?

Digital Bros signs co-publishing and development agreement with MercurySteam for a brand-new game

Milan – November 30th , 2021 – Digital Bros Group (DIB:MI), listed on the Euronext STAR segment of Borsa Italiana and operating in the videogames market, today announces an agreement between its global publishing division 505 Games and MercurySteam Entertainment S.L. for the co-publishing and development of a new video game set for multiplatform global release.

Codenamed “Project Iron”, the new videogame is a third person action RPG set in a dark fantasy world.

The intellectual property (IP) of the game is co-owned by Digital Bros and MercurySteam Entertainment through the joint-venture MSE & DB S.L. set up under the Spanish Law.

Project Iron’s initial development investment amounts to Euro 27 million.

“We are thrilled to work with the team at MercurySteam, a proven studio that over the years has created numerous phenomenal IPs – including the recent hit release Metroid Dread in partnership with Nintendo” commented Raffi and Rami Galante, co-CEOs of Digital Bros Group. “With MercurySteam’s creative vision and talent and 505 Games extensive experience, gamers can expect a high-quality, captivating and engaging videogame.”