'It was a very organic process, as I found myself doing more illustrations,' he says. As a result, he became interested in bringing his art into the digital space. With agency at its core, Evelyn realised his concept would be better suited to a video game than a picture book. The Collage Atlas - Official Trailer Here's a trailer for The Collage Atlas. When you no longer feel that sense of agency, actual presence in the world in itself is significant.' 'I was trying to communicate this idea of your presence mattering, even when you no longer feel empowered.

This scene was where he realised what he was trying to say with the project. Everything in the game is spun out from this moment, Evelyn explains. 'I decided it'd be cool to make it spin if you turned the cameras towards it,' he tells me. That's something that I and many other people have experienced.'Įvelyn initially created a demo scene with a pinwheel, like the ones often found at the seaside. 'That we don't have meaningful authorship over our own lives. We start to feel that our sense of agency is somewhat undermined.' Evelyn pauses here. 'I wanted to explore the idea that when life becomes particularly challenging - perhaps we go through traumatic events or things completely out of our hands. But the medium was always secondary to the message he wished to convey. 'I initially assumed that the best way to talk about the things I want to discuss would be through a picture book,' he explains. He tells me it began as a picture book designed to help people through difficult times - a picture book that would have worked alongside a companion app. It took Evelyn four and a half years to create The Collage Atlas.

Availability: Out now on Steam and as part of Apple Arcade.

He's the man who built this game and literally drew it into life. That's why I find myself talking to its solo developer, John Evelyn. Having immersed myself in the game over the last few weeks, I wanted to know more. Brought to life with a hand-drawn pen-and-ink aesthetic, the game's calm spaces and wealth of illustrative detail work together to encourage self-reflection.

Here are anchors dropping from a white sky, razor-thin keys opening butterfly locks, and books swarming in the wakes of ships as if they were murmurations of starlings. Few games have left such an immediate impression on me as The Collage Atlas.

Heart shaped picture collage maker