AMBAR
ART DIRECTOR
AMBAR is a PC game project where I served as Art Director, overseeing all aspects of art production and guiding the artistic vision across disciplines.
I led the conceptual development and supervised the creation of key visual and technical art assets, including:
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Concept development
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3D modelling
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Texturing and materials
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Rigging and animation
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Cinematic composition and camera work
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Asset pipeline management
The project was developed in Unity using the High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP). Production tools included Cinema 4D, Blender, ZBrush, Substance Painter, TopoGun, Marvelous Designer, and Photoshop.
THE GAME
AMBAR is an RPG strategy title that blends traditional strategic mechanics — such as resource management, territorial control, and upgrades — with third-person action gameplay.
Although the narrative framework involves conflict and tactical progression, the core experience centers on a single customizable character, playable in both third- and first-person perspectives.
Visual reference from the teaser — establishing thematic tone and atmosphere.
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LORE
WAR
The world of AMBAR is a desolate wasteland dominated by a vast urban structure that serves as both shelter and strategic core.
In this setting:
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Architecture evolves beyond its original purpose.
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New societies adapt and extend existing structures.
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Ruins function as habitats, production spaces, and tactical environments.
The visual and narrative language reflects a transformed civilization where survival, adaptation, and reinterpretation of space shape identity.
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FACTIONS & CORE DESIGNS
The design of AMBAR’s world incorporates recognizable tropes from post-apocalyptic fiction, establishing a familiar yet distinctive universe.
In-game capture of the strategic map. Former neighborhoods function as settlements, while the intermediate areas serve as devastated transit zones.
Initial color palettes.
Although the visual style became much darker and more minimal in the final version, we retained the distinctive orange.
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THE BIRDS
inhabitants of a sinister paradise
GREENERS
They are the native inhabitants of the world—the civilians.
The term ‘Greener’ is a play on words: it refers both to the ‘green with envy’ desire to be accepted by the other factions that exclude them, and to being ‘greened’—possibly infected with the AMBAR disease.
The character shown is a soldier. As a combat unit, they wear minimal armor, primarily cloth, prioritizing space on their back for survival gear rather than weapons
Metal and Cloth
Greeners Design
GUARDIANS
The Guardians are the heirs of the city’s government, representing the only state-aligned faction and the least corrupted.
Their aesthetic is extremely simple—grays, whites, and yellows—reflecting a bygone technological utopia. They are cleaner, with more defined lines and advanced technology, and the only faction capable of coherently interacting with the city’s ruins.
Their design resembles a uniform, complete with embellishments and distinctive symbols.
Third iteration of the Guardians—simpler and less intimidating.
Questioning Authority
Straddling Police and Military Roles
CONFEDERATES
Although initially a secondary faction, we chose to make them the focus of the first teaser due to the uniqueness of their design.
The Confederates incorporate nautical references in their silhouette and materials, and reference Russian Orthodox art through the illuminated details on their armor, reminiscent of an iconostasis.
Their design merges two worlds: a technological one in the lower combat uniform, and an architectural one in the upper armor, which essentially survives as an artistic restoration.
Legacy and Standing
Confederates and the Dystopian Metropolis
MERCHANTS
Merchants are not a faction in themselves, but they play a key role in the game.
Their aesthetic is entirely visual. They use ceramic and reed in their armor, patterned fabrics, and silk decorations.
Their design blends Japanese motifs (in the embroidery), Arab and Romani influences (in their cargo elements), and Chinese inspiration (in the ceramic paintings).
The goal was to create a cohesive, easily recognizable appearance—slightly threatening and mysterious—while presenting a nomadic civilization completely separate from the others, a transient presence from another place.
Enamel Work and Braiding
All elements of the merchants are purely ornamental. Designed without combat functionality, they represent an untouchable, neutral presence within the game world.
THE CREATURES
A Design Beyond Limits
The creatures were the most challenging unit. From their very conception in the lore—teetering between infected humans and beasts—they posed the greatest challenge.
The video game market is filled with fantastically designed creatures. Creating one that was unique, visually striking, and capable of serving as a flagship character was a massive challenge.
Development of the game was halted before we could finalize a design.