“The most essential in chemistry is that you should perform practical work and conduct experiments, for he who performs no practical work nor makes experiments will never attain the least degree of mastery."
- Jabir ibn Hayyan
With the upcoming release of our Demo for The House of Hikma, we wanted to deep dive into one of the key figures you’ll meet: Jabir ibn Hayyan.
Who was Jabir ibn Hayyan?
Considered the father of Arab chemistry and one of the founders of modern pharmacy, Jabir ibn Hayyan is one of the first scholars that our main character, Maya, is tasked with meeting. His realm is the first to introduce our metal alchemy system to the player and hint at the larger narrative that Shadow plays in the game. Bringing someone who lived in the 8th century to life in a way that was meaningful today was an exciting challenge.
Early Concepting
To start concepting our characters, we began by looking at the real-life accomplishments of the scholars. As a chemist, precision became a cornerstone of the personality that we gave ibn Hayyan in-game and was a starting point to visually explore his character.
Inspired by the shapes and patterns in chemical bonding, we pushed for a sharp, precise shape language. We also wanted to use hexagons in both his character and environmental storytelling. Some of the early concepts were too rounded and bright, so we angled his shoulders and silhouette and gave him hexagonal accessories that mimic chemical bonding that modern polymaths might recognize.
Creating the Laboratory
For ibn Hayyan’s level, we wanted to highlight his contributions to science in both the environments and puzzles that Maya faces. We again brought in the visual of chemical bonds into the towers and windows throughout the environmental art. Doorways are shaped to reflect his rigidity. Gardens are placed with precision. Maya comes across puzzles that rely on balance to complete, as Jabir ibn Hayyan was known to have designed and built a specialised scale that could measure items 6,480 times smaller than a ratl (approximately 1 kilogram).
Building the Environment
As an outdoor laboratory, it was important for the environment to feel grand and meticulously built. Most of the buildings match the same color palette as ibn Hayyan himself. Red edging, dark hexagonal shapes, and pale highlights fill the world. Each tower is also shaped like a hexagon with room for alchemical experimentation on top. The splashes of green in the windows and plants are meant to represent some of the organic chemistry that ibn Hayyan was also known for. We set the time of day to feel somber as a stark comparison to the brightness of the Atrium.
If you'd like to be one of the first to experience our demo, be sure to wishlist us on Steam, so you'll know when it goes live! In the meantime, be sure to sign up for our email newsletter, where you'll receive letters from the scholars, lore drops and glimpses into what happens in the House behind closed doors.
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