The Artworks of Quark Dreamcast and its Demo (QD)

Concepts and analysis of the Quark Dreamcast/PC demo, an unreleased game from Quantic Dream

This topic [Back to the Origins and Genesis of Quark Dreamcast], dedicated to uncovering the hidden mysteries of Quark Dreamcast, has already taken you behind the scenes of its development, the genesis of its colorful characters, the creation of its fantasy world, and the secrets surrounding this coveted unreleased title from French studio Quantic Dream. On this page, you can admire more Artwork from Quark and the pencil strokes of the game artists who drew them, then browse through the photo breakdown of the game demo.

As the long and arduous development of The Nomad Soul (Omikron) was coming to an end, Quantic Dream felt the need to imagine something lighter for their new project, closer to heroic fantasy, compared to their first dark and realistic production. From this desire, Quark, a semi-linear open-world Action/Adventure/RPG was born.

For about two years the development team worked on designing two intertwining realities. One with characters each more endearing than the last, a flourishing world, enigmatic world maps, puzzles to solve and a thrilling story in which magic blends with the natural world.

Before the game was ultimately abandoned due to a lack of a publisher or the weariness of its supervisor, David Cage, the developers programmed a short demo of Quark, undoubtedly a vertical slice intended to sell their product.

The story of Quantic Dream's game recounts the adventures of two orphans; a brother and sister separated at birth. The brother, named Waki, and the teenage sister, named Una, are the last survivors of their kind, born with the power of the “Travelers” Quark's antagonist, Sir John B. Konrad, thought he had killed all the Travelers, but he was wrong. Two of them survived, hidden by their parents. Waki - hidden in the mythical land of Quark and Una - hidden in the contemporary world. Determined to eliminate them in order to establish his supremacy in the galaxy, he sends an army of Krolls, monstrous creatures from another reality, in pursuit of them. The two young children set out on a quest to discover the truth about their origins, unaware of each other's existence.

Quark stands out for its visual appearance. Its artistic direction will remind nostalgic viewers of the “French Touch” associated with French productions from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Why, why was it never released! rahhhh

The concepts of Quark Dreamcast

The artistic dimension of a production in the video game industry is sometimes overlooked and underestimated. Many artists from all walks of life are involved in the creative process of a video game to bring to life a single, coherent piece of work that thousands and millions of players will experience in their homes.

Game artists draw hundreds of sketches which, once approved by the entire development team, will materialize on screen in an epic adventure. These Concepts or Artworks allow us to initially envision the game in the making, sketch out its contours, illustrate its atmosphere, imagine the places to explore, and bring its characters to life.

Artists from the graffiti and industrial design scenes gave free rein to their creativity, exploring and sketching Quark Dreamcast/PC designs without restraint during the conceptual phase. The watercolors generously shared by Thierry Doizon are sublime—judge for yourself!

This chapter lists only the Artwork that was not used in the layout of the main article dedicated to Quark.

Una and her brother Waki

Research for Una's design

A rough draft for Waki

Una and her faithful companions, Baron the Dog, Saïmirie the Monkey, and Sean the Canary (not featured in the artwork)

Fenfenji's house (view from outside and inside) and its resident: Fenfenji, the leader of the Quark village. He will warn Waki of the approaching void and teach him the art of combat.

Quarks have a close relationship with trees. They are both their homes and a religion in their own right. They also enable Waki to create potions and magic...

Research into the design of one of Waki's three animals, Gunban the Gumbak

The Krolls, evil creatures from another world

Travel through the Quark zones by boat on the Blurp Sea. Strange-looking enemies will block Waki's path. He will also encounter foreign tribes populating the Opal Valley.

In the desert, the young man can buy new equipment from the merchant and meet nomads.

The flomp, one of Waki's companions

The artwork and concept art for a video game are an excellent way to understand an unreleased game, contextualize it, and imagine what it could have been. They belong in a museum!

The demo

The in-game photos from the demo below were taken from the Internet. Originally of poor quality, a program was used to improve their resolution, which explains the watermark on some of them.

Demo E3 2

Overview of Quarks Village: Large trees serve as dwellings for the villagers. The world of Waki shares many similarities in its construction with that of Una. For example, a river runs through both maps. A bell protected and surrounded by an artificial or natural structure is present at the start of each universe.

Le village des Quarks (Waki)

Les sections du monde de Una (l'orphelinat de Londres)

1) An enchanting start: Welcome to the village of Quarks in the Opal Valley, where the demo begins. At first glance, the resemblance to Zelda is striking. Observing the surroundings allows you to understand the importance of the different areas of the peaceful little hamlet of Quarks. Each area functions as a mini-tutorial explaining the subtleties of the game, from the introduction of its story to learning how to play.

2) In search of the Flomp: Waki, worried after hearing a villager crying, goes to comfort him. A conversation ensues that leads him to perform his first good deed. At the villager's request, the boy must convince Flomp, the only one who can do so because of his small size, to sneak behind the waterfall to retrieve a lost object. This mission will teach him the basics of interacting with pets: Tiam the Flomp, Gunban the Gombak, and XXXX (no one remembers his name) the Bird.

3) In a tree: Eager to help his neighbor, Waki sets out in pursuit of Flomp, a peculiar yet adorable creature resembling a large yellow rabbit. After searching the entire village for it, he spots it stuck at the top of a tree. He will need to provide assistance!

4) Interactions: The villagers will give Waki valuable advice and clues to help him progress through the game. Don't hesitate to talk to them—they're adorable in their traditional Quark tribe clothing. While exploring the area, the young blue-haired hero will spot the silhouette of a bird through the branches of a bush. Waki will adopt it and gain his first pet, who will accompany him everywhere. The Canary, which also exists in the world of Una, will surely be of service to him soon.

5) A pleasure to offer: After the Canary, Waki will tame the Gumba without forgetting his main objective, which is to rescue the Flomp stuck in the bush. Before this new companion joins his menagerie, the child will have to lure the hungry beast with food. A local woman in need of affection will give him seeds in exchange for a flower in order to gain Gumba's trust. It's worth noting that magic and alchemy are essential components of Quantic Dream's game. Gathering plants thus takes on meaning, whether it's to advance in a quest, as here, or to make potions.

6) A stomach to satisfy: Gumba seems to enjoy what he eats. Once he is finally full, Waki will be able to ride him and move more quickly through the Opal Valley. Each creature has its own speciality or specialities. The Gumba is perfect for charging at opponents during epic battles. Perched high on its back, Waki will now be able to rescue the Flomp and obtain his first weapon, a halberd.

7) Team spirit - A new challenge: Flomp, grateful for being saved, will do his best to support Waki and Gumpa as the adventure continues. He will feed seeds to the teenager's faithful steed and squeeze into the tightest spaces in the game, the only one capable of doing so. To complete the mission begun in stage 2, Waki will order him to retrieve the music box lost behind the waterfall. The gameplay will change and the player will control him for as long as necessary to complete the objective.

8) Playing with Una: This demo contains a brief playable preview of Una's dark and realistic world, which is diametrically opposed to that of Waki. Her quest begins after she escapes from the orphanage (her escape is explained in detail on the page: [A fax exchange with suggestions of ideas for Quark Dreamcast between the American and French branches of Quantic Dream]. She now wanders desperately through the sordid, damp alleys of London. In the background, she hears the sound of a train rolling over a bridge not far from her. Not knowing where to go, she considers taking refuge inside a building.

9) A bird under her wing: Unfortunately, the building where Una hoped to take shelter is locked tight. Looking carefully around, she spots an open window upstairs. Perhaps the key to unlocking the building's door is there. She sends her pet, Sean the Canary, to search the room. The player takes control of the bird until the all important key to the building is retrieved.

10) Between two worlds: Una will finally enter the building. The demo ends there for her. In Waki's world, a portal will open, clearing the path to the home of Fen Fenji, the leader of the Quark tribe.

This concludes the Vertical Slice, a demo focusing on the interactivity between children and their animals. The developers wanted to show the change and richness of the gameplay by evoking them.

I would like to thank Thierry Doizon, supported by his former colleagues at Quantic Dream, for his availability, his kindness, for taking the time to answer my questions, for sharing these incredible Artworks, and much more. His testimony and concepts are exceptional and provide a new perspective on Quark Dreamcast/PC.

I would like to thank everyone involved in the Quark project (Mobygames from The Nomad Soul). If only its development had been successful...

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Concepts and analysis of the Quark Dreamcast/PC demo, an unreleased game from Quantic Dream

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