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Virrata was my thesis project for my Illustration degree at Grand Valley State University.
The world of Virrata is one of constant change and organic motion, named after the Finnish word meaning “to flow” or “stream”. My initial inspiration was that of an hourglass, a symbol of the cyclical nature of time, sand flowing in a continuous smooth motion before being reset upon the turn of the globes. If the hourglass is our symbol of time, order, and the natural cycle of life, then what would happen if someone took a hammer and smashed it open?
A gargantuan celestial hourglass rotates above the earth: once worshiped, now a symbol of chaos and destruction as a breach in its side unleashes a desert of time. Every turn brings with it a series of uncontrollable sandstorms, with the very sand itself beginning to shift, reset, and fast forward many aspects of the world. Virrata is a pitch for an open-world video game where the player must choose between repairing the hourglass and restoring order, or breaking it apart completely to bring about a new timeline entirely. Along their way the player will encounter time ghosts, those who were ripped from their original timelines and lost wandering the endless dunes.
My goal for this project was to create a world that would incite curiosity above all else, something that would spark the imagination of others, and with a format that encourages exploration among an unpredictable (but not unwelcoming) environment. Virrata is the dream game for my younger self, and I hope it can one day come to life as a full open world experience.
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