Welcome back to The High Life and happy Lunar New Year!

We're kicking things off with an exclusive Q&A featuring Jerome Nicolas, Highstreet's Senior Concept Artist shaping the vibrant environment, culture, and characters of Highstreet World. Then, get ready to meet the first avatar for the upcoming battle game in the Chaos Gardens—the Adventurer. Explore their powerful abilities, versatile weapon options, and dynamic combat style.

And don't miss the latest chapter of our comic, Into the Chaos Gardens, to wrap it all up. Let's dive in! ⬇️

Meet the Team: Jerome Nicolas, Senior Concept Artist

Every member of the Highstreet team brings a distinct skill set to the table. Jerome, our Senior Concept Artist, is one of the individuals who craft the visual look of Highstreet World's characters, environments, and cultures. He became part of the Highstreet circle after a chance encounter with Travis Wu, our CEO, and has been a consistent creative force since then, sketching monsters, beloved pets, gorgeous fixtures, and more. Read on to find out how Jerome's imagination is defining Highstreet World one stroke at a time.

When did you join Highstreet, and how did you find out about the company?

I joined Highstreet in September 2021 after Travis, the CEO, discovered my work on Fiverr. At the time, I was new to freelancing and offered a service to create “cute monsters.” Travis reached out and asked me for a test design, which turned into multiple projects, including the Baby Drake, the Mutant Flamingo, and the City Drake (which lives in Highstreet City). After completing these initial designs, I asked if he was a game developer. He revealed he was the CEO and offered me the opportunity to work with Highstreet.

What's the strangest or most unexpected source of inspiration you've ever used for your designs?

Inspiration often strikes in unexpected ways. While I regularly rely on Pinterest, Instagram, and animated series for ideas, sometimes it's the work of my teammates, like Victor (a concept artist at Highstreet) or the game designers, that sparks something new. A specific example was when the team shared designs inspired by Rapa Nui culture, featuring wooden tablets with Rongorongo characters. This inspired the Fomoscript in Highstreet.

What's the most surreal moment you've experienced as part of the Highstreet team?

One of the most surreal moments was when I was still new at Highstreet, during my first few months. I had designed creatures for Halloween, like jack-o'-lanterns and a candle monster. When I saw the rigged and animated models for the first time, it hit me—I was creating something that comes to life in the game. Seeing my doodles evolve into something significant within the game was incredibly fulfilling. Watching players interact with the Drakes I designed, fighting monsters alongside them, was another unforgettable experience.

What's one piece of advice you'd give to aspiring concept artists that you wish someone had told you earlier?

Focus on building a strong foundation in art. This includes mastering shapes, anatomy, clean line drawings, and understanding color and shading. These basics are essential for any concept artist. Also, never stop practicing and refining your skills. If possible, seek mentorship—it can accelerate your growth significantly. With [Highstreet CEO] Travis' support, I joined a mentorship program in early 2023. That guidance helped me improve my designs in ways I wouldn't have managed alone.

For those interested in creature design, I highly recommend studying the anatomy of felines like tigers and animals such as horses. Their forms are often used by professional artists and provide excellent references for creating dynamic and realistic monsters.

Outside of art and design, what's one hobby or passion that you feel influences your work?

Before becoming a professional artist, I was a dancer, working at an amusement park in Dubai. While I've since transitioned fully to art, that experience taught me a lot about movement and expression, which I think influences my creature designs. I'd love to return to dancing someday. Apart from that, I draw inspiration from movies, cartoons, and video games like Metal Slug and the Crash Bandicoot series.

What's been the most challenging design brief you've worked on for Highstreet, and how did you tackle it?

The most challenging project was designing the Highstreet Lab. I had to create everything—from ceilings and walls to lighting and lab equipment—while accommodating both humans and Ducks. Adjusting the proportions and shapes to make the lab usable for Ducks was particularly tricky. Collaborating with our art director Karissa, who has excellent knowledge of translating designs to 3D, was key to overcoming these challenges. She guided me throughout the process, helping me refine the designs to ensure they worked practically.

With Highstreet's focus on blending fantasy and real-world elements, how do you ensure your designs strike that balance?

I rely on the 80/20 rule: 80% of the design should feel familiar and grounded in the real world, while the remaining 20% can include fantastical or magical elements. This approach ensures that the designs feel relatable while still sparking imagination.

Sometimes, I do want to push it further—adding even more intricate fantasy elements or bold designs. However, we always need to balance creative freedom with practical considerations, especially when it comes to translating the design to 3D or VR.

What's been the most rewarding part of creating concepts for the Highstreet monsters? Do you have any fun stories behind the Drakes?

The Drakes are particularly special to me because they were born from a design Travis saw on my Fiverr portfolio. That cute winged monster became the foundation for the Baby Drake and its variations. Seeing my monsters evolve from a 2D sketch to fully rendered 3D models in the game is the most rewarding part of my work. It's even more exciting to know that players interact with these creations, and they've become central characters in Highstreet's lore, even appearing in the first comic series.

➡️Check out the first comic for Highstreet Chronicles: Origins

Clearing the Truffle Field: Introducing The Adventurer's Abilities

When one of the chefs of Elixir put out a bounty on the Shrieking Spores in a field where he foraged, the Adventurer did not expect them to be full-grown hulks that were twice the height of a human adult, forearms thicker than her torso. But there she was, a great sword's hilt clutched in both hands, parrying blows from the last beast standing. Its grip could crush her ribs with ease.

With every movement, feral noises rumbled out of the Spore's throat—if what it had in its neck could be called a throat. There was no tactical design behind its swings, just brute force and haymaker after haymaker. One finally landed on the Adventurer's chest, gray mycelial musculature fracturing her sternum and knocking the wind out of her.

Her great sword shattered, deflecting most of the force that would have ended the Adventurer on this side quest. She was barely able to breathe and every muscle in her body ached. She could taste the rust of blood before it trickled down one corner of her mouth, but she entered a serene mental space and channeled Second Wind, soothing the pain and snapping the Adventurer out of her stunned state. With renewed resolve, she armed herself with her secondary weapon—the spear strapped to her back—and invoked Bully to inflate her presence. Sometimes, a little bravado was all she needed to throw her opponent off guard.

That surprised the overgrown spore, which wasn't expecting this tiny creature, with its sharp little toys, to stand back up and appear… bigger? The spore let out another deafening shriek—an attempt to intimidate the Adventurer. This gave her an opening and just enough time to unleash a Power Attack, thrusting her spear upward and piercing the giant spore's throat with pinprick precision, immense strength, and unmatched intensity. It was an instant kill.

The spore fell backward, kicking up a massive dust cloud as it hit the ground. The Adventurer pulled her spear out of its tough flesh and whirled the weapon around to flick the beast's body fluids off before reattaching it to the sling on her back. The field was cleared of Shrieking Spores and Elixir's patrons won't be lacking truffles anytime soon. The Adventurer would take the night to rest and recover, then make haste to the Chaos Gardens. There were rumors that a cluster of rogue ADA robots had taken over, and she wanted to investigate…

⚔️ Visit Highstreet's website to find out more about the Adventurer's abilities.

Highstreet Chronicles: Into the Chaos Gardens #4

Thank you!

That's all for this issue of The High Life.