Clockwork Krakens and Steampunk Dragons

A ship moves on elevated rails across the face of a gigantic clock, caught in the crossfire of two enormous mechanoid creatures. A vertical cityscape frames the surreal scene; tall industrial buildings with giant protruding gears, chimneys spewing smoke, fat pipes dropping into the pit at the city’s feet. A crane holds a sign with the city’s name: Therion, Greek for “beast”. There’s even an accompanying poem that hints at a larger story this snapshot is a part of, a story about travelers and portals to other dimensions.

When Worlds Collide by TeamVisionary presents an otherworldly scene that pleasantly reminds me of the wild imagination of Steampunk, Kaiju films or Heavy Metal artwork. “There wasn't any one thing in particular that influenced us in the design of this project,” G1ZM0T0, founder of TeamVisionary, explains.

“There was more of a meld of many different concepts found in mainstream and cult classic literature that has sparked a desire to make such projects. Anything from time traveling adventures, to large menacing beasts, exploration of unknown lands, and many other influences played an integral role.”

All these influences come together in a satisfying way and create vivid impressions. And this is precisely what TeamVisionary was going for. “Our main objective during the creation of When Worlds Collide was to paint a scene in which curiosity, marvel, and terror combine. The curiosity derives from our inherent sense of curiosity and exploration. The marvelous and strange architecture lends well to a scene depicting a very alien and unknown world that our curiosity has led us to. Lastly, the terror emerges once you glance upon these overwhelming and god-like creatures that inhabit this exotic world.”

It’s safe to say that the finished project does justice to the team’s original intentions. When Worlds Collide is a spectacular diorama, and it’s easy to get entirely distracted by its centerpiece, the battle between a dragon and a monstrous kraken.

But it would be a shame to fail to acknowledge the effort and attention to detail that went into the city that acts as their backdrop: “We designed the map into a few areas. The first area was the upper-class area with explorable interiors. The other major section of the city was the lower-class and poverty. This gives a sense of social class and status within this world similar to that of our own society. We wanted the build to be relatable as well.”

It’s just one of many details that ground the scene and give it a sense of history that balances out its more fantastical aspects. “We wanted to give a sense of time diversity, that this city has gone through many changes, and is still changing even now.”

There are many different architectural styles here, just like in most big cities, and as a result Therion gives the impression of having grown organically over time rather than having been painstakingly designed by a team which – I was surprised to hear – doesn’t have any experience with architecture outside of Minecraft.

“When designing the layout in particular, we pay close attention to how things will function, what part of the map would best interact with and complement other elements, making the map have a nice flow to it. Very feng shui,” G1ZM0T0 jokes. That flow makes sure that everything seems connected. Quite literally: one of my favorite details is how the beasts are joined to the city by pistons, like monstrous stick puppets.

It’s not surprising that a project like this demands a lot of work. “The concept and layout took about four days, as we had an original concept that we scratched and reworked. This project took about four and a half weeks to complete from start to finish.”

But TeamVisionary certainly didn’t shy away from the effort, and their dedication shows in every facet of When Worlds Collide.

“The most enjoyable aspect to Minecraft, besides its amazing community, is the creativity and inspirational people who have influenced so many people around the world for many years now. TeamVisionary was born out of love and passion for this amazing game and community.”

Renders by addictedtomc, fixaaay, imhotep05, iskillia, kryiin, Maakixd, Matteo Paolini, and Antrelial.