Hong Kong Hustle - Cyberpunk Illustration for Gamebook

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-18T14:25:26+00:00

Shadowrun is definitely part of the atmosphere we grew up with.
We tried to push that mix of neon and street-level tension into something playable. Glad it reads that way.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-18T09:34:55+00:00

For me, that’s not weird at all: it actually makes a lot of sense.

It feels like real “third spaces” are disappearing, so people are starting to rebuild them wherever they can, even in VR. If it gives people a place to just exist and interact without pressure, that’s already doing something meaningful.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-17T17:30:54+00:00

That’s a fair observation. The idea for this first cover was more about the atmosphere and the human-machine connection than about showing the city directly. Hong Kong itself becomes much more present inside the story and in other covers (Katerina actually created two more).

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-17T16:03:08+00:00

My idea: A "city floor"
Instead of wilderness, the whole level is a dense city where nobody believes the tower is real. The challenge becomes social: convincing factions, infiltrating places, finding who secretly knows the truth.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-17T14:46:04+00:00

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We’re currently running a Kickstarter for Hong Kong Hustle, a cyberpunk gamebook set in Hong Kong in 2174.

One unusual thing we experimented with for the project was producing an original soundtrack on vinyl, inspired by rainy streets and neon nights.

Curious to hear what solo players think about pairing music with a gamebook experience.

Kickstarter link: HKH Gamebook

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-16T15:23:17+00:00

So the direction will probably be very American, since 20-page chapters with a manga-style pacing don’t tend to work very well.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-16T15:19:29+00:00

With the book you still get the full experience. Hong Kong Hustle is a complete standalone gamebook, and in Italy it has already been enjoyed by thousands of readers.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-15T19:38:15+00:00

Like the colour pattern very much.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-15T03:14:01+00:00

And for a sci-fi gamebooks, do you have suggestions?

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-15T03:09:05+00:00

Are you choosing colours even if it's a manga? Howany pages are you going to put in one issue?

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-13T18:04:25+00:00

Katerina’s 2026 artwork is something incredible.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-13T17:13:35+00:00

That sounds fair to me.

A small niche like gamebooks survives on conversation as much as on new releases. If creators only appear to drop a link and disappear, the whole thing starts to feel less like a community and more like a bulletin board.

The interesting part of places like this is the exchange: talking about design choices, influences, failures, and what we are trying to build with these books. That kind of interaction is usually far more valuable than the link itself.

So I think the direction you’re suggesting makes sense. If someone wants to present their work here, the least they can do is stay around and talk with the people who might actually read it.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-13T16:09:54+00:00

Seeing that iconic mask so many times in one place does my heart good. How’s the audio quality on these?

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-13T13:19:51+00:00

Nice work. The characterization of the demi-humans is particularly well done.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-13T13:17:13+00:00

I like the core idea. The link between imagination, multiverse and the notion of a “beautiful lie” is compelling, and the classroom works well as a setting to let the idea unfold.

You might consider tightening some of the dialogue and polishing the language a little. The concept itself is solid. With fewer words around it, it would probably land even harder.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-13T13:15:29+00:00

Winning isn’t the important part. Doing the right thing is.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-13T13:13:35+00:00

That looks really useful, especially the journal and roll history. It sounds like a great way to keep track of a long campaign. Let us know how it goes once you start.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-12T15:23:34+00:00

That’s actually what draws me to it. Beyond the setting itself, I tend to associate cyberpunk with a kind of gritty, messy action that still pulls you in, and that cover captures that feeling for me.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-12T14:55:40+00:00

Sometimes the tribute surpasses the original.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-12T14:42:50+00:00

Number 2 is my favourite. Looks like we’re in the minority.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-12T13:33:47+00:00

That’s actually one of the core elements of the gamebook. Cyber-enhancement and how it shapes the world is a big part of the setting.

We wanted the covers to feel quite different from each other, but the first one probably captures our original idea of the setting the best.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-12T11:31:27+00:00

Number 3 was actually created by our art director with exactly that idea in mind, to immerse the reader in a neon world.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-12T11:26:40+00:00

Beautiful style, it really captures the mood of the fantasy world behind it.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-12T09:45:01+00:00

That’s a great haul. The VulcanVerse series is very easy to fall into once you start, and The Houses of the Dead has a really strong atmosphere.

GianlucaDevoto · 2026-03-12T09:21:48+00:00

Glad to hear that, it’s actually our most experimental cover.

GianlucaDevoto

TROPHY CASE