This was the first background I worked on for the game "King of the Hat". Before this, I had drawn many environments, but had only dabbled in pixel art. As a result, I spent a huge amount of time on this piece trying new styles and techniques. I eventually developed a much more efficient workflow.
The description I was given for this scene was this: "The old Hatlandian kingdom is now under Hatlandia and in pieces." The Hatlandians worship hats, which had to be apparent in their architecture. One inspiration was the huge underground lava caverns you can find in Minecraft.
