John Burnett’s
MIDJOURNEY
MASTERCLASS
Monarch the Arcade Game
Monarch
Retro Re-Imagined.
Client: Anonymous Firm
Role: Creative Direction, Art Direction, Audio Direction
Timeline: 14 days from initial concept to asset completion, including music
Tech Stack: Midjourney, Nano Banna, Suno, Shmup Creator
MASTERY: 1000x PRODUCTION SPEED
As a game developer of 20 years, I know the vast amount of time and effort the average game consumes. We didn’t want to presume the power of Generative Ai: we wanted to test it for ourselves.. We used Monarch, a love-letter to old school 90’s arcade games, to showcase the speed and power of Ai under human guidance. The result is a stunning blend of classic 90’s cool with a space-age workflow that allowed for a traditional team’s 2-year endeavor to be completed in mere weeks.
Time to Asset Complete
2 weeks
Assets Generated
100+
Time reduction
99%
THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING.
Games are like giant jigsaw puzzles: small, unique elements coming together to create something much larger than themselves – and it’s often only near the end that a Vision becomes clear. The resources required just to get to a point of judgement (let alone completion) are staggering.
So when making Monarch the arcade game from scratch, the task was clear: make this easy.
THE MOODBOARD
When people talk about Ai Slop, they usually mean a generic, “too much cg” aesthetic. that occurs when there’s no Art Director behind the wheel. We sidestepped that completely by focusing on the artistry first: the feel, the mood, the humanity. Then we avoided classic timesinks of aimlessly generating by defining the mood before committing to a single asset.
THE ART DIRECTION
We went for a painterly, simplified look that has a rough, almost rustic execution. Thanks to advances in an Ai’s ability to source references, making hundreds of assets based off our direction was a breeze. Level design, props, items, even effects can be generated from a few – or even a single source image.
THE ROYAL TREATMENT
But it’s not all just about speed and efficiency. Generative Ai can be used for pitch decks, buy-in from stakeholders, and even to charm VC’s with a finished vision. Roadmaps can now be inspirational, not merely theoretical. This is far beyond a streamlined workflow: this is production lightspeed.
THE OFFICIAL SOUNDTRACK
Of course, we made the official soundtrack in the midst of making everything else – we had ample time. Production can now be truly multi-dimensional, with virtually no part of production left by the wayside.
Special note: all our music was first composed by human hands, then sourced in Suno. This ensures not just a unique sound, but a truly authentic approach to creativity in Ai.
Download the Monarch Official Soundtrack
READY TO TAKE THE CROWN?
John Burnett’s Midjourney Masterclass is ready to teach you how to do all this and worlds more. Accelerated learning, form-fitting workflows and completely discreet.
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