HE helped create the look and feel of the acclaimed Ratchet and Clank games for PlayStation as well as the new Sunset Overdrive for Xbox One.

But now David Cumbo, a former animator and cinematic artist for Insomniac Games, is turning his hand to a graphic novel and 'video book' series called Dreamside.

The series is about a young girl with cancer searching for meaning while battling a deadly disease.

David was inspired to leave the games industry and pursue the project after volunteering at a children's hospital.

But the series is also fantastical, mixing elements of Spirited Away, Alice in Wonderland and The Neverending Story with David's vivid art style.

"They have all been a big part of Dreamside's inspiration," he said.

"I love the Alice books and I don't know if it's possible not to be inspired by the films of Hayao Miyazaki.

"Other than his admirable talent for subtle nuance in animation, I am fascinated by how multi-dimensional his characters are in films like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke."

The story sees cancer patient Sarah open a gateway to another world from her hospital bed.

David added: "I think anyone forced to face their own mortality unexpectedly early in life is going to have to find their own way of processing what's happening.

"In Dreamside, Sarah uses her talents to modify her sense of reality. In doing so, she can take a different, more palatable look at her situation.

"In college, I volunteered at a children's hospital. Seeing kids forced to spend so much time away from home was a big part of Dreamside's inspiration.

"As a storyteller, I always want to explore interesting and difficult themes.

"There are parts of Dreamside that might frighten sensitive readers but only because they attempt to show some of the horrors faced by children like Sarah."

David worked at Insomniac Games for seven years and worked on 10 titles. His favourite was the upcoming Slow Down, Bull, an action game about a stressed-out bull called Esteban.

He said: "The open-mindedness of project director Lisa Brown allowed for a lot of experimentation. For the majority of development, I was the only artist.

"It was a fun challenge to make an appealing art style that was also inexpensive to produce. Having Insomniac put so much trust in my abilities was very gratifying."

Creating the comic book style, open world game Sunset Overdrive was another highlight.

David added: "It's an extremely colourful game that exudes confidence in its style.

"I like games with beautiful environments that encourage you to just stop and take in the experience of being there.

"I had a lot of good times at Insomniac. It's a truly wonderful, creative studio. It has a strong foundation built on a love for making and playing games."

To check out Dreamside, visit dreamsidebook.com