As a child, Åkerblad spent the majority of his time indoors drawing, and being influenced by comic book art and video game covers.
He took an early interest in art, often drawing pictures of monsters, comic heroes, and masks.
[4] In his youth, Åkerblad would discover the work of Stan Sakai, Moebius, and Edward Hopper, which he studied and took great inspiration from.
It would be later while working as a concept artist for a game studio, that he would make the decision to take on independent art in earnest.
When asked where his inspiration and drive originated, Åkerblad replied, "Everyday life can be so mundane.
"[5] In 2012, Åkerblad had been spending an increasing amount of time with his friends and fellow Swedish artists Dennis Wedin and Jonatan Söderström, when he learned of Hotline Miami, still in its early stages of development.
[9] For Kometen's art, Åkerblad set out to create visually stimulating planets for the player to discover.
Beard typically stays behind the counter and talks about ongoing events, referring to previous gameplay.
[12][13] When asked about the unique visual style of Else Heart.Break(), Åkerblad stated "the Swedish television program Skrot-Nisse started to become a major influence.
It’s a puppet show, and all the scenography is handmade and very elaborate in its execution, creating an almost over-saturated level of detail.
Åkerblad's music was later recognized when Hotline Miami received the 2012 IGN Best PC Sound Award.