The Art of Elementallis
almost 3 years ago – Fri, May 21, 2021 at 11:26:03 AM

Hello!

Today we would like to talk in detail about the art in Elementallis: which techniques do we use and how do we achieve our aesthetic. But before we do, please let us take a moment to thank you all again. We are very close to triple our initial funding goal! This simply wouldn't be possible without you, you are awesome!

Let's dive into it!

Nostalgia

We love retro games but we didn't want to simply imitate their aesthetic. As Mark Brown stated in this video, "old games look better, sound better and feel better in our heads". This is why we took some decisions and added modern effects to both art and music in Elementallis (we'll talk about music in another update).

The main core

The main core of the art in Elementallis is the pixel art. We've used a mix of inspirations from 8 bit and 16 bit games. This is intentional, because we want you to identify with the game, no matter if your favorite games comes from one era or the other.

As you can see, the player feels very Gameboy-esque. This not only helps with the above point, but also makes animations easier to produce.

The environments, on the other hand, have a 16 bit era feel, and are reminiscent of SNES or GBA games, for example. This makes the game nicer to look at.

Modernization

We made some decisions to make the looks of the game feel a little bit more modern. These are subtleties that help us compensate the "old games look better in our heads". We didn't want this decisions to stand out a lot, because we would deviate from the nostalgia we want to accomplish.

Palette

The easiest one is easy to implement. We just don't want to be limited by the NES, GB or SNES palette, and we are choosing colors freely.

Dynamic Lightning

Dynamic lightning simply wasn't possible 20 years ago and provides a fresh look to a retro looking game.

Shaders and Reflections

Shaders and reflections makes everything feel "more realistic", and often add a wow factor.

Particles

The use of dynamic particle systems also adds immersion (seeing falling leaves of snow in a more realistic way) and provides helpful feedback to the player (dust created by the Earth ability is very satisfying)

Post-processing

Post processing is helpful to "correct" the image and allows us to achieve the mood we want. It also helps bright objects to pop out. Best example I know that used bloom is Octopath Traveler, which looks amazing in my opinion.

I hope you enjoyed this more in depth look about our art style. If you have any questions, please, let us know in the comments.

Friends of the project

Let us show you a couple projects we love that you might like :)

Oddventure

Oddventure is a JRPG about the misadventures of Charlie - a nihilistic and rebellious teenage girl with anger issues and social awkwardness. Charlie searches for her troublesome brother Bonzo and ultimately for a way back home. Oddventure is a project inspired by Earthbound, Undertale, fairy tales and many more!

The setting is the Kingdom of Luxia, a land straight from original Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales with a dark, Nietzschean twist. Its ruler, King Godwynn Good, is Charlie's last hope of return. It’s up to you how the journey will end. While deciding you’ll discover the truth about Charlie’s past. And truth about herself... or even yourself.

Check out Oddventure's campagin!

A New Leaf: Memories

A New Leaf: Memories is a 3D farming simulator inspired by classics like Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing, and Stardew Valley. You wake up on the beach of a foreign island, unable to recall anything. Alone and equipped with only basic farming tools provided by the town residents, you aim to recover your memories. Complete quests and explore Omoide Island as you unfold your story.

Check out A New Leaf: Memories' campaign!

As always, thank you very much for supporting and staying with us. We'll talk soon!

~Iván