One of the areas I looked to for inspiration on Echoes was
Lionhead studios, creators and custodians of the Fable franchise. Their art
style is a fantastic mix of exaggeration and
classic British sensibilities, and I love the way their animation
style matches it perfectly.
Lionhead have a long legacy in the British game industry. Starting
out as a breakaway group from Bullfrog Games; makes of beloved classics such as
Frogger and Theme Hospital, they produced excellent games in franchises with a
great cult following. In 2006, they were acquired by Microsoft and their Fable
series became a flagship title for the Xbox consoles.
The first of their games I played was the god simulator; black and
white 2, and later the Fable games. Throughout
all their games, Lionhead maintain a consistent visual style and theme.
Their games downplay menu navigation in favour of focussing on the art and
animation, which strongly contrasts the usual design of strategy and
role-playing games.
In my work on Echoes, I want to utilise this same emphasis;
keeping the art primary to the game, and not having it subsumed beneath the
nitty gritty of gameplay elements. Lionhead’s aesthetic for animation also
suits Echoes well, with a chunky, solid feel which helps to place it within the
game, and make it feel more alive.
No comments:
Post a Comment