With the release of Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy — and the upcoming Live A Live and Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake — Square Enix has become synonymous with a new style of retro-inspired visuals. Combining rich HD 3D backdrops with SNES-inspired pixel art characters and monsters, HD-2D's colour palette, lighting, and beautifully detailed boss sprites have helped create a nostalgic, beloved art style that fans want to see more of.
In a recent interview with 4Gamer, Triangle Strategy producers Tomoya Asano and Yasuaki Arai sat down to discuss just how they implemented these retro-style visuals to their recent strategy game. One interesting question to jump out of the interview — translated by Jarop for Nintendo Everything — is when 4Gamer asks Asano why other studios haven't tried using HD-2D. More and more indie studios have embraced pixel art to capture the heart of the games that they've been inspired by, but Asano has quite a simple answer:
It’s probably worth noting that it costs more than you’d think. In that respect, it’s a good match for the titles want out of Square Enix. There might not be much to gain from other companies copying it.
This response is a pretty good reminder that game development isn't easy or cheap, and despite being inspired by classic RPGs of the SNES era, there's so much extra detail — ignoring the HD backdrops — that would require a bigger budget. Asano
Asano also talks about the "sharing of expertise" amongst the various HD-2D projects that have been happening at Square Enix, and the producer confirms that dev teams have indeed been swapping notes.
The teams on the former titles released information for the newer teams. If they have information they feel might be useful, we encourage the exchange of information across development companies. If a method of expression was used in an earlier title, there’s no reason it can’t be incorporated into the newer titles.
Asano and Arai also talk specifically about Triangle Strategy, including the differences in working with the popular visual style in Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy. These responses have also been translated for Nintendo Everything by Jarop. Octopath Traveler is a turn-based RPG, while Triangle Strategy requires a top-down camera to allow you to see the tactical RPG action, so the team faced new challenges.
Asano: Octopath Traveler had a fixed camera, but in tactical RPGs, you need to be able to rotate the map 360 degrees. We had to find a way to make maps in Triangle Strategy look good from all angles.
Arai: It took a lot of resources to make the map observable from all sides. At the start of development, we spent a lot of time discussing what to do at the edge of maps. In addition to gorgeous-looking world maps, the artists and art team did a fantastic job blending so many locations together. We hope you will explore every inch of maps and immerse yourself in the war-torn Norzelia.
The 4Gamer interviewer also delves into specifics, focusing on the effect that they believe HD-2D is trying to create, and comparing it to a diorama:
HD-2D is a blending of the real and surreal, striking a terrific balance between the two styles. It’s interesting to see realistic lighting shine on deformed characters – it feels like I’m looking at a diorama or a vignette-like object. I bet that was tough to make.
Asano: We tried to find the right line with the deformation, as the pixel art characters had to be attractive as pixel art. As the proportions change to look more realistic, the resolution increases and the pixels become smaller, making them look more like illustrations rather than pixel art. Of course, it’s attractive as a standalone illustration, but it would be different from what we built up as HD-2D.
Games have evolved to make pixels invisible, be it within pixel art or on textures applied to polygons, but I get the impression you’re going in the opposite direction with HD-2D.
Asano: We invited several companies to make HD-2D demo footage in the early stages of Triangle Strategy’s production, and after review alongside Octopath Traveler’s other developer, Acquire, we brought Artdink on board. While other developers created photorealistic images and reduced them, Artdink was the only developer that Acquire said had the ‘accurate’ HD-2D visuals.
Asano talks about 'accurate' HD-2D, and also mentioned Triangle Strategy looking more like "illustrations" as a result of the pixels getting more smaller and the resolution increases. This helps create a more "realistic" look and feel to the game, and when clarifying what he means by 'accurate' HD-2D, he compares the visuals to photorealism.
They prepared a deformed image at the writing material level, before adding realistic effects to ‘build it up’. A well-made HD-2D screen has pixel art characters and background.
Contrasting that, if you reduce a photorealistic image, it looks as if you’re simply lowering the image quality, which paints a picture that says ‘maybe this would have been better left clean.
Given that we're getting another HD-2D game in less than two months, we'd say Asano and the team have been successful in creating and perfecting a now-iconic visual style. Asano has even gone on record saying that Square Enix is looking at making even more HD-2D remakes in the future. We'd love to see even more new IPs in this visual style too, but we can surely dream of a Final Fantasy VI HD-2D remake, right? Even with the Steam and mobile Pixel Remaster existing...
Triangle Strategy's visuals were just one of the many things we showered praise on in our review of the game, which we awarded a 9/10.
What do you think of HD-2D? Are you looking forward to the Live A Live and Dragon Quest III remakes? Let us know down below!
[source nintendoeverything.com, via nintendoeverything.com]
Comments 29
Im a fan of this style. Playing Traingle Strategy at the moment and loving it. Octopath was also great. Will Definitely get Live A Live next
There's a Chinese developer doing it right now. name of the game escapes me though. (Edit Wandering Sword)
I love how square is out here trying to act like it's too expensive when they make games with PS1 era graphics. That company needs to learn how to trim the fat.
I hate how blurry triangle strategy is. I had to turn off almost every camera effect to make the game halfway playable and then it's just dry as a saltine cracker.
I hope they clean that up before live a live because octopath was not blurry.
@LittleGhost my thoughts exactly. Trying to make it sound like a big deal. In reality it's not, simple as that. Between i enjoyed triangle strategy.
@Rpg-lover maybe they should hire some Kemco people to help with the heavy lifting. 🤣
I love the HD-2D style. Brilliant they are dipping into their previous games to up date them so I do hope LiveALive is the first of many
I hope that Squeenix really dips into their back catalog with this style. So striking yet nostalgic.
I am playing it right now. I am a fan of the style as well.
Honestly it's not surprising that it costs more than we gamers think. That's the consensus on a lot of things that developers do. Somehow though gamers with no development experience seem to know better than the developers.
The less HD-2D games, the better. I quite like it but honestly, all HD-2D games look so similar to each other. They are almost indistinguishable
I wonder how many turn based JRPG fans really care about flashy diorama graphics. Or voice acting for that matter. Sometimes these companies add cost for the sake of it.
That Eiyuden Chronicles game uses it, and the prequel one sorta too.
It's a great art style and a modern evolution of 2D-based games while also keeping the retro charm.
@MrGawain I like it. But I used to play Warhammer 40k so having it in Triangle Strategy gives me tabletop war gaming vibes.
Great! These guys make some of my favorite games right now! Triangle Strategy was fantastic imo.
@LittleGhost maybe we should tell them that, as it will make the job less difficult to handle🤣🤣🤣🤣😁😆
Now if they did this to River City Ransom or Metal Slug...
It's interesting seeing S-E become increasingly comfortable introducing the art-style into existing properties. Live-A-Live, DQ3 HD-2D, the opera scene in FFVI Pixel Remaster, etc.
I have mixed feelings about how it was integrated into Octopath and Triangle, since the resulting image quality is a bit on the soft side. On the other hand, Triangle Strategy is one of the best tactical RPGs I've ever played, with mature storytelling reminiscent of the genre's heyday on the PS1. If this is the excuse they need to return to that era of game development, then, by all means, add all of the flashy filters and visual effects you want.
@BlackenedHalo Yeah I'm not a fan of the fact its an overall homogenized look.
1) This is more expensive than you think.
&
2) Other studios wouldn't benefit from copying this.
Both statements sound like disparagement to other studios, in a cheap attempt at stifling the impending competition they are going to face when others do copy the technique.
I'm not surprised, well done sprites like those are obviously going to be costly. NIS also struggled financially cause the sprites were hard to make (also cause of the mobile game that bombed and they poured so much money into) so they went to 3D models for 6.
Good. Would like to see more HD 2D games from SE. Picking up Live a Live Remake too. Put more money/care into something like Octopath and Triangle and you get my money
It must cost more than I think - because it most assuredly looks cheap.
I don't mind it, but I prefer full 3d and would even take something with ps2 era graphics.
I really really like the 2DHD style, but after the disappointing Triangle Strategy demos and doubting Live A Lives really old game mechanics will hold up well or be very engaging by today's standards I'm passing on most of them. Definitely going to snatch up Octopath Traveler when it goes on sale since the mobile games beta test of that was AMAZING.
@BloodNinja Yeah that's how I read it too. "Don't copy our style guys, it's not worth it!". I'm sure there will be some amazing non-Square games that'll do it just as well and might even find some tricks to make it cheaper/easier/better since Square seems like they're just going to keep pumping them out with what they already have established.
@BlackenedHalo Ah yes the whole varied selection of them..by one company..using the same engine..hmm I wonder why they look the same? I'm sure NIS or someone could add a whole lot of flair to the art style.
I'm glad most other companies haven't tried to copy it, at least not yet. Personally I find it downright ugly especially in Octopath. While the DQ3 remake looks pretty good so far at least, it's still a shame that Square's the one who seems to be going all in on this style
I despise 8/16 bit graphics, or what they conveniently turned into the style called "pixel art", but the HD-2D is at least tolerable for someone like me who probably would just skip these games if they were just SNES looking games. I will be buying LiveAlive, so I'm glad they are taking the time do this, unlike other commenters. I can't ve the only one who wouldn't be buying these games if they were just normal SNES looking "retro" games. I am looking forward to dragon quest III, too. Octopath was decent. Triangle strategy was not for me. It was way too boring, with too much nonsense to have to read through that i had no interest in. I didn't play FF tactics, & i have no desire to play a game just due to the variety in classes. I love fire emblem, but that's the only style of tactics game i seem to enjoy.
TLDR; i am VERY happy Squenix is taking the time to make these, regardless of cost. I hope these catch on with other devs.
My hope is that these games get an HD 2D remake at some point in the 2020s:
I haven’t had a lot of time to dig into Triangle but I found Octopath, while a decent game, to be a blurry mess. Large sprites in particular just looked like blobs on the big screen.
I like HD 2D, it's like how we remember the 2D sprite games from back then but updated for modern sensibilities.
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