Soars Above Modern Video Game Visual Norms: Blades of Fire
Heyo! Instead of the shiny, hyper-detailed game art that's everywhere now, Blades of Fire, from MercurySteam, takes a bold departure and leans into an artistic, painterly world for its graphics. It's like stepping into a living, breathing painting!
This game combines combat design similar to Elden Ring and the bombast of God of War: Ragnarok, but don’t get mistaken, it's got its own unique flavor. Think of it as an art gallery, each digital brushstroke infused with meaning. Enric Álvarez, CEO of MercurySteam, explains this was a key decision: "We deliberately opted for a more stylized, painterly look over photorealism. It not only gives the game a strong and unique personality, but it matches our narrative much better than a more realistic visual style would."
The team worked tirelessly on the game's lighting. It's not just pretty; it drives the game, influencing enemy behavior, stealth mechanics, and environmental storytelling. Caravaggio meets Frank Frazetta? Yeah, it's pretty cool, if a bit gruesome in its beauty.
Blades of Fire also reimagines how color affects the game's narrative. Each palette shift doesn't just create mesmerizing environments like mist-shrouded forests and towering stone keeps, but it guides the player's emotional journey, too. From vibrant tones to harsher hues, then colder shades, the shifting colors mirror the escalating emotional stakes in the game.
The game's artistic direction isn't just about aesthetics. For Enric, video games are art, and he believes that lasting visual design comes from strong art direction, not technical specifications. So, embrace the pixels and relish the ride as Blades of Fire pushes expressionism over fidelity, breaking away from the norm and offering emotion and soul in equal measure.
Want to hand-write your masterpiece like Enric? Check out our guide to the best drawing tablets with a stylus. Blades of Fire releases on 22 May. Visit the MercurySteam website for all the details.
- In Blades of Fire, the graphics take a leap away from modern game art, adopting a painterly world for a more artistic feel.
- The combat design in Blades of Fire resembles Elden Ring, but with its own distinctive flavor, like fine art pieces in a gallery.
- The game's painterly visuals were a deliberate choice by CEO Enric Álvarez, offering a unique personality and a better fit for the narrative.
- The team worked diligently on the game's lighting, creating a dynamic effect that guides enemy behavior, stealth mechanics, and environmental storytelling.
- Blades of Fire's color palettes not only create mesmerizing environments but also influence the player's emotional journey, from vibrant tones to harsher hues and colder shades.
- For Enric, video games are a form of art, and lasting visual design comes from strong art direction, not just technical specifications.
- For those eager to replicate Enric's hand-written masterpiece, our guide to the best drawing tablets with a stylus might come in handy.
- Blades of Fire, with its emphasis on expressionism over fidelity, breaks away from the norm and offers emotion and soul in equal measure.
- Set to release on 22 May, visit the MercurySteam website for all the details about this unique work of gaming art that merges elements of Caravaggio and Frank Frazetta, set in a smart-home world filled with gadgets and entertainment like movies and TV.
