favorite art style

Anything not related to one of my specific games, like general polls or promo/sale announcements. For general talk about games, go to the Golden Lion subforum
Post Reply

which art style do you prefer?

You may select up to 3 options

 
 
View results

User avatar
jack1974
Pack leader
Posts: 15470
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2005 4:43 pm

favorite art style

Post by jack1974 »

It's a bit of a tough question, also because there can be variations within the same style (the manga of Always Remember Me is VERY different from the manga of Planet Stronghold or Loren).
Anyway, just to make some examples:
manga style = Always Remember Me, Flower Shop, Planet Stronghold and Loren (even if this one could also fit under the comic/western style)
comic/western style = Vera Blanc, but that game had also the problem of using images too much zoomed in. So you can imagine any Marvel/DC comic art, or a mixed style like Loren Amazon Princess
rendered/painted style = Cinders is a good example. Other examples are the various Hidden Object Games art. This is probably the most expensive but also more realistic style

I'd be also curious to know if there's a style that you absolutely don't like - for example I had several people admitting that they were put off by Planet Stronghold character art, and then played the game and liked it. I like manga art, but I like all good art, so I've been thinking of doing other games with other art styles. I thought that it wouldn't work because Vera Blanc sold really poor, but that was probably due to other aspects of the game itself, and not just the art :mrgreen:
User avatar
Anima_
Druid
Posts: 345
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:44 pm
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: favorite art style

Post by Anima_ »

Since you were so nice to ask, I absolutely can't stand most forms of western comic style.
Some painted styles are also problematic for me, they are simply so overloaded with details that I can't really see what the scene is about. One of the reasons it's used for hidden object games of course.
Though, if I had to choose between those two, I'd take the painted style without a second thought. My favourite is the manga style though.
fleetp
Druid
Posts: 371
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 2:17 am
Location: USA
Contact:

Re: favorite art style

Post by fleetp »

I tend to march to the beat of a different drummer (since I like the Vera Blanc art and stories), so you'd best ignore my opinions on art. :lol:
I HATE anything done with Chibis.
I like well done 3D art (obviously this excludes the early stuff I've made), but 3D art tends to raise the hackles of VN players to the point where they won't play anything with 3D art. This is weird in my mind, since mainstream games (such as the Sims) are made with 3D art.
User avatar
jack1974
Pack leader
Posts: 15470
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2005 4:43 pm

Re: favorite art style

Post by jack1974 »

3d real-time is one thing and provides several "bonus" like animations, and facial expressions. Applied to a VN (see Walking Dead by Telltale) can bring really awesome storytelling experiences. Pre-rendered 3d (what most indies could afford :lol:) is really ugly in my opinion, even if is well done. Hard to explain, but if you take out the animation from 3d, seems to look at a puppet, while well done hand drawn 2d has something magic/artistic in it :) All in my opinion of course!
User avatar
Franka
Elder Druid
Posts: 1562
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 3:07 pm

Re: favorite art style

Post by Franka »

I prefer art done well. :P I like details. I dislike "rough" art, art that looks like colored sketches. The style is secondary to me, the quality is what counts. The more love that I can tell went into the artwork, the better it becomes (love often = details, to me). The more it looks like the artist was just doing a job, the more I skim over it. If it looks generic, the artist probably didn't feel a thing, other than the ka-CHING of cash, when creating it. If it has personal touches, the artist probably felt inspired, which more often than not, shows in the end result.

I don't care too much for anything that is highly unrealistic to look at, but most manga style artwork doesn't overstep my personal tolerance for that. Sometimes I even prefer that. Take "Long Live the Queen" from Hanako Games - the artwork in that game is just right for it, and the death chibis are simply phenomenal!
Foelhe
Young scout
Posts: 70
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 12:23 pm

Re: favorite art style

Post by Foelhe »

I hadn't given this a lot of though before, but I think one of the reasons I liked Loren's art so much is because it took the good parts of comic and manga style and built from there. Comic style by itself can get a bit dull if it's done badly, but manga can get cartoonish to the point where I can't take it seriously (though that's not such a bad thing for some of the VNs you've done).

I dunno if I can vote in the poll, since I think both art styles basically do different jobs. And I'm not familiar enough with painted style to really have an opinion. "Go manga style for lighter stories, comic style for darker" is about the best advice I can really give.
biscuit
Woods ranger
Posts: 110
Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2010 4:23 am

Re: favorite art style

Post by biscuit »

Not sure I can vote either, and for similar reasons to Foelhe.

I like both manga and comic style art, but it needs to fit the game: super-simple cute anime-ish stuff (like Long Live the Queen!) are adorable, but wouldn't fit Loren's story very well. (or would cause SEVERE mood dissonance).

Generally, I prefer manga style, but that's because most of the art I've seen for it tends to be cleaner/crisper and show emotional depth. (Really though, that's more about the artist than the style itself)

The rendered/painted style is GORGEOUS, but can be a little distracting, as well as looking 'stiff' since doing small animations (blinking, shifting posture; not that it's really animated, but I mean like how in Heileen for example, in the course of a scene a character's expression may shift) look more out of place. Plus it's so detailed that sometimes I feel like I'm spending more time staring at/trying to get past the art instead of getting immersed in the story.
User avatar
jack1974
Pack leader
Posts: 15470
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2005 4:43 pm

Re: favorite art style

Post by jack1974 »

Interesting opinions. I agree, that's why when I see some JRPG that use super-cute artwork, like Flower Shop style, and have a serious/dark/dramatic theme... I really have hard time to play them. I also think is the same reason why many western players don't like JRPG at first glance. Hard to disagree, to be honest. I couldn't imagine Loren or similar games with a cute art. Planet Stronghold one was almost borderline, though I think the artist is great, but anything more cute and probably would have felt out of place.
User avatar
jack1974
Pack leader
Posts: 15470
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2005 4:43 pm

Re: favorite art style

Post by jack1974 »

Some examples of what I mean by western style:
Image
and rendered:
Image
But I guess mainly depends also on the game theme/setting indeed.
Carmentis
Young scout
Posts: 90
Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2010 5:51 pm
Contact:

Re: favorite art style

Post by Carmentis »

Loren, hand's down! I believe I voiced my opinion on how much I love that art before and I'll say it again!
Post Reply