Welcome to Art Examination! A video series that explores video games as an art form with MissBiankadonk, professional gameplay animator and part-time streamer.
In this installment she will be looking at Frima Studio’s Chariot, and how color palette creates cohesive and unified environments.
“There is something to be said about hand painted textures in the world of video games. There is an artistic quality to them that adds a layer of pride on top and if done right and given the care that they deserve, these textures can even be the highlight of the game itself. Chariot is one of these examples for two solid reasons, harmony and palette.
Harmony is so important when making a game that has many areas that vary quite differently from each other. It should feel like the same game world throughout without a moment’s hesitation. In Chariot, the players ventures from a serene forest scape, to freezing tundra and even to blistering hot caves! So what can bring all those themes together? Having familiar components overlap in each area. It may be very subtle but pieces of grass, plants and even some trees are used over with a little variation and with the area’s color palette. This creates a sense of harmony.
Color palette is key and Chariot has such a beautiful one at that. Each area has its own set of colours but yet some colors are used again and again to instate overall harmony. The colors flow from greens of the forest to vibrant hues of the deep to cooler blue to warmer reds and finishing off with calming pinks and yellows. Incidentally, when coming close to the end of an area, the next area’s palette slowly leaks in to introduce some familiarity which leads again to harmony.
Chariot is a piece of art that all hand painted textures artists should look at. The worlds are unique in executions of their ideas thanks to games overall harmony and color choices. It would be okay to take a pause now and then to enjoy the surrounding art.
If you agree with my observations or would like to share your own, please leave a comment down below and once again, thank you all for watching and see you next time.”