Imitation is the best form of flattery. Painters imitate other painter’s technique, film makers imitate other film maker’s visual style in order to find what works for them and work up from there. But what happens when a video game imitates another art form such as film? Would it still be flattery? Of course! Film has established itself as a solid visual form of art. So how in fact does a video game imitate such a form? Through camera choices, lighting, composition, sheer hyper-realism and, just to add some flare, an alternate universe.
Right from the start, the Order: 1886 is set apart for its choice in aspect ratio and camera position. Choosing the silver aspect ratio over the standard high definition aspect ratio allows more of an artistic and wider scope. The camera position also compliments that decision in allowing a more level angle in order to optimize the view for the player.
With a wider view of the game world, composition of scenes have a unique approach and allow the player to become more immersed. Each area and the items in them are positioned to draw attention at the right moment. The composition also encourages exploration which is a must. So much heart and soul was put into making the game world both realistic and stylistic.
The artists involved in the visuals went above and beyond in order to achieve hyper-realism. This process could have involved scanning real textures, modeling from a 3D scan and capturing motion from performance actors for the animations. The photorealism of the environments, textures and animations push the game world to feel more cinematic than video game. The same attention to detail would definitely be on a film set.
The Order: 1886 tips its hat to many aspects of film. With that in mind, they have adapted these elements to make the game more unique in its visual storytelling and form. This could be a new step for video games as interactive films, another art form for film makers to express themselves if they want to go beyond the silver screen.
If you agree with my observations or would like to share your own or would like to make a suggestion for future videos, please leave a comment down below and once again, thank you all for watching and see you next time.