If there's one thing that gives solace to my sometimes jaded heart, it's the knowledge that my love for the pre-rendered backgrounds of yesteryear is shared by many on forums such as this. Call it nostalgia, if you wish, but I personally feel that the use of pre-rendered backgrounds can really elevate the sense of place and atsmophere of a game's setting when done right. While pre-rendered backgrounds may have been birthed from the desire to push for higher fidelity visuals within the hardware constraints of the 32-bit era, I think that they are still very much a viable and visually pleasing artistic choice today as well.
While the practice of using fixed camera angles and/or pre-rendered backgrounds is pretty rare now, I can think of a few modern examples and would like to learn of even more. That's where you all come in! Recommend some modern (let's say released within the last ten years) games that use pre-rendered backgrounds.
Screenshots, GIFs, and/or videos are all highly encouraged.
Here are a few examples that spring to mind for me:
The Journey Down Trilogy
The pre-rendered backgrounds here are hand-drawn (or digitally painted) and look great with plenty of animated components to lend motion and life to most areas. Everything comes together for form a very unique and memorable aesthetic that is dripping with atmosphere. I'm a big fan.
Check out the trailer for the first game to see it in motion.
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Pillars of Eternity (I and II) and Torment: Tides of Numenera
I haven't played Torment yet, but screenshots and video of its gorgeous sci-fi setting have tempted me on more than one occasion despite not being the biggest fan of this genre.
Check out this Tides of Numenera trailer to see the beautiful environments in motion:
While the practice of using fixed camera angles and/or pre-rendered backgrounds is pretty rare now, I can think of a few modern examples and would like to learn of even more. That's where you all come in! Recommend some modern (let's say released within the last ten years) games that use pre-rendered backgrounds.
Screenshots, GIFs, and/or videos are all highly encouraged.
Here are a few examples that spring to mind for me:
The Journey Down Trilogy
I've only played a little of the first game in this Point n' Click Adventure trilogy, but I intend on playing all three when they release on Switch over the next three weeks (starting today). I really like the atmosphere conveyed by the pre-rendered backgrounds in this game. Even the characters are pre-rendered in 3D and then converted to sprites ala Donkey Kong Country and Killer Instinct. The game's vibe, tone, and setting all remind me of a sort of hybrid between Beyond Good and Evil (the opening of the first game is straight-up Mammago Garage) and Grim Fandango (the jazzy soundtrack and stylized locales evoke memories of Rubacava).
The pre-rendered backgrounds here are hand-drawn (or digitally painted) and look great with plenty of animated components to lend motion and life to most areas. Everything comes together for form a very unique and memorable aesthetic that is dripping with atmosphere. I'm a big fan.
Check out the trailer for the first game to see it in motion.
___________________________________
Pillars of Eternity (I and II) and Torment: Tides of Numenera
I'm gonna lump these together because they are all part of the same resurgence of robust, wordy, and beautiful CRPG's. Most importantly, they both make wonderful use of pre-rendered backgrounds. Not only does this mean that they can run on even modest hardware, but it also just looks fantastic. While the backgrounds are fully 2D, they are hi-res and utilize a number of modern tricks to help the 3D character/enemy models blend in naturally. Light bounces off of the simulated 3D environments convincingly, and everything just feels convincing and cohesive.
I haven't played Torment yet, but screenshots and video of its gorgeous sci-fi setting have tempted me on more than one occasion despite not being the biggest fan of this genre.
Check out this Tides of Numenera trailer to see the beautiful environments in motion:
