Art style. Cheesy high fantasy or classic low?

[DAVY]

So, in case some of you don't understand what I mean, high fantasy art style, for example, with armor, is usually more dramatic and cheesy, much like with Korean MMOs, JRPGs, Warcraft, and modern fantasy games. Spiked armor, skulls, wings, layered plating, and especially, lots of belts. Magic is just a storm of fireworks, explosions, and a whirlwind of effects raining down on everything and used liberally. This style is usually catered toward the younger audience, those into superhero movies, streamers, and those who say "epic" a lot to describe things.

Then, there's the opposite. Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Dragon's Dogma, and maybe even Morrowind to an extent. Dark Souls could possibly be borderline between low and high. Within low fantasy settings, magic and styles are more conservative. It's not immediate to see a barrage of firestorms, bikini armors, armor with giant glowing pauldrons, and things seem to look more practical than loud and stylized. Things that come off as more "epic" be it a flaming sword with a glowing skull, shoulders with swirling crystals, or a monster with all kinds of spikes and claws, are usually seen far toward the end of the game, representing high-end or end-game content. Magic is also not so commonly used, as it's a privilege, not a right to use. It's a hand grenade for those desperate moments, and a mage is known to be a fragile glass cannon.

So, what are your thoughts? What do you with Baldur's Gate to be more like? High fantasy, or low fantasy? Personally, I prefer low, though everyone's opinions vary.

[AscendedViking7]

Originally posted by DAVY:

So, in case some of you don't understand what I mean, high fantasy art style, for example, with armor, is usually more dramatic and cheesy, much like with Korean MMOs, JRPGs, Warcraft, and modern fantasy games. Spiked armor, skulls, wings, layered plating, and especially, lots of belts. Magic is just a storm of fireworks, explosions, and a whirlwind of effects raining down on everything and used liberally. This style is usually catered toward the younger audience, those into superhero movies, streamers, and those who say "epic" a lot to describe things.

Then, there's the opposite. Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Dragon's Dogma, and maybe even Morrowind to an extent. Dark Souls could possibly be borderline between low and high. Within low fantasy settings, magic and styles are more conservative. It's not immediate to see a barrage of firestorms, bikini armors, armor with giant glowing pauldrons, and things seem to look more practical than loud and stylized. Things that come off as more "epic" be it a flaming sword with a glowing skull, shoulders with swirling crystals, or a monster with all kinds of spikes and claws, are usually seen far toward the end of the game, representing high-end or end-game content. Magic is also not so commonly used, as it's a privilege, not a right to use. It's a hand grenade for those desperate moments, and a mage is known to be a fragile glass cannon.

So, what are your thoughts? What do you with Baldur's Gate to be more like? High fantasy, or low fantasy? Personally, I prefer low, though everyone's opinions vary.

I kinda prefer a mix.
Overly high fantasy like World of Warcraft isn't my thing at all.
Divinity and Elder Scrolls has just the right mix.

[Royal Fusilier]

Hate spikey armor and oddly shaped shields. I am more forgiving with the flashy magic but just give me some mail, round shield, and a spear and I am ready to hit the dungeon.

[Chmeva]

I would assume they will land somewhere in between the Baldur's Gate games and the Divinity: Original Sin games (so a very wide spectrum), but without any actual gameplay videos out yet, it's anyone's guess.

[DAVY]

Originally posted by Chmeva:

I would assume they will land somewhere in between the Baldur's Gate games and the Divinity: Original Sin games (so a very wide spectrum), but without any actual gameplay videos out yet, it's anyone's guess.

But what would you prefer?

[Chmeva]

I personally prefer classic low (or whatever the term is) by a long shot. I don't "hate" the other style, but it would be an easy choice for me if I was making it.

[Dr.Gloom]

Tasty high fantasy. Doesn't need manga style swords, bikini armor or to be super flashy, it just needs to have some style. It is a video game, in the end. I am not buying games for realism.

[DAVY]

Originally posted by grumpymoose:

All likihood out of the window, and just thinking of my ideal? Hhmmm . . .

I've always wanted a game to look like the old Dragon Lance art brought to life. I doubt this will be the one to do it, but that would just make my day if it ever happened. I do mean bringing it to life, just a moving piece of the old art would bring tears to my eyes.

Dragon Lance? You mean like the books? That style would fall under low fantasy. The only high-fantasy features being designs for females, though that erotic-like style was very popular in the 1980's, especially among comic book artists, who subtly displayed their kinks. The same art you would find in Conan the Barbarian, old Daggerfall art, old superhero comics, etc. Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale had this style on their paper doll (inventory dress up model) but a tad more conservative for censorship reasons.

[Space Dog]

They already showed us the art style in the teaser trailer.