In recent times, good visuals have been associated with realism. Hence, games that are lauded as being the most visually pleasing are typically graphically intense games that aim for photorealism. This includes titles such as Red Dead Redemption 2, which has views sublime enough to take one’s breath away, The Last of Us 2, which uses realism to enhance the impact of its violence, and Death Stranding, which features landscapes that look real enough to hike through. Although realism is very impressive, games from FromSoftware such as Elden Ring illustrate that good visuals can also come from implementing a strong art direction, even if it does not look marvelously photorealistic.
FromSoftware games are not known for their cutting-edge graphics. However, titles from the studio have still managed to age remarkably well and remain pleasant to look at years later. This is because the studio, instead of focusing on realism, has instead adopted striking art styles that avoid feeling dated and help to make the world players explore feel alive. This can be seen with Bloodborne and Elden Ring, two FromSoftware titles that feature art styles that can stand the test of time.
The Lovecraftian World of Bloodborne
Bloodborne released in 2015 and is an action game containing enough morbid and macabre elements to turn into a genuinely horrifying experience at times. The game has players assuming the role of a hunter who, on the night of The Hunt, has traveled to the gothic city of Yharnam (a city where most of the inhabitants are afflicted by an illness that has them violently marauding the streets) in search of Paleblood. Dark themes of death are ever-present, and around every corner, players can expect to confront ghoulish monsters and terrifying creatures of the night.
Bloodborne is not the most photorealistic game, but its strong art direction has ensured it still looks striking years after its release. As players explore Yharnam, they see ornate buildings that make use of haunting Gothic architecture, and are constantly under the oppressive darkness of nighttime. The use of shadows ensures that the things that players do not see are just as fearsome as the things that players do see, and much like Gothic literature of the Victorian era, Bloodborne's world has a timeless quality to it.
The art style of Bloodborne is effective because the Gothic themes reflected in the architecture and enemy designs enhance the game's horror elements, while the baroque Victorian clothing design adds an air of mystery and unfamiliarity to the world, ensuring that players never feel like a native as they prowl Yharnam.
The Fantasy World of Elden Ring
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FromSoftware's latest release is Elden Ring, and like its predecessors, it does not place much of an emphasis on realism. However, as the game's director Hidetaka Miyazaki has explained, following the brilliant remake of Demon's Souls by Bluepoint, his team felt pressure for Elden Ring to be visually fantastic. Elden Ring achieves this not by embracing realism, but by making use of a striking fantasy art style that complements its enigmatic narrative.
Elden Ring's art style evokes the kind of imagery used by fantasy stories such as The Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings, and this should not be unexpected considering the fact that the fantasy writer George R. R. Martin wrote for Elden Ring. The art style is also inspired by European mythology, as seen with the large, glowing Tree Sentinel which resembles legendary trees in European mythology including the Vilagfa tree of Hungarian mythology and the Yggdrasil of Norse mythology. Although players are treated to rolling meadows, Elden Ring's world is not a completely cheery one, and the art style does carry a sense of darkness and depression through the dungeons and ruins that players encounter.
Despite featuring some of the hardest bosses in gaming, Elden Ring has been enjoying strong sales, illustrating that FromSoftware is more mainstream than ever. Although the trend in the AAA gaming scene is to aim for realism, FromSoftware proves that games can still look good and age very well with just an effective use of a striking art style.
Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.