In a recent interview with the Japanese edition of 4GAMER, Tomoy Asano Tomoy and Yasuaki, Arai, talked about how the team managed to introduce the HD-2D artistic style from Square Enix into their last release.
Despite the apparent simplicity and ease of realization of the artistic style, they noted that it “cost more than you think” and the help of teams that previously worked with this technology was required to finish the development in such a short time. We offer to get acquainted with an excerpt from an interview with Asano-Sana below.
_HD-2D is a new technology, but the quality remains unchanged even when the developer is changing. You have announced several games using HD-2D, for example, Dragon Quest III and Live A Live. Is there a so-called exchange of experience between the teams of these games? _
Asano: Yes. The teams working on previous games transferred the information to new teams. If they have information that, in their opinion, can be useful, we encourage the exchange of information between developers. If any method was used in some game, there is no reason why it cannot be used in new games.
_My already talked about the “accurate” HD-2D-you made the final Bible, which is guided by the developers or something like this? _
Asano: We did not make up anything like that. Each game is unique, so HD-2D will be slightly different every time. For example, in Live A Live, the atmosphere in the prehistoric part will differ from the science fiction scenario.
I wondered why other developers did not try anything like HD-2D. Since indie games flourish, the number of games using pixel art has increased, and I would think that this technique can be applicable in these games.
Asano: Probably, it is worth noting that it costs more than you think. In this regard, it is well suited for games that Square Enix wants to release. Perhaps other companies will not get much benefit from its use.