Square Enixin recent years, has brought to the world a series of games with a new graphic style, called by the company HD-2D. It is a mixture of pixel art and 3D, with graphic and lighting effects of various kinds. It is very popular with fans, who see it as a modern way to bring in retro graphics. It may also seem like an easy-to-make and not very expensive graphic style. In fact, this is not the case at all.
Speaking to 4Gamer, according to Nintendo Everything’s translation, Triangle Strategy Producer – Tomoya Asano – Explain the situation. The magazine asked Asano why indie games didn’t start copying this graphic style. The developer then said: “It is perhaps important to note that it costs more than you think. In this regard, it is a good choice for the games that Square Enix wants to publish.
HD-2D obviously doesn’t cost a game with realistic graphics (think Final Fantasy 7 Remake to stay within the Square Enix range), but you shouldn’t think it’s a quick and easy style to make.
Square Enix will continue to produce HD-2D games, such as Live a Live. In this regard, Asano uses this game to explain how HD-2D graphics do not have a single style and can also be suitable depending on the setting. “The way it expresses itself changes from title to title, so HD-2D style will be a little different each time. With Live a Live, for example, the atmosphere of the prehistoric section will be different from that of sci-fi. Our possibilities of expression have increased. Thanks for the new ideas.”
