Which art style would *you* like for a new Monkey Island game?

Adventure/Lucasfilm Games
1

Let’s pretend we didn’t get any example of the art style of Return to Monkey Island.
Better, let’s pretend RtMI was never announced!

… what kind of art style would you like, for a new Monkey Island game?

3D environment with cartoony characters?
Purcell concept art used as backgrounds?
Something like Thimbleweed Park?
Full-motion Video with real actors, like “Pirates of the Caribbean”?

I’ll start saying that I don’t really care about how many "D"s it has, as long as the style conveys the grittiness of a filthy pirate environment.

I would also prefer a very detailed style. For example, if there’s something made of wood, I would like to see knots and woodgrain. If a “cartoony” art style would reduce the quantity of details, then I would probably prefer a more realistic style.

2

I dislike 3D, i think 2D graphic with cartoonish style will be good for me.

3

It’s kind of hard to pinpoint exactly what style I’d want, it’s easier to say what I don’t want…

  • avoid 3D and full motion video
  • don’t make it overly detailed
  • don’t have characters that jar with the surroundings (where they sort of float on top of the backgrounds)
  • not too realistic, but also not super cartoony (like DOTT)
4

What about the deduction sequences with Sherlock Holmes?

1 Like
5

Basically “Monkey Island II Special Edition”.
I did not like MI1SE graphics because it was too geometric and it felt rushed. (You can even see part of the pixelated original in the forest.)
MI2SE is quite close to the concept art except it’s slightly sharper and I even like its adjusted colors more.

2 Likes
6

If the art style was like Arthur Glémée’s reinterpretation of Phatt Island on Unreal Engine, 3D would work for me.

1 Like
7

Higher-resolution MI3 except Guybrush isn’t 8 feet tall.

1 Like
8

I like this question, it allows us to blow off some steam :slight_smile:

Peter Chan’s concept art: of course my first choice, and whoever disagrees is demonstrably insane :slight_smile:

immagine
immagine1134×383 79.7 KB

Monkey 2 special edition is very good, and I’d be very happy if RTMI had chosen that style. But, if I may nitpick, colors are paler than the original. Much worse than P. Chan.

And I have to say after I’ve seen Simon The Sorcerer Origins, I’m impressed (by the backgrounds, characters, and especially by the walk cycle which the rest of you dislikes so much :slight_smile: )

immagine
immagine1474×790 74.1 KB

I’d be enthusiastic if RTMI looked like that.

2 Likes
9

I prefer a cartoon art style to a realistic art style as long as the details are taken care of.

10

A high-res 2D cartoon style like Curse, but characters are less exaggerated in their features.

MI3’s backgrounds were great but I never liked Guybrush with his extra skinny legs and long face and strange hair.

2 Likes
11

I loved them!

12

Very 3D. :wink:

13

Yes, but it’s limited to that part of the game, and you don’t have to move the main character with 3D visual. Just “turn around” the background to spot some hotspots.
In that case, it has a meaning.
A whole game in 3D, I dislike it.

14

3D with cell shading could also be impressive - like this:

2 Likes
15

I’m torn about 3D. I think that I would like it if the style is realistic.

A 3D game that really made me feel of being in the depicted locations was Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments. It’s a quite detailed style.

I vividly remember a scene in an alley, at night, where sounds of people came from a pub. While the pub wasn’t accessible and the player could only get a peek inside from a window, the sounds alone were able to create a realistic atmosphere, for me.

I thing that I would enjoy that kind of atmosphere applied to a pirate bar!

I think that I would like also the well-known style obtained from projecting MI2 backgrounds to a 3D scene. The technique preserves a lot of details.

16

What about the cell shading used in Broken Sword 5? The backgrounds are 2D, though.

image
image1920×1080 188 KB

2 Likes
17

Same for Runaway and other games from Pendulo. I really like the cell shading look: You have smooth animations and in a few years the graphics are still looking good.

2 Likes
18

Just because someone needs to represent the underdog:

3D claymation with Interlaced FMV!

3 Likes
19

For those who like a cartoony style, a good candidate for 3D graphics could be the SCUMM bar art recently shared on Twitter:

image
image1280×960 97.4 KB

20

…Fatzilla?

Seemed to look okay but I actually lost interest pretty early on.

Unfortunately it’s the same for Armikrog. Looks fantastic though! I did play The Neverhood demo to the end though.