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Monolith Soft has some of the best world art design in gaming

S

sanstesy

Member
One of the biggest reasons why I appreciate their games so much is because of their insanely great & otherwordly world art design that basically no other game currently offers and especially at this level. Seeing something interesting environmental design in the distance will make me want to go there because it is looks so cool.

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It's not only the lush art design based on fantastical elements that makes them stand-out but also how they implement said world - basically anything you can see in their worlds you can reach, explore and will be most of the time rewarded with more incredible views.

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What Monolith Soft also does really well compared to other open-world developers is very vertical & involved world design which just further enhances the exploration element. And specially as in Xenoblade Chronicles X you can move around the world extremely well with an awesome & generous jumping ability plus fast movement/transportation mechanics.

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This is what I personally need first and foremost to keep me engaged in an open-world game; a world that I want to explore just by simply looking at it and their games do it best. And really, seeing screenshots only tells you one side of the coin because there is so much dimensions to their worlds that it is best just to explore them for yourselves by playing it. I can't wait to see what they have up next because I really can't get enough of their world art design. Until then, more screenshots!

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L

LCGeek

formerly sane
You're giving me a woody thinking about what they can do with switch and beyond as they grow with their new architecture.
 
R

Ridley327

Member
As much as I find the Xenoblade games to be fun to play, it's really the world design that keeps me going back. Their understanding of scale is second to none, as is their ability to keep environments varied.

I think that X in particular handles the whole "unspoiled alien world ripe for exploration" aspect better than any game out there. Even into the post-game, there are reasons to go off the beaten path to find something cool and potentially dangerous.
 
S

Some Nobody

Junior Member
Monolith Soft are fucking visionaries. Whatever they have on the Switch is gonna be great, but I'm up for playing XCX again in the meantime too if that's really real.
 
P

Psoelberg

Member
I wish more open world games went crazy on the environment - too many games are too realistic. Especially fantasy rpg's.
 
M

marmoka

Banned
I never played XC, but XCX is beautiful as Hell. I played about 60 only exploring, and ignoring the story.

I only got to chapter 6, but it was worth getting the game, only for all the exploration I did.
 
I

Instro

Member
Its unfortunate that they are so hardware constrained. XCX is both beautiful and ugly at the same time.
 
C

CrazyHal

Member
Yeah. The world of Xenoblade X looks amazing and fascinating. It's a real shame that the story within that world is painfully mediocre.
 
S

Shahed

Member
I agree. I remember even when playing Xenoblade on Wii that it looked a lot better than the majority of games I played on PS3 and 360. Satorl Marsh (especially at night!) and the area outside Alcamoth (Aryth Sea?) were gorgeous.

That's why it's such a shame their character models are extremely poor all around. If they sorted that out they'd be from my perspective the most aesthetically pleasing devs out there.
 
E

El Odio

Banned
God, the first area you go to in Noctilum, the multicolred canopied forest, was absolutely gorgeous as hell. Mira probably has to be my favorite world in a game to explore. Had so incredible vistas when you made the effort to climb up a mountain.
 
N

Nocturnowl

Member
Noctilum is probably my favourite area they've whipped up over the Xenoblade games though the Bionis as a whole trumps all.
So basically I agree.
 
M

Makonero

Member
CrazyHal said:
Yeah. The world of Xenoblade X looks amazing and fascinating. It's a real shame that the story within that world is painfully mediocre.
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They need to get a good writer onboard. Someone who has experience writing and creating timeless RPGs.

...paging Shegasato Itoi...
 
G

Galang

Banned
I agree with this, but on the other hand the character models for the past two games have looked horrifying. Hopefully the next game has decent ones...
 
Astral Dog

Astral Dog

Member
They need engaging characters, HUD, presentation and other stuff, but they are capable of that.

I would be very interested to see what they can do beyond the Xenoblade mold
 
R

rec0ded1

Member
Spent so much time just running around exploring their world. I have a feeling once I jump into FFXV I will be dissapointed due to Xenoblade chronicles X spoiling me.
 
N

Neoleo2143

Member
rec0ded1 said:
Spent so much time just running around exploring their world. I have a feeling once I jump into FFXV I will be dissapointed due to Xenoblade chronicles X spoiling me.
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FFXV's world doesn't compare to Mira in terms of design. It's best not to go in with that expectation.
 
J

James Scott

Banned
Zalman said:
Xenoblade X is probably the most impressive open world I've seen in a game.
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Yeah, there are some issues with the game but the world is pretty incredible especially since you can climb and fly anywhere.
Runs pretty smoothly too. Being able to be a human in a GTA like Town and then get into a Mech that's 5x as big and fly out of the city is one of the coolest things this gen.
Really looking forward to them applying this tech with Switch hardware and a better story like the original Xenoblade
 
I

IAmtheFMan

Member
The art direction in XC and XCX are sublime. The nighttime Satorl Marsh and Valak Mountains were absurdly good.

In XCX, I loved the ambiguity and the fact that the world was so foreign without any explanations made it even more enticing. Why do those rings in Oblivia exist? Are they alien objects that crashed, or some sort of symbolic ritualistic remnant from a long-gone society? They not only don't answer it, but it's not even a thing anyone even really points out. It's just there to further build the world. That moment plus entering Sylvalum gave me more of an otherworldly "whoa" moment than any other open world game I've played this generation.
 
E

Enduin

No bald cap? Lies!
Yet another reason we need another Baten Kaitos. Xenoblade series looks great, but BK looks amazing.
 
FalsettoVibe

FalsettoVibe

Member
Xenoblade most definitely has nice environments.

rec0ded1 said:
Spent so much time just running around exploring their world. I have a feeling once I jump into FFXV I will be dissapointed due to Xenoblade chronicles X spoiling me.
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I knew it was only a matter of time before FFXV was mentioned in some form... :)
 
S

sanstesy

Member
wild wild rice said:
Shit, maybe I should get back to XCX. I'll just be so utterly lost with those menus and systems and shit.
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It's way too complicated for its own good, I started it around 3 months ago and I'm not even halfway through it. It's pretty rewarding when you get to understand all the systems but until you get to that point takes so much time.

If it weren't for the amazing environmental design I would have definitely given up early in the game, though.
 
S

Silent_Ocarina

Member
These are absolutely the best worlds I've experienced in gaming. Exploring in Xenoblade Chronicles X was a joy despite the game's flaws. I especially love how generous Monolith was in regards to movement. Never did I feel like exploring was a chore or boring. Fast travel along with sprinting and jumping made it really fun and simple to get to where you need to go. I'm currently playing FFXV right now and XCX definitely spoiled me. I hate running into invisible barriers in FFXV now, haha. XCX's weather effects were really nice too. Sylvalum at night with energy mist can't be beat.
 
R

Ridley327

Member
Galang said:
I agree with this, but on the other hand the character models for the past two games have looked horrifying. Hopefully the next game has decent ones...
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I don't think that Xenoblade was really bad in terms of the character art, but the Wii constraints really hurt their emotive capabilities in the cutscenes. X had the same problem that Xenosaga Pt. 1 had: Kunihiko Tanaka's character art does not translate well to polygon models at all.

If they got the character artist from Xenoblade back and were able to refine their facial animation process, I think a lot of people would be more than OK with that.
 
D

DJIzana

Member
Psoelberg said:
I wish more open world games went crazy on the environment - too many games are too realistic. Especially fantasy rpg's.
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Honestly, that's one of the things I think too. I totally enjoy more actual fantasy looking worlds (and why I'm so freaking hyped for Granblue Fantasy Re: Link along with Monolith Soft's next game).

I really hope if the Switch port is real that the textures look better and that there's a PROPER screenshot sharing feature. This game deserves it. The best part? Even finding those hidden areas... THAT's where all the true beauty shines!
 
C

Caddyshack

Banned
CrazyHal said:
Yeah. The world of Xenoblade X looks amazing and fascinating. It's a real shame that the story within that world is painfully mediocre.
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Yeah, the garbage story really ruined an amazing foundation Monolith put together with the world design and lore. Such a waste.
 
S

sanstesy

Member
Silent_Ocarina said:
These are absolutely the best worlds I've experienced in gaming. Exploring in Xenoblade Chronicles X was a joy despite the game's flaws. I especially love how generous Monolith was in regards to movement. Never did I feel like exploring was a chore or boring. Fast travel along with sprinting and jumping made it really fun and simple to get to where you need to go. I'm currently playing FFXV right now and XCX definitely spoiled me. I hate running into invisible barriers in FFXV now, haha. XCX's weather effects were really nice too. Sylvalum at night with energy mist can't be beat.
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Yeah I mentioned it in the OP as well. The movement in XCX should absolutely be the baseline going forward with their games as it elevates the simple task of moving around and exploring just that much more.

Also yes, Sylvalum is the best area.
 
Y

Yarbskoo

Member
Mira may just be my favorite open world, and the first game was a ton of fun to explore too.

Really looking forward to see what they have to offer on Switch.
 
S

Shaanyboi

Banned
Man I have a save still relatively early on in the 3DS version of Xenoblade. Considering restarting on the WiiU VC when I look at some of the environments. Should I bother? I'm at the part where that kid or his sister get kidnapped by (what I assume) is the big bad.
 
mrmickfran

mrmickfran

Member
The story and characters in Xenoblade X were absolute garbage.

But exploring that world was one of my fondest gaming memories.
 
R

Ridley327

Member
Shaanyboi said:
Man I have a save still relatively early on in the 3DS version of Xenoblade. Considering restarting on the WiiU VC when I look at some of the environments. Should I bother? I'm at the part where that kid or his sister get kidnapped by (what I assume) is the big bad.
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That's so early in the game that you wouldn't be having to do a lot to get back to where you were. I'd say it's worth it, especially since the Wii U version support off-TV play.
 
D

DeuceGamer

Member
Can't wait to see what there engine will look like on the Switch with a decent amount more power and more modern tools.
 
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