Square Enix, in recent years, has brought to the world a series of games with a new graphic style, called the company HD-2D. It is a mix of pixel art and three-dimensionality, with graphic and light effects of various kinds. It is very popular with fans, who see it as a modern way to bring retro graphics. It might also seem like a graphic style that’s easy to make and not very expensive. In reality, this is not the case at all.
Speaking to 4Gamer, according to Nintendo Everything’s translation, Triangle Strategy producer – Tomoya Asano – explained the situation. The magazine asked Asano why indie games didn’t start copying this graphic style. The developer then said: “It is probably important to point out that it costs more than you might think. In this respect, it is a good choice for the games that Square Enix wants to release. Copying it may not be profitable for other companies, however.”
Obviously, an HD-2D doesn’t cost as much as a game with realistic graphics (think Final Fantasy 7 Remake to stay in the Square Enix scope), but you shouldn’t think it’s a quick and easy type of 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 the 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 the sci-fi one. our possibilities of expression have increased thanks to new ideas”.