Week 15: Visual Techniques

Shadow of the Colossus

Visual Techniques most prevalent: Asymmetrical, Juxtaposition, Contrast, Exaggeration, Simplicity

Portal

Visual Techniques most prevalent: Simplicity, Economy, Activeness, Flatness

How they work

The first cover, from the game: Shadow of the Colossus, aims to have a cover that is striking and shocking. The point of the game is, as a tiny human, you must conquer and defeat gigantic creatures known as colossi in a desolate landscape. This promotion shot, by utilizing an imbalanced juxtaposed picture really gives you a sense of how large the in-game bosses are and give you a sense of epic wonder. Meanwhile, another famous game: Portal, also uses a simplistic approach, but this time much more simplistic than Shadow of the Colossus. Portal is a game about using portals to teleport between two places and solve puzzles to escape a science lab. The game uses minimalist design choices and let's the game play shine through with a brilliant story. It doesn't rely on fancy graphics to have an incredibly fun game, and the promotional art reflects that. Just looking at it, you can see how it emulates symbols in modern day to explain what the basic premise of the game is about. Both don't rely on incredible uses of color or extremely fancy graphics, but use art to help explain what the game is about and give a sense of wonder.