The development of Babylon's Fall, the Square Enix-published action game made by PlatinumGames, has been a journey. That much is clear, despite Babylon's Fall largely being absent from the public eye between 2018 and 2021. Babylon's Fall's resurgence in 2021 shows that the action game is closer to being a reality than ever, however. Even then, it seems that Platinum still has some major plans to execute before the game's launch. In a short development update, Platinum's shown how the team is working to improve Babylon's Fall's visuals.
Platinum shared a short video on the official Twitter account for Babylon's Fall that briefly details the planned changes the studio has for the action game. The video shows the same scene before and after Platinum's changes, with a slider swapping between the two. The "Phase 2" scene shows a much more heavy-handed painterly style for Babylon's Fall, with many elements looking hand-painted. The "Phase 3" update trades much of that painterly style for finer details and a more traditional video game presentation.
In the description accompanying Platinum's video, the studio says that the graphics are being changed in order to "improve legibility." Platinum says that it's doing this while still working to retain Babylon's Fall's "unique oil painting style." In terms of legibility, the update's style is certainly clearer. As for how much of the oil painting style is retained, that's a different subject altogether.
Judging by the responses on Twitter, the change from Platinum is going over near-unanimously positively. Some replies say that Babylon's Fall now looks much more clear and appealing, with others saying that they think it's a much more balanced approach to the painterly style. The harshest critics describe the older style as "PS1" and compare the updated visuals as akin to the Monster Hunter franchise's recent releases on PC.
Of course, there are some who prefer the older style of Babylon's Fall's visuals. One Twitter user says, "Retaining the style? The style is dead," saying that the video basically shows Babylon's Fall with its painterly filter on and off. While that may be an extreme way to describe it, it's hard to argue that the change isn't dramatic.
While it's a shame that Platinum's attempt to do a much more stylistic presentation for Babylon's Fall appears to have not been popular, it's great that the team was able to alter its presentation so quickly in a way that makes it more broadly appealing. There's still a good amount of that painterly style at the fringes of Babylon's Fall. Now the stylistic action game just has to persuade players its gameplay loop is worth investing in.
Babylon's Fall is in development for PC, PS4, and PS5.
