UPDATE: Elden Ring won Best Art Direction at The Game Awards 2022!
Graphics versus gameplay is still a debate that dominates a lot of gaming discussions. But, with technology being advanced as it is in 2022, a lot of the time beautiful visuals can be accompanied with satisfying gameplay loops. Even if that wasn't a case, there's still a space to praise the art direction that goes into making the visual elements of a video game stand out from the crowd. The Game Awards even has its own category dedicated to Best Art Direction, which focuses on the creative and technical achievements that go into creating great artistic design and animation.
Just like most of the categories for The Game Awards 2022, the Best Art Direction award has some stiff competition. Including both Elden Ring and God of War: Ragnarok in its nominations list, which are being predicted to sweep a lot of the prizes this year, the Best Art Direction category is a difficult one to predict a winner for. However, among this list there are some stand-out titles, one of which is the most likely to take home the award at the end of the night.
Elden Ring
Releasing in February, the fact that Elden Ring still dominates a lot of talk around gaming this year is quite the impressive feat. As FromSoftware's first foray into an open world, Elden Ring stands out as a triumph of the genre and a great addition to the Soulsborne series. There are many great things about Elden Ring, but something that consistently stands out about it as well as with other FromSoftware games is its art style.
There is a great sense of creativity in Elden Ring's art style. Every enemy has been specifically crafted to be in their location. The Servants of Rot scattered throughout Caelid, for example, reside there due to their fascination with the Scarlet Rot. Moreover, with art heavily inspired by Celtic mythology, Elden Ring's visuals might not be the most realistic on this list, but they show a clear passion for art direction and making sure not only are the graphics impressive, but the look of everything makes sense in the world.
God of War: Ragnarok
As with Elden Ring, there are plenty of impressive things that stand out about God of War: Ragnarok. The cinematic epic from Sony Santa Monica has received rave reviews since it launched, and while a lot of the conversation around God of War: Ragnarok is to do with its story and characters, there are some beautiful visuals on display throughout the game as well. From the moment the player steps out into the Fimbulwinter snows, it's clear a lot of attention has been paid to the visuals of God of War: Ragnarok.
Each realm in God of War: Ragnarok has its own unique visual style, from the dense jungles of Vanaheim to the winter wonderland that Midgard has become, the different areas players can explore are packed with engaging art design that invites exploration. As well, there's a clear dedication to the Norse myths in God of War: Ragnarok, as shown by the design of the gods, especially Thor.
Horizon Forbidden West
Taking place after earth was destroyed by a machine apocalypse, and society is rebuilding itself from the ground up, Guerrilla Games' Horizon universe is quite a unique one, as it combines highly advanced machines with a human civilization that is still mostly using spears, bows, and arrows. This is well reflected in the art direction for Horizon Forbidden West which has a roster of dangerous, animal-based machines as well as distinct looks for the different human tribes.
From the blue wires that decorate the body of the Banuk, to the trophies from machines worn by the Carja of Horizon Forbidden West, it's clear to see a lot of time has gone into designing the looks of each part of the game. Also, the overall world is visually impressive too, as Horizon Forbidden West shows vastly improved graphics from its predecessor, giving an increased sense of wonder to the world.
Scorn
Scorn is an FPS horror puzzle game that immediately drew gamers' eyes from its first promotional images due to its distinct look. Scorn might not be as pretty as God of War: Ragnarok or Horizon Forbidden West, but it has its own set of impressive visuals, inspired by the works of painters H.R. Giger and Zdzislaw Beksinski, the organic is combined with mechanical in a lot of the horror game's brilliantly gross art.
In Scorn, the world around the player essentially acts as a character in itself. It goes beyond being simply weird as shown by the fleshy, somewhat disgusting landscapes that populate most of the game space. Scorn might not have the most engaging gameplay to some, but it is hard to argue that it doesn't stand out from the other titles released this year, especially from a visual standpoint.
Stray
The debut game from BlueTwelve Studio, Stray impressed a lot of gamers when it released this July. A short story about a cat working their way through a city devoid of human life, Stray has been nominated for a lot of prizes at The Game Awards this year, showing the strength of the title in a year that has seen a lot of great releases. Visually, Stray is a treat for the eyes, both in how it uses its characters and the world BlueTwelve has created.
Stray's protagonist is a cat, and BlueTwelve went into incredible detail to mimic the movements and behaviors of a real four-legged feline, giving that extra level of detail that adds a sense of realism into a futuristic, sci-fi game. Also, the design of Stray's cityscape shows a lot of dedication, standing out from other dystopian futuristic worlds in its art direction, being a perfect, bright background for the darker undertones of the game's world.
Final Prediction
A lot of games have had some breathtaking visuals and creative art direction this year, but it seems that there is one clear winner within this category, and that game is Elden Ring. This isn't an understatement of the achievements of the other nominees, but Elden Ring's art direction shows a clear and innovative use of art and its visuals throughout its vast, open world. The Lands Between are littered with interesting details and fascinating views.
Elden Ring's art direction wins out because of that aforementioned deep connection everything has to the world around it. It just shows how much dedication and thought has gone into Elden Ring's lore and how its visuals represents that, as even months after it launched players are still discovering neat visual details that unlock more secrets about the Lands Between.