As I've spent my time growing as an artist, I've come to understand that I gravitate much more to the aesthetics of any singular piece than most other elements on display. I understand that can be quite a shallow way of engaging with art, but when I talk about the visual design of a work I'm not referring to fidelity or general pleasure or any other superficiality like that. I'm more interested in the actual design behind what is seen, the methods of which the art direction elevates every other aspect into something that feels more visceral than reality. And it's in that regard that I feel that this game is one of the most beautiful pieces of art I've ever experienced.
Playing this on a giant, hand-me-down CRT TV during the black nights of October gave me something that I feel will stick with me for the rest of my life. Winding down the aged hallways of an incredible mansion, I felt a lingering sense of warmth that just barely shone through the true terror I felt as I dug deeper into the manor's darkness. It feels so inviting in those first few moments: a sanctuary from the horrors that linger just outside its walls. However, once you first encounter a zombie devouring the flesh of a fallen comrade; it becomes clear that any safety you felt was just a front that the mansion put up to lure you into it's trap, and the only way to escape is to tear it apart room by room.
Every screen works is a hand-painted puzzle piece that both strikes at a singular emotion and crafts an immaculate layout when sewn together. The utterly aggressive sense of texture and atmosphere elevates the experience to such an astronomical high that I genuinely believe that if it were any less visually intense there'd be no reason to play this over the PS1 original.
It really doesn't matter how much it's improved formally, because the visual design is so powerful that it not only creates a new, fully evolved experience from the base game; but also it lays down a foundation for games as an artform to truly understand how they can provide experiences other mediums can't if they just move past the tech of it all.
Playing this on a giant, hand-me-down CRT TV during the black nights of October gave me something that I feel will stick with me for the rest of my life. Winding down the aged hallways of an incredible mansion, I felt a lingering sense of warmth that just barely shone through the true terror I felt as I dug deeper into the manor's darkness. It feels so inviting in those first few moments: a sanctuary from the horrors that linger just outside its walls. However, once you first encounter a zombie devouring the flesh of a fallen comrade; it becomes clear that any safety you felt was just a front that the mansion put up to lure you into it's trap, and the only way to escape is to tear it apart room by room.
Every screen works is a hand-painted puzzle piece that both strikes at a singular emotion and crafts an immaculate layout when sewn together. The utterly aggressive sense of texture and atmosphere elevates the experience to such an astronomical high that I genuinely believe that if it were any less visually intense there'd be no reason to play this over the PS1 original.
It really doesn't matter how much it's improved formally, because the visual design is so powerful that it not only creates a new, fully evolved experience from the base game; but also it lays down a foundation for games as an artform to truly understand how they can provide experiences other mediums can't if they just move past the tech of it all.