TacoCat Games – Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Part 2: Aesthetics)

taco.cat (67)in #steempress • 7 years ago (edited)

Hey Steemians!

This is a new series of posts where I talk about games that I've played; what they're about and my experience playing them. Enjoy!

This is a continuation from my last post so if you haven't read that yet you can here! Don't worry if you haven't played it yet, I will keep this post story spoiler free.

In my last post, we discussed the Gameplay mechanics and I gave some brief thoughts on the plot of the story. Today, we will talk more about the aesthetics, specifically, Art Style, Writing and Music!

Art style:
Overall, the game uses a lot of vibrant colours, which matches very well with the Mario universe, i.e. the Mushroom Kingdom). Each world has a distinct theme and colour palette which also shows progression in the story and difficulty in the battles as the worlds get darker and the enemies get tougher. The enemies' colour palette and details (outfit, weapons, etc.) are also tailored to the world they're from, and they get darker and more sinister-looking as you progress through the game.

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The 3D character models are incredible. Unlike conventional Mario games where the graphics are made with polygons or pixels, you can really see the 3D models used in-game (battles, cut scenes etc.) And when I say 3D models I mean the actual 3D models made of PVC and ABS. The texture of the models is really clear and smooth with spot on animations that show exactly how they would move if they were real. Every character/enemy type moves differently; whether its walking, jumping, attacking or otherwise. The in-battle cinematics are always cool to watch as you can see the characters wielding their weapons (that you bought and upgraded) up-close.

Just look at the material of Mario's overalls, and the lighting effects on his cap! It looks like he's made from PVC!

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You can even inspect the 3D models up close when you collect them in the OverWorld to see that the models are identical.

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Personally, I really love the attention to detail and the animations and cinematics are always a joy to watch.

Writing:
The writing is hilarious! Most of the dialogue is "narrated" (no actual voice acting other than the opening cutscene) by a single character but there is no lack of hilarity or wit. This shows up in cutscenes; from actual written dialogue to interactions between the other characters during said cutscenes. Even though the main characters don't have actual dialogue, the different animated facial expressions and body language provides more than enough comic relief, especially from the rabbids.

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Someone's not impressed with Princess Peach

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The wittiness of the writers is exhibited even in the weapon and mission descriptions!

Just in case the picture isn't clear enough, it says: Allergic to evil? Want the latest 'buzz' in Rabbid technology? Feel the sting of the Rumble Bee!

To me, this shows consistency and attention to detail. The fact that every single write-up is different, concise, punny and at times, pretty badass, gives players an incentive to read them and lets them better enjoy and appreciate the writers' work.

Music:
The soundtrack is amazing! Grant Kirkhope was the composer and he did a fantastic job. The orchestral sounds fit in with the overworld and especially well in battles. I like that you can actually see the environment projecting the music (e.g. trumpet plants) as if they were actual instruments camouflaging into the surroundings.

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Although it's not as memorable for me compared to other games' OST I've listened to, there are still a few noteworthy tracks for me, and I appreciate that Peach's Castle Theme was remade but the tune sounds exactly the same as in Super Mario 64.

You can have a listen to it here:

That's all for now! Tune in next time for tips and tricks and I'll share my experience playing the game as well as my hopes for the new DLC coming out very soon!

Thanks for reading!