When it comes to Nintendo Switch games, most of the time, they’re not praised for their visual style unless the development team behind them works hard to make them shine. That’s because the Switch isn’t as powerful as machines like the PS5 or Xbox Series X, so the dev teams have to work harder to push the Switch to the edge of its graphical qualities to at least make the games stand out visually. Thankfully, from its first reveal trailer, Fire Emblem Engage was very easy on the eyes, and it stands out as one of the most visually unique 1st party games on the Switch.
In a special interview, the dev team behind Fire Emblem Engage talked about the game and bringing it to life. Yesterday they did a deep dive into the story and gameplay, and the second entry that came out today revealed the process of making the art style pop.
The illustrator for the game is Mika Pikazo, and as one team member noted, her personal style made the team know she was the right candidate for the job:
“We were looking for an artist whose design style would appeal to a broad audience – including younger players – as well as the ability to portray a variety of characters. Among the candidates, Mika Pikazo-san’s drawings were colorful, vivid, and really popped! They were a perfect fit for the flashy direction we wanted for this title. It was a unanimous vote with the entire development team agreeing, “She’s the one!”
That no doubt gave Ms. Pikazo much joy when she got word of her hiring. To that end, the team said she happily took the job and wanted to do the game. It was also fortunate for the dev team because she could dedicate the time needed to draw dozens of characters and make them all special.
If you’re curious, Alear, in both versions, was one of the first characters Pikazo drew. Furthermore, their hair’s “vibrant style” was there in the first sketches. So that wasn’t something Nintendo “randomly came up with” that was in the base sketches for the character. There were other variations, and the dev team discussed the best versions. But eventually, the version we have now was chosen.
The team also discussed turning the sketches into vibrant 3D models with deep animations. A lot of work went into Fire Emblem Engage, so hopefully, you’ll appreciate all aspects of the art when it comes out on Friday.
Source: Nintendo