I wanted to highlight the fantastic art direction that's come together within the newest map in Apex Legends. I think this games artwork, particularly in olympus is tremendously well composed. This could easily be the setting for a much richer sci-fi game like The Outer Worlds or another game of that kind.
I think the art and design of multiplayer spaces is something that's actually very underappreciated. Folks write lengthy essays about the design of singleplayer titles, even a middling singleplayer platformer will have a tonne of analysis videos and critique, but the design of multiplayer games tends to be taken for granted.
I think they come with particular challenges too, which make good design in this space particularly remarkable. Most notably balancing aesthetic and function can be quite difficult. Even small details that look pleasant conceptually, can end up being a significant frustration for players.
Also, when you create a singleplayer game, you have a lot of control of what happens to the player and the experience they have. In multiplayer, you're only able to influence it, with the behaviour determined by the interactions between players. So designing creative spaces with this in mind, can be challenging, particularly when you're balancing the aforementioned aesthetic and function.
In any case, Apex Legends has a new mode that lets you walk around the map freely. It's a great opportunity to explore, and I used it to grab some screenshots of various areas of the new map. I'm really blown away by it. I've placed each screenshot inside of a spoiler tag so as not to overwhelm the page, along with a little description of that area of the game.
Similar to the shot at the top this mountain style structure is the centre piece of Olmypus. I'd say this ends up being one of the most active hotspots on the map, with players coming from all directions.
Interiors are equally pleasant and detailed, with fictional branding and artwork dotted around the walls.
The map really pops with all the bright colours, and the bright orange zone actually feels like it compliments this aesthetic.
This industrial styled area makes for some interesting fights as it provides players with a tonne of different surfaces to climb and navigate.
There's some crazy sci-fi stuff going on here too. This location is simply called rift, and while I'm not sure of the lore, it looks like this area is being torn apart by some kind of black hole.
The skybox is particularly beautiful too, and as the map features a city that floats high in the clouds, you'll find clouds both above and below.
There's some interstellar / Halo style gravity manipulation stuff going on here too. Though I must admit I found it a little disappointing that players can't run on these surfaces.
The bright colours of the outdoors are offset by these bleak, darker interiors. The oranges and yellows really pop in these areas though, sitting against the deeper blues.
The map is pretty large too, and as such this portal helps players get around quickly.
I took many more but I found that these were the most interesting of the lot. It's a shame that Apex doesn't have a no HUD mode, so these shots are cluttered by the user interface, but none the less I found myself surprised by how pleasant this games aesthetic was. I'm a long time Apex player too, but I think Respawn have really upped there game here. I'd love to see a singleplayer game within this space in the future.
There's some nice HUD free shots on Respawns on website too for those that might like to see more. I just like showing this from the players perspective, as those pre-release images often have things looking a little better than they do in-game. Nonetheless, I think Respawn have really knocked it out of the park with this one.
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