It often feels like isometric titles do not always get the kudos they deserve for creating visually stunning worlds (w/o always requiring high tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars) that do not generally need monster rigs to run, because of their comparative scarcity the AAA (and AA) space.
Whenever I hear or see "Isometric", I immediately think of (Western) RPGs as some of the most seminal RPGs like Fallout, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights and of course, Planescape Torment (a game I have yet to play). I have often internally reasoned that as they devs are not breaking the bank on visual tech, they can push hard on the narrative side of things (akin to Planescape) or focus on a thoroughly expansive combat mechanics (like Divinity OS, BG, Pillars etc).
Today, with both new and old school isometric rpgs embracing consoles (BG and IWD console ports incoming), I hope we can see a resurgence of this Camera style mostly due to it being much more budget (production) friendly compared to others. Of course, isometric design is not without its shortfalls.
Personal favourites:
Shadowrun Hong Kong - Fixed perspective with ability to zoom in and out, mostly pre-rendered 2D backgrounds with 3D character models.
Truthfully, I am fan of the visual aesthetics for the entire franchise (Returns, Dragonfall Director's Cut, Hong Kong Extended Ed.). The neon nights, decaying living city with pockets of sterility and artistry is something to behold (esp. its ambiance). It is a pity that this has not yet been ported over to consoles yet (even Switch Lite could handle this) given its tactical turn based combat system akin to XCOM franchise.
Divinity Original Sin II (heck, even DOS I) - Playable character is the axis of camera revolution, zoom and limited tilt, both environments and characters are fully 3D.
Perhaps one of the most versatile WRPGs on consoles atm whose turn-based combat is well suited to the console environment. It looks lavishly produced that is beautifully coloured and textured. Furthermore, it boasts perhaps one of the broadest ranges of animations for variety of effects, objects (given the plethora of methods in which the environment can be exploited), NPCs and PCs.
Pillars of Eternity II Deadfire - Fixed perspective with zoom in and out, mostly pre-rendered 2D backgrounds with 3D character models.
Perhaps my top pick. Regardless of the general consensus about the game, the visuals are a masterclass and a cut above the rest in terms of production values, including its predecessor, which at times looked comparatively desaturated and drab. Soft shadows (usage of ambient occlusion maybe?), beautiful lighting, highly varied colour palette for all types of environments with appropriate amount of saturation as well plethora of animations for effects, PC and NPC combine together to form a truly breathtaking package.
There is one game on the horizon that, if it fulfills the promise of the devs, should make for one of the most visually unique and beautiful games in any genre and/or camera perspective. No truce with the Furies Disco Elysium:
Given the comparatively smaller budget requirements, I have often fantasized about seeing games from certain established multi-medium IPs be created within the genre of Isometric tactical turn based RPG (akin to XCOM, Shadowrun and Mutant Year Zero). Namely, Stargate and Star Trek.
Whenever I hear or see "Isometric", I immediately think of (Western) RPGs as some of the most seminal RPGs like Fallout, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights and of course, Planescape Torment (a game I have yet to play). I have often internally reasoned that as they devs are not breaking the bank on visual tech, they can push hard on the narrative side of things (akin to Planescape) or focus on a thoroughly expansive combat mechanics (like Divinity OS, BG, Pillars etc).
Today, with both new and old school isometric rpgs embracing consoles (BG and IWD console ports incoming), I hope we can see a resurgence of this Camera style mostly due to it being much more budget (production) friendly compared to others. Of course, isometric design is not without its shortfalls.
Personal favourites:
Shadowrun Hong Kong - Fixed perspective with ability to zoom in and out, mostly pre-rendered 2D backgrounds with 3D character models.
Truthfully, I am fan of the visual aesthetics for the entire franchise (Returns, Dragonfall Director's Cut, Hong Kong Extended Ed.). The neon nights, decaying living city with pockets of sterility and artistry is something to behold (esp. its ambiance). It is a pity that this has not yet been ported over to consoles yet (even Switch Lite could handle this) given its tactical turn based combat system akin to XCOM franchise.
Divinity Original Sin II (heck, even DOS I) - Playable character is the axis of camera revolution, zoom and limited tilt, both environments and characters are fully 3D.
Perhaps one of the most versatile WRPGs on consoles atm whose turn-based combat is well suited to the console environment. It looks lavishly produced that is beautifully coloured and textured. Furthermore, it boasts perhaps one of the broadest ranges of animations for variety of effects, objects (given the plethora of methods in which the environment can be exploited), NPCs and PCs.
Pillars of Eternity II Deadfire - Fixed perspective with zoom in and out, mostly pre-rendered 2D backgrounds with 3D character models.
Perhaps my top pick. Regardless of the general consensus about the game, the visuals are a masterclass and a cut above the rest in terms of production values, including its predecessor, which at times looked comparatively desaturated and drab. Soft shadows (usage of ambient occlusion maybe?), beautiful lighting, highly varied colour palette for all types of environments with appropriate amount of saturation as well plethora of animations for effects, PC and NPC combine together to form a truly breathtaking package.
There is one game on the horizon that, if it fulfills the promise of the devs, should make for one of the most visually unique and beautiful games in any genre and/or camera perspective.
Given the comparatively smaller budget requirements, I have often fantasized about seeing games from certain established multi-medium IPs be created within the genre of Isometric tactical turn based RPG (akin to XCOM, Shadowrun and Mutant Year Zero). Namely, Stargate and Star Trek.
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