#19 - Oct. 17, 2013, 10:37 p.m.
10/15/2013 11:53 PMPosted by
Gour Now interviews with developers reveal that they're trying to give RoS a more "gothic" feel. Do they imply that they'll be returning to their eerie roots?
I wouldn't say our approach has really changed fundamentally with Reaper of Souls, but it’s certainly been adapted. We're still very proud of the environments and level design of Diablo III and feel that the overall look and feel of the original game was very appropriate for that particular narrative. In Reaper of Souls, though, the narrative has changed—it's darker, more moody, and deals with the concept of death very directly—so the environments and storyline have also evolved to reflect that new direction.
To wax philosophical for a second (both in terms of Diablo III and our art style as a whole): when it comes to level design, we always want to try to provide players with a variety of settings whenever possible, so that you aren't constantly having to play through the same landscapes (or
type of landscapes) over and over. We also love that Diablo III—and even each Act within the game—has a very clear, very distinct visual identity. While this meant that some areas may have been more colorful or vibrant than in the past, it provided players something new (a nice contrast) and made sense within the context of the story.
Even so, we've definitely paid attention to the feedback shared by the community since launch and have made some decisions in terms of the visual design for the expansion which we hope everyone will enjoy. I
personally think it's more eerie, but whether or not it can compete with a player's sense of nostalgia? Well, that remains to be seen. Nostalgia is a harsh mistress. :)
TL;DR: Yes, one of the goals with Reaper of Souls is to harken back to Diablo's roots. To give you an idea of what that looks like visually, here's a few screenshots from the first zone in Act V: