After a year of COVID-19 related delays, the gaming world is now teeming with exciting releases. While a game can be great for a number of different reasons, we’ll be focusing on their visual appeal in this article. Shallow? Perhaps. On the other hand, few experiences top spending hours solving mysteries and battling enemies in a beautifully crafted, evocative environment. Did you e.g. enjoy the immersive, stunning world of Lost Ark, released in 2019? Then read on for our recommendations of new, rich game universes to get lost in, either newly released or coming soon.
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We’re starting out in the gorgeously detailed world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. This post-apocalyptic adventure set in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is the fourth game in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series – and has experienced delay after delay since its original 2012 release date. Judging from previews, it’ll offer wonderful material rendering, lighting and high polygon characters. But we’ll have to wait until December to find out, due to difficulties in development caused by the invasion of Ukraine, the home of GSC – which is also why the subtitle now uses the Ukrainian spelling of ‘Chornobyl’.
Staying in the post-apocalyptic corner, the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn also made quite the splash when it came out in February. If the breathtaking open world of the original RPG captured you, this new release will only make you love it even more. Follow Aloy, as she explores sunken cities with beautiful environmental details – and marvel at the advanced textures and facial animation of the characters and the immense size of the monsters she faces in the forbidden west.
If you loved the cartoonish style of the original Overwatch game from 2016, you should be excited for the upcoming reworked sequel, Overwatch 2. The game introduces us to a new character, Sojourn, with an exciting kit and a solid design – which can certainly also be said for the rest of the reworked game. The graphics have gotten an overhaul, not only in terms of lighting and shadows, but also the designs of the characters. Their new looks aren’t included in the beta release, so we can’t wait until it comes out to see what the developers have done with them. Read more about the Overwatch 2 beta at holyfile.com for a full review of the beta – and to see a sneak peak of the new graphics.
Now, let’s step away from dark, post-apocalyptic game sequels for a while – and move on to a dark, mythological game sequel instead. Continuing the God of War series in ancient Scandinavia, we follow Kratos and his son Atreus as they try to stop Ragnarök, the end of days, from happening. Of course, the series features marvelous animation and higher polygon characters, and environment details like weather and water are richer than ever.
At this point, most gamers will at the very least have heard of Elden Ring, which came out back in February – you know, what with featuring George R.R. Martin as a writer and several sources already naming it one of the best video games of 2022 and all. Looking at the graphics, it’s not hard to see why: the stunning dark fantasy universe is wildly detailed and massive in scale. And combined with detailed characters and story, it makes for a truly immersive, enticing gaming experience.
All in all, gamers can look forward to some absolute visual gems this year.