NieR:Automata
I decided to do some artist research on both the character designers of NieR and also the area concept designers of NieR.
This was my second choice of game to do artist research on, but I couldn't find out exactly who created what concepts for Final Fantasy XIV, however, this is still one of, if not my all-time favorite game I have ever played. The world and characters that are found in this game are brought to life in a way that is not found in many other games in the industry.
NieR Menu Video
NieR:Automata is set in a world where "Humanity has been driven from the Earth by mechanical beings from another world." You lead androids 2B, 9S and A2 to reclaim Earth. The game has an overarching narrative that pulls at your heart with how sad the game makes you feel, with multiple endings that succeed in making you cry.
While there are many features of the game which help to make the atmosphere, such as sound design, the art is what helped to build the game's setting during pre-production. The game mainly has a monochromatic style, where the game is mostly in black and white, this is reflected clearly in the characters' designs and when in the bunker, where the game has a monochrome filter. This could be interpreted as the goals and ideals of the characters being black and white, but you find out later on that this isn't exactly true.
When on Earth, the main colours that you see are brown and green. The brown shows the decay of the world while the green shows how nature has thrived from the loss of Mankind. The only time colour is used in abundance is the Amusement park. This abundance of colour reflects how the machines are actually sentient and full of life if given time, but still in this zone are there those that would hide behind the colours with dark intent. This area of colour is where the character 9S, who just prior was denying their sentience, begins to remark upon how they seem alive, the colour has opened his eyes showing that the world isn't black and white like YoRHa makes it seem.
While the colour of the place does make it seem more cheery and joyful, the dark and gritty atmosphere found within a Yoko Taro title is not lost. As shown in the blog by Kauma Koda (concept artist for NieR:Automata), the concept started off with a rough background image placed into a 3D setting that was created for an early build of the game. They then started to rearrange elements to create a good composition, trying to make the castle the main attraction of the image while still having the surroundings not be overpowered. Koda-san then drew the work and coloured it before taking it to be seen by the director Yoko Taro, he was given advice on how to make it more atmospheric. He was told to add more lights, remove the reflection on the ground and place debris everywhere. This ultimately led to the final image that perfectly captures the idea that Yoko-san had.
An original screenshot taken from the game.
Deciding composition.
Finish
An original screenshot taken from the game.
Kazuma Koda
I believe that they are successful because they take the feedback from the client/director and make sure they edit their work to fit the needs of their client/director.
They also use 3D modeling to help them get a basis of placement and scale when making a city or other architecture.
I admire Koda-san's use of light and perspective within his work and would love to create my own style of the techniques he uses.
Kazuma Koda has worked on:
NieR:Automata
Bayonetta 2
Pokemon let's go
Fire Emblem: Three houses
Character Designer: Akihiko Yoshida
Akihiko Yoshida, born February 15, 1967, is a Japanese game artist renowned for his detailed and oftentimes fantasy-themed artwork.
Yoshida's involvement in the video game industry started at not more than 20 years of age when he landed a minor graphic design role for the PC game Zeliard. The gig grounded a path for a series of similar roles that led to his first major character design job a few years later at game developer Quest. Working at Quest, Yoshida designed all the characters and tarot cards for the SNES tactical role-playing game Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen. His art style was well-received, and series creator Yasumi Matsuno welcomed his talents back for the next installment, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together.
In 1997, Yasumi Matsuno left Quest to join Squaresoft, and Akihiko Yoshida followed with him, a move that likely played a part in the closure of the Quest company years later, with its resources and franchise rights being sold to Square. At Squaresoft, Matsuno created the hugely successful Final Fantasy Tactics, a game that continued the tactical role-playing formula that proved so popular for Tactics Ogre, and Yoshida once again provided full designs for the huge array of character classes and monsters. His illustrations were highly praised and became an instant classic almost overnight.
Riding on the success of Final Fantasy Tactics, Akihiko Yoshida's talents were next utilized as character designer and background art director for Vagrant Story on PlayStation, and as character and card designer for Wild Card on WonderSwan Color. Then in 2006, his name became further synonymous with the Final Fantasy series when he was assigned to both the DS remake of Final Fantasy III and the monstrous production of Final Fantasy XII for PlayStation 2.
Yoshida created completely new designs for the formerly generic and faceless Final Fantasy III characters, allowing for their recreation in 3D. Final Fantasy XII demanded an even larger role from him, not only as head of character design, but as supervisor over background design for the game's many cities, dungeons, and fields. His team visited Turkey to style the game's Mediterranean setting from, and studied areas in India and New York City, as well as Arabic and ancient Roman cultures for inspiration.
Some commentators drew similarities between the design choices of Akihiko Yoshida and fellow Final Fantasy artist Tetsuya Nomura for the characters Vaan and Ashe in Final Fantasy XII. Yoshida explained that changes in character design had to be made as the game development progressed, to remain consistent with the series' past design and colors. Bright colors for example, such as the pink in Ashe's outfit, are not usually part of his palette but were necessary in the feeling and setting of the game.
Normally, Yoshida is most comfortable working with organic and subdued colors when drawing, a choice that compliments the penciled and ages-past look that often defines his designs. He has said that feeling comfortable with his subject is important, as he believes in creating something he personally likes, rather than what is popular. To that end, he feels his art isn't really mainstream in Japan and is actually more suited to Western-style video games.
Yoshida has admitted to being a fan of the art style and direction of Yoji Shinkawa from the Metal Gear Solid games and has followed the series' design with interest. However, when creating art, he says he tries not to reference other video games in order to keep his designs original. Instead, he draws inspiration from movies, comics, anime, and other forms of art.
Books have been another source of inspiration over the years. He began buying them as a young artist and studied the illustrations with great attention to push his skills and creativity further. He also bought a lot of overseas fashion magazines from secondhand bookstores to use as a reference when designing character outfits.
In 2013, after working at Square Enix for 18 years, Yoshida shocked fans by resigning from the company. The decision, he explained, was made to allow himself to do what he enjoys and keep challenging new subjects rather than being bound by company duties, which had become more and more time-consuming and technical with the evolving development process of games. The following year he joined CyDesignation, a freelance art company, and subsidiary, of Cygames headed by fellow Final Fantasy artist Hideo Minaba, who had also left Square Enix in years prior.
Yoshida continues to oversee the art direction of various projects through CyDesignation as a Company Director, while also working on a freelance basis for other projects, including for his former employer, Square Enix. Such freelance work has included Final Fantasy XIV and its expansions, and NieR: Automata, both of which were very well-received.
My Thoughts on Akihiko Yoshida
Yoshida-san has an interesting approach to character design. He has developed over the years to allow himself to easily adapt to the project that he is doing. When he was tasked with creating characters for FFXII he looked back on the artwork of prior installments and used it as a basis for his pieces, as this would help the 3D modelers and also keep the FF feel.
I appreciate how Yoshida-san has taken inspiration from Yoji Shinkawa but tends to find references and inspiration in other forms of media other than games. Yoshida-san has developed a style that is carried throughout his pieces yet he tends to keep art for separate IPs distinct in appearance. The artwork for 2B and 9S in NieR:Automata looks different from those found for FFXIV as Yoshida-san has realized that they have distinct differences in setting, therefore his artwork should also reflect this.
Yoshida-san's use of color and tone in his pieces is something I aspire to build upon in my own work and take inspiration from his work where I can.