Astraea Oratio Art Director On 1989 Tokyo Setting And Analog Visuals
The interview confirms the game's 1989 Tokyo backdrop is a deliberate departure from market-standard near-future or Western settings, with the team walking real Tokyo locations like Minato Ward and Tokyo Tower to refine cityscape fidelity.
Reporting from 1 source: 4Gamer.net.
NC exhibited a visual booth for the new RPG Astraea Oratio at Comiket, where a pre-release teaser art book sold out. Art Director Kim In discussed the visual direction in a written interview, explaining the 1989 Tokyo setting stems from a longing for nostalgia and a move away from common near-future or Western settings. The visuals aim for a lyrical analog feel.
The first offline event for Astraea Oratio wrapped at Comiket on August 15, and the venue's teaser art book sold out before the official release, signaling strong local interest in the subculture-oriented title.
Art Director Kim In, known as concept artist hwansang, set the core keyword for the visuals as lyrical analog feel. Rather than forcing the appeal of magic and new legend genres, he said the result came from incorporating the era's texture as is, inspired by the prologue's atmosphere written by scenario director isakusan.
To increase fidelity of real cityscapes, the scenario and background art teams walked locations such as Minato Ward and Tokyo Tower for research. The drawing style moves away from character-emphasized or fine-line digital looks toward a thick, textured style that retains the feel of the transition from cel animation to digital.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.