Have video games a long and rich history Taking spiders – already a disturbing concept – and making them worse. Diablo IV seems more than ready to live up to this legacy.
Today as part of a quarterly update on art, Blizzard showed a number of Diablo IV Characters, armor sets and enemies. While insights into how systems like armor dyeing work are interesting, the bad guys stole the show. There is, for example, the Blood Bishop, who is basically a huge bare heart that pulsates and twists threateningly. Then there is the Skeleton Lord, a sinewy abomination who seems to have the mistaken impression that bones are on the outside of the flesh rather than under it.
But the heart of Blizzard’s horror shop is easily the spider riding a bloated, pockmarked corpse with the aim of “feeding and giving birth to spider brood.” Associate Art Director Nick Chilano takes great pride in it, even if it’s an affront to all of my senses.
“The spindly legs and the back rib cage tell you immediately what it is,” wrote Chilano. “The thin appearance of the legs as it moves to a thicker body gives it a nice balance to regulate the form language from top to bottom. The rich red of the spider on the cooler and more subdued body helps make the spider stand out so your eye will catch it as soon as it appears on the screen. On closer inspection, you can see the spectacular highlights on the bloated body, the torn and torn flesh and the bulging pustules. Due to the clear form and color grouping, cruel details are visible from close up by the wildlife camera. “
These are a lot more words than I needed to describe it, but that’s mainly because I can’t stop staring without saying a word while said skinny legs keep feeling for holes in the corpse’s chest while purulent egg sacs in pulsing in her stomach. This creature is a marvel of artistic and graphic design. I hate it.
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