Volition – We call Saints Row’s art style ‘exaggereal’

With the news that Saints Row The Third Remastered is coming in May, we got to hear stories about the creation of the original game from Art Director Frank Marquart. He said that the art team at Volition called the style of Saints Row “exaggereal.” This term was meant to help people understand the mix of “exaggerated, over the top expression with just enough of reality to keep it grounded.”

As Saints Row The Third Remastered has had a significant visual overhaul, Marquart said that the real part of ‘exaggereal’ “is certainly much, much stronger.” He also said that having exaggerated visuals helps to make the realism stand out.

Saints Row The Third Remastered

Nikolay Stoyanov, Lead Art Director on the remaster said that “exaggereal was very important for the remaster.”

When we started working on the environments, we put all those realistic looking PBR (physics based rendering) assets in the game and of course they look more realistic and natural.

However, the game has its own voice and style that was very important. We had to put that back on the top and recalibrate and repallete the while title so it fit both PBR and the heritage of Saints Row.

Stoyanov added that in order to make the PBR assets work with the ‘exaggereal’ art style, some values had to be pushed beyond realism and their true/actual values.

Saints Row The Third Remastered will launch for PC, PS4 and Xbox One on May 22, 2020.

Leo Stevenson
Leo Stevensonhttps://powerup-gaming.com/
I've been playing games for the past 27 years and have been writing for almost as long. Combining two passions in the way I'm able is a true privilege. PowerUp! is a labour of love and one I am so excited to share.

━ more like this

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X Limited Edition Review – 100 years of audio

Beyerdynamic, one of the oldest and most respected headphone brands, is celebrating its 100th anniversary by refreshing one of its classic models: the closed-back...

Asus ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG Review – Glossy life

It seems that in 2024, OLED displays are as ubiquitous as AI. Once exclusive to high-end TVs, OLEDs are now available in various forms...

Dell XPS 16 9640 Review – Love at first sight

Dells new XPS 16 is a gorgeous, premium laptop that performs excellently with a great performance and all-day battery.

Binge Guide: The Best Stuff Streaming on Netflix in July 2024

When it's a slow month for video games, I feel the best option is to put down the controller, resist the urge to go...

JBL Quantum Stream Wireless USB-C Review

JBL surprises with a product that is decidedly not for gamers but more for the content creators among us.