From the outset of development, the ambition was clear: virtually all of Amerzone’s visual elements needed to be redesigned for the remake arriving this autumn. From the textured 3D models to the lighting effects, almost everything was recreated from scratch using modern techniques. “Much of our focus was on the vegetation and water, which feature heavily in the scenery,” explained Xavier Tual and Frédéric Gesquière, the pair in charge of artistic direction at Microids Studio Paris. “We worked on making the foliage varied and luxuriant, and bringing realism to the various rivers, lakes and swamps that the players will discover over the course of their adventure.”

In addition to the environments, the characters were given special attention in this ambitious remake. Each one was remodeled and based on the original drawings of the creator Benoît Sokal, in order to bring out all their splendor and surpass the technical limits of 1999. Then, for the first time, they were animated using motion capture. “This allows us to reproduce the subtleties of an actor’s performance, and achieve a result that’s as human as possible,” told us Xavier. “The characters in Amerzone have been marked by life; their faces are windows into their personalities.”

Another new visual and technological feature: all the environments and characters are now displayed in real time, in contrast with the fixed images that were used in the original game. “Real-time 3D brings things to life; we can feel the wind in the trees, see the birds take off and the water move,” commented Frédéric. “It also creates depth; it makes it possible to observe the surroundings and objects from different angles.” To create this lush world, Microids Studio Paris has pushed the engine Unity to the limits, building on the expertise it demonstrated in 2022 with Syberia: The World Before.