Yasuda on why Elden Ring's picture still holds up

Capcom artist Akira Yasuda, known as Akiman, set out why Elden Ring still looks convincing next to newer and heavier games. The prompt was a comparison with projects such as Crimson Desert.

He says the secret is not maximum detail. FromSoftware keeps a balance between realism and drawing. The more precise the picture, the less the viewer has left to complete. In Elden Ring the level of visual precision is controlled from scene to scene, and the world gets finished in the player's head.

Yasuda also pointed to atmospheric perspective. Distant objects lose contrast and fine detail, and that makes the space feel deeper and larger. He treats that control of the frame as a sign of real skill in visual design, not as a compromise forced by weak hardware.

The game is several years old, but in his view the approach still competes with releases that bet on a picture as close to a photograph as possible.