Forest in the (Dragon) Valley

“Added a ton of new trees and foliage to DV based on feedback from the trailer. Looks like a proper forest now.”SDiDuro on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/SDiDuro/status/814705696138792960

 

// Commentary Corner: 

“[…] looks like a proper forest now.”

Okay, that’s actually pretty interesting. Freedom Planet 1’s Dragon Valley did have some greenery in the later parts of the level, but the heavy increase in greenery suggests that something’s been going on in-world to heavily encourage the plant growth during the two years since the first game. I wouldn’t blame anyone for mistaking it for Jade Creek, which also had a lot of greenery and water (and a lot more bamboo and falling rocks). Incidentally, it also reminds me of how Borderlands 1 prominently started with orange tones, and how it’s very common in games like Shovel Knight, Sonic the Hedgehog, Shantae, Banjo-Kazooie, and Kirby to start with a green grassy level.

Welcome to Avalice, Dragon Forest!

Dragon Valley Returns

Dragon Valley - Night

“Dragon Valley returns in Freedom Planet 2 as the first stage! (Pixel art by , sky by )” – @GalaxyTrail

// Commentary Corner:

First off, we’ve got confirmation that Dragon Valley will be the first stage, meaning that Shang Tu and Avian Museum screencaps featured previously are from levels later in the game. Good to know!

For comparison, the background used in the nighttime cutscenes of Freedom Planet 1 near Lilac’s Treehouse and Torque’s Tent:

DragonValley_Cutscene_Night

Notably, the cutscene background lacks the fog and mist effects visible in FP1’s Dragon Valley

DragonValley_Playable_Day

FP2’s version of this art features quite a few more distant cliffs, the cloud/fog effect is retained, and the skies are far more detailed than before. However, there are no clear counterparts in the new image to the long stretches of flat plateu / mountain / cliff / hill that are shown in FP1. This leads me to believe that the two years of time have cause significant change to the local geographical features, this is a different _area_ in Dragon Valley, or that the new interpretation is simplier closer to what FP1’s Dragon Valley was intended to represent.

In any case, the new artwork is gorgeous! Tim Jonsson and Dan Syron’s works are meshing together very well! FREEDOM PLANET 2 HYPE.

Freedom Planet 2 Alpha Soundcloud Soundtrack Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/leila-wilson-woofle/sets/8vzrqpehgpv7
GalaxyTrail Twitter: https://twitter.com/galaxytrail
Freedom Planet Discord Server: https://discord.gg/0qWdN0V3VPsmefmH
Freedom Planet Forums: http://www.galaxytrail.com/forum/index.php