12 Games With The Best Pre-Rendered Backgrounds

Highlights

• The innovative use of pre-rendered backgrounds in games like Koudelka and Grim Fandango created stunning and immersive environments.
• Pillars of Eternity and The Legend of Dragoon showcased the beauty and consistency of pre-rendered backgrounds in CRPGs and JRPGs.
• Pre-rendered backgrounds in games like Resident Evil Zero and Final Fantasy 7 continue to captivate players with their detailed artistry.

The interim time period between 2D games and more advanced 3D games was truly fascinating, as this fifth-generation of video game consoles and PCs was known for massive innovation and fresh concepts. Perhaps one of the key reasons was the hardware limitations, which forced developers to create new ways to present games. And one of the best ways they did so was with the pre-rendered background, a technique which took a fully 3D model of an environment and created a 2D picture.

By doing this, developers could superimpose 3D models over these incredible pieces of art in order to create something magical. It was a technique that powered everything from RPGs, to survival horror games, all the way to point-and-click adventures. And despite its roots in hardware limitations, it’s a method that is still in use today. It’s a style of presentation that can result in something truly beautiful, as evidenced by the nostalgia and love for it that modern indie developers have.

12 Koudelka

Gothic Horror JRPG Features Intricately Detailed Backgrounds

Koudelka was released on the PS1 in 2000, and was ultimately responsible for the creation of the Shadow Hearts franchise. This gothic horror RPG series started out strong, featuring a unique combat system and a fantastic aesthetic. This is further highlighted by the absolutely gorgeous backgrounds, all of which have staggering design and a wonderful sense of dread that is perfect for the PS1 and its fantastic library of horror games.

The world of Koudelka is dark and leans heavily on its gothic horror influences, which is evident in all the backgrounds. They are perfectly crafted, filled with fine details that help to fill out the world and add some sinister energy to the already dark atmosphere. Koudelka has some of the best backgrounds seen on the PS1, which is quite a feat considering the amount of games from this generation that use the technique.

11 Pillars Of Eternity

Outstanding CRPG Has Incredible Background Design

The computer role-playing game dominated the PC in the 1990s, and pre-rendered backgrounds were a perfect way for developers of these epic adventures to create sprawling worlds to explore. But as hardware improved, the push for 3D started to make pre-rendered backgrounds in CRPGs obsolete, which made Obsidian Entertainment’s use of them in 2015’s Pillars of Eternity all the more special.

This phenomenal top-down RPG wasn’t just trying to hearken back to classics like Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment in terms of systems and story, it also brought 2D pre-rendered backgrounds back to the forefront. These glorious and perfectly-designed backgrounds are wonderful to look at, as they mesh perfectly with the 3D character models and create a wholly consistent world that is still impressive to look at almost ten years later.

10 Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus

Rich & Dense Background Designs Set The Stage For Best Oddworld Adventure

• Platforms: PS1, PC
• Developer: Oddworld Inhabitants
• Release Date: November 25, 1998

Oddworld has had a difficult time in its over 20-year life span, as what was planned to be a five-part story has been started and rebooted numerous times. And although Abe’s Exoddus is not part of that main story, it continues where Abe’s Odyssey left off and kept a big part of what made that first game so special by sticking with the pre-rendered backgrounds.

The dark and dreary world of this long-running platforming game is perfectly represented in these backgrounds, as they are packed tight with details and elements that feed into both what the player is currently doing and the expanded lore. They are brilliant in the way they add to the story while simultaneously guiding the player, a testament to the fantastic direction of this iconic series.

9 Grim Fandango

Perfectly Crafted Backgrounds For This Film Noir Detective Adventure

The point-and-click adventure game has seen quite a resurgence over the years, but it’s easy to point at Grim Fandango as one of the stone-cold classics of the genre. Since its release in 1998, it has been continuously cited as one of the absolute best, and the pre-rendered graphics rank up there with some of the finest the industry has ever seen.

The film noir influence on Grim Fandango is clear, as it pays homage to that incredible era of movies not just in terms of story and characters, but the world it exists in. Grim Fandango features a fantastic set of pre-rendered backgrounds that pay clear homage to the era, with art deco architecture at the forefront and a sense of style that is unmatched by games of the era.

8 Resident Evil Zero

Survival Horror Franchise Retains Hallmark Backgrounds In GamCube Prequel

After the original Resident Evil game was remade from the ground up exclusively for the GameCube, Capcom brought another title in the classic style to the system. This prequel, known as Resident Evil Zero, featured S.T.A.R.S. rookie Rebecca Chambers teaming up with a prisoner named Billy Coen as they attempt to survive yet another viral outbreak.

Rebecca and Billy’s journey takes them from the wrecked interior of a train known as the Ecliptic Express, an Umbrella training facility and more. But what really makes it special is how interconnected all of these worlds feel, largely thanks to the consistent and spectacular backgrounds. They are stunning works of art when looked at by themselves, with terrific art direction and some meticulous attention to detail. Further, some of the backgrounds feature animated video elements. It’s truly a world that feels alive, which is even more remarkable considering they are just 2D images.

7 Final Fantasy 8

Eighth Mainline Final Fantasy Continues PS1 Tradition With Excellent Backgrounds

After its first six mainline entries were all released on Nintendo platforms, the decision to move Final Fantasy to the PlayStation was a bit shocking. Nevertheless, the series made a home on Sony’s system and, in doing so, helped popularize the concept of pre-rendered backgrounds. And the backgrounds in Final Fantasy 8 are among not just the best in the series, but some of the best seen in the medium.

Spread across 4 discs, Final Fantasy 8 has a wide variety of different locations represented through its backgrounds. From the detailed halls of the Gardens, to the familiar towns like Dollet and Timber, all the way to the science fiction-influenced cities like Esthar, it’s a huge and expansive world. And thanks to the power of the PS1, some of them are enhanced with full-motion video elements. It’s all just a spectacular package when taken together.

6 Myst

Enormous Amount Of Fantastic Backgrounds Brings Adventure Game To Life

Developed by brothers Robyn and Rand Miller, as well as several others who formed Cyan, Inc., Myst used Macintosh computers like the Quadra 700 to create the backgrounds. As Myst is a first-person puzzle game, the prominence and importance of the backgrounds can’t be understated. Luckily, the team at Cyan came through.

These lush, highly detailed backgrounds are absolutely stunning to look at. They make up the entirety of the gameplay experience, which makes the hours and days spent on rendering them even more impressive. Over the 2,500 total backgrounds, the journey that players go on in Myst is made whole by these beautiful works of art.

5 The Legend Of Dragoon

Brilliant PS1 JRPG Features A Wide Variety Of Terrific Backgrounds

By the time The Legend of Dragoonlaunched on the PS1 in 2000, the concept of a JRPG with anime-influenced protagonists running around on 2D pre-rendered backgrounds was fairly widespread. But very few of them had backgrounds as lovely as the ones found in The Legend of Dragoon, a classic JRPG that is in dire need of a remake on PS5 today.

The world of Endiness is a vibrant and beautiful world to look at, featuring a fabulous collection of cities, tombs and caves to explore. Everything about the backgrounds is just outstanding, with some truly wonderful art direction and a classic fantasy vibe that feels right at home on the system.

4 Resident Evil Remake

Magnificent Remake Of PS1 Classic Improves On Pre-Rendered Backgrounds

In terms of video game remakes, Resident Evil on the GameCube is one of the absolute best. Far from a simple remaster, the PS1 classic was remade from the ground up with new character models, a re-recorded soundtrack and new voice acting. But the best improvement came in the form of the new backgrounds, which are far and away some of the best in the franchise.

Rather than just adding a fresh coat of paint, the Spencer Mansion is now even more oppressive and haunting than ever, while the areas that follow are just as terrifying to explore. The new additions to the Spencer Mansion are also excellent, as Capcom uses some neat tricks in the form of looping video to further cement Resident Evil as one of the greatest survival horror games ever made.

3 Parasite Eve 2

Sequel To PS1 Survival Horror RPG Adds Even Better Background Design

Parasite Eve was one of the most underrated and inventive games on the PS1, as its mix of survival horror with turn-based RPG combat was an intoxicating combination. And like many games on the platform, it used some incredible pre-rendered backgrounds to fill out its environments. The sequel launched a year later, and improved on the first game in every way possible.

Parasite Eve 2 also uses pre-rendered backgrounds, but whereas the first game offered its own unique blend of fascinating environments, the sequel followed suit by showcasing a stupendous variety of places for protagonist Aya Brea to visit. From a harrowing desert motel, to abandoned mines and towering skyscrapers, it’s a spectacular journey. It also uses video to create some incredible vistas that are still impressive to this day.

2 Alone In The Dark: The New Nightmare

The six-year gap between Alone in the Dark 3 and The New Nightmare meant that series protagonist Edward Carnby had some time to rest. And in those intervening years, technology and the ability to create stunning backgrounds had improved. As one of the forerunners of the technique, this wasn’t the first time Edward fought for his life through carefully placed cinematic angles.

Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare sticks closer to the Resident Evil format, but it works in its favor. The backgrounds are wonderfully detailed, and the character models for both Edward and the secondary playable character, Aline Cedrac, all work in tandem to create a suitably spooky adventure.

1 Final Fantasy 7

Iconic PS1 RPG Showcases A Huge World With Pre-Rendered Backgrounds

It’s safe to say that no game personifies the concept of pre-rendered backgrounds quite like Final Fantasy 7, the ravenously popular JRPG that features some of the most breathtaking and incredible pre-rendered backgrounds ever seen. They are filled with detail and present a brilliantly cohesive cyberpunk world, one that was a stark departure from Final Fantasy’s traditional worlds. But it worked out, as the world of Final Fantasy 7 is still being sourced to this day as one of the most influential games of its generation.

It truly showcases the power of the pre-rendered background as a game design technique, as the variety of new and different locations is staggering upon a first playthrough. As a result of the environments being images as opposed to highly advanced 3D worlds, it’s possible to have a world as dense and huge as Final Fantasy 7. Every background, from the soulless pits of the Mako reactors, to the inviting towns like Cosmo Canyon and Gongaga, is just phenomenally made. Although pre-rendered backgrounds are more of an aesthetic choice these days as opposed to a technical limitation, Final Fantasy 7 showcases the magic and allure of it in the best possible way.