Scorching
Added 2022-03-25 20:00:01 +0000 UTCThis is the highest quality version of this scene you're ever going to get, coming in at a solid 4661x2926.
This was an important piece in terms of establishing a few important elements:
It's the first time in the story where we visually see Sarah use magic. After the time-leap, Sarah has grown quite a bit in terms of her power, and this image is very much supposed to communicate this.
Secondly, it's also the first time we really get a CG where magic is represented, so it was important to get it right. The pale flame, as it often gets referenced as in the story, mixes a very directly recognizable fire-element with a more otherworldly-blue. In the end, I think it ends up communicating both how simply effective and deadly it is, as well as making it seem fantastical/magical.
The one downside, I suppose, is that you only get (I think) the best effect if a player decides to burn Kate, which not everyone will decide to do.
This CG is also one of a few CG's that utilize a new technique (not in the previous versions) of guiding the player's vision by using 'camera movements' to guide the attention of the player.
I like the technique for being able to make the player focus on different parts of the image, as well as adding some dynamism to what can otherwise be a somewhat static-affair.
