Background and Foreground different styles ok?

[Name That]

Hey guys,

I am developing a game and was curious to get a take on something.
I have a character that i am creating that is cartoony looking and was trying to decide on the background.
Should i keep the game background the same style as the character, or try and do something different and create a real life looking background and have the character pop out more?

Thanks all.

[Jason Stark]

Originally Posted by Name That

Should i keep the game background the same style as the character, or try and do something different and create a real life looking background and have the character pop out more?

It's a tricky issue. Foreground / background separation is always a good thing but by the same token they have to look like they're part of the same world.

I like to use hand-drawn animated television and film as good examples of how to make it work but obviously it depends on the mood you're trying to evoke. In Miyazaki films the backgrounds are beautifully painted whereas the characters are much simpler but the shared palettes and tones keep both elements in the same artistic space.

[Asstasticguy]

I would personally avoid making the main character and the background two completely different styles, I often find that they clash instead of making each other stand out.
But that doesn't have to be the case, there are always exceptions to the rule and when all is said and done if it looks good it looks good.
Perhaps you should make two test backgrounds with the character in them and see which one people prefer.

[Marat]

Originally Posted by Asstasticguy

Perhaps you should make two test backgrounds with the character in them and see which one people prefer.

Yep, absolutely agree. It's hard to say when you don't see it. Just share what you've come up with in this thread.