people have criticised the setting of GoW4 as generic and that’s reasonable, Alfheim is the only particularly inspired stretch, but it remains visually impressive to me because the way the backgrounds are layered and fogged constantly triggers the impression that i’m looking at a 2D concept art painting, and seeing a space that my brain interprets as obviously flat move around realistically is kind of like a reinvention of the magic of videogames
possibly Elden Ring learnt from this as the opening shot of Liurnia dazzles me in a similar way