Monty Python Inspired Rock Of Ages’ Cardboard Cutout Style

With a grinning boulder chasing helpless paperfolk, Rock of Ages is a visually striking game. The style was the first thing I noticed when Atlus introduced us to ACE Team’s next title with this teaser trailer. That’s right, ACE Team, the same development team that completed Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition a few months ago.

When I spoke with Carlos Bordeu, studio founder and game designer, I asked him where the neat paper people look came from. "It meshes perfectly with the visual inspiration of the game which is Terry Gilliam’s Monty Python cartoons. The game has a lot of humor in it and the characters work much better as 2D paper cutouts," Bordeu answered.

(scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail on the left, Rock of Ages on the right)

"When we decided to use the comic style of Monty Python we realized that putting the game into several periods of art history would be a great way of progressing the story, of giving the game visual variety and of exploring really interesting visuals," Bordeau elaborated in a later question. Rock of Ages rolls through Romanticism to Renaissance and eventually to Gothic graphics as players crush cities with a giant, but always happy boulder.

Check back later this week for our full Rock of Ages interview where Bordeau explains the game and why elephants are in it.