Some fans are expressing some confusion after seeing the latest gameplay footage from Eclipse Glow Games’ Tides of Annihilation, which features some distinct graphical changes that were made to its main character’s face.
Tides of Annihilation has experienced a few big changes over the last month. In mid-July, acclaimed voice actress Jennifer English announced she was abdicating the role of the game’s main character, Gwendolyn, citing concerns surrounding her mental and physical health.
And in mid-August, Eclipse Glow Games showed off 40 minutes of uninterrupted gameplay footage, giving us one of the most in-depth looks at the title we’ve seen thus far… but not everyone was happy with what they saw.
While impressions of the game’s combat, exploration, and overall art direction were extremely positive, the apparent changes to Gwendolyn’s facial design were met with equal parts confusion and frustration. Commenters across social media urged developers to revert these visual changes, which boasts noticeably different facial features and a softer graphical look.
“Why are they changing the character model? Seems stupid and a huge waste of money,” one wrote on X.
“Why does the newer one look so much worse? This isn’t a great sign,” another said.
“She still looks really good but it did feel kinda different when I saw it… I thought they had downgraded graphics or something,” another questioned on YouTube.
Luckily, Eclipse Glow Games addressed these concerns in a Q&A, with lead game producer Fu Kun explaining why Gwendolyn looked so different in this most recent gameplay footage than in previous trailers.
“The most discussed topic among players right now is that the protagonist’s face looks a bit off. Is it because they used CG before, but this time they used real-time rendering?” a reporter at Game Tea House asked.
“Actually, the previous PV also used real-time rendering. The female lead’s face shape is consistent in the latest PV and the current demo. It’s just that we wanted it to be smoother in terms of lighting optimization , so there are some differences and imperfections in the facial rendering. Of course, this version may have been a bit rushed, and we will further optimize the facial rendering under lighting later,” Fu Kun answered.
He also shed some light on the studio’s goals to combine elements of both Eastern and Western design in the game’s characters.
“First, for example, in terms of character design, we prioritized aesthetics that are acceptable to both Easterners and Westerners, and we made a comprehensive fusion of both. The rest might be things that the team feels particularly proud of about Chinese culture — such as the Martial Saint, a representative of Eastern chivalry, or a representative of our traditional Chinese culture. Such a character would definitely be presented to everyone as Gwen’s master,” he said.
Tides of Annihilation does not yet have an official release date, though it promises to launch sometime “soon.” In the meantime, there’s been rampant speculation that the actress who has replaced Jennifer English — at her recommendation — is none other than Angela Sant’Albano, the voice of Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.