A method of portraying three dimensional space in a two-dimensional plane. Basically, it's a tilted bird's eye view perspective in which both the top and front of an object is seen at the same time, and the vertical axis indicates both height and depth.
note Technically speaking, it's a very distant bird's eye view, zoomed to very high levels, with perspective not working "properly" because of high viewing distance. Most games that have this perspective will still have character sprites as if they've being viewed straight on, though some will have a more
Super-Deformed style. Very popular during the 16-bit era for
JRPGs.
Despite console games having largely abandoned this in favor of full 3-D graphic, this remains popular in handheld systems due to the lower demands on the system.
This view sometimes leads to secrets being hidden on the backs of buildings,
which should logically be visible to the character but aren't to the player.
See also
Isometric Projection,
Top Down View and
Side View.
Examples:
Action Adventure
Action Game
- Gauntlet was one of the first such games.
- Indiana Jones - Temple of Doom NES game had a hybrid of this view and overhead view.
- Last Alert
Adventure Game
Beat 'em Up
Platform Game
- The Dark Castle, Mirage Palace and Dragon's Hole levels in Brutal Mario, as well as other Super Mario World hacks using Seiken Densetsu 3/Secret of Mana graphics.
Real Time Strategy
- Command & Conquer and Red Alert: Tanks are not exactly viewed from above, and soldiers definitely aren't.
Roguelike
Role-Playing Game
Shoot 'em Up
Simulation Game
Stealth-Based Game
Survival Horror
Wide-Open Sandbox