Smaller additional maps (Metroid Zero Mission and others)
May
One of the situations that emerged during the mapmaking process was the need for additional smaller maps. Both Metroid Prime and Zelda – Tears of the Kingdom feature impressive opening sequences that couldn’t really be captured with the rest of the map. (due to storyline and scaling reasons respectively) And let’s not forget Mario Kart 8 Deluxe which had a whopping 96(!)* different tracks after all the DLC’s that came out for it.
*And in case you’re wondering there’s no way I’m planning to do all of them. I might have some sort of OCD but I’m not crazy 😉
For this I created vignette style maps on a square canvas, to capture those in-game moments in a shorter time span. That way I could “complete” the previous games without having to go all-in timewise. It also gave me a way to offer prints with lower pricing and expand my library of maps a bit quicker. It gives me a bit more wiggle room for experimentation, while allowing me to keep the big premium art pieces at the forefront of the store. Sometimes it’s a bit tricky to predict the relative success of a new artwork.
One of those ‘smaller’ titles is Metroid Zero Mission, which was released on the Nintendo Switch GBA channel. MZM was my first 2D Metroid when it was released, and probably is still my favourite. Since I was sort of waiting/hoping for Metroid Prime 2 & 3 being announced (still nothing at the time of writing this), I could use this as a distraction/practice. Since the game is quite compact I figured it would be a good fit for the 30x30cm print format.
So there you have it, nine different maps spread over 3 iconic gaming franchises. All of them are in the Map Station webshop, and there are more in preparation…