Here's a topic about art styles in video games. Basically, you can talk about your favorite visual styles that you see in games, such as toon/cel shaders, realism, or something else entirely.

If you can, it would be nice if you posted an image along with the game you're describing so we could see it if you're talking about the art style of a specific game. (be sure to snip images in quotes)



Here's a couple neat art styles to start the discussion.


The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019 remake)

I don't know, I just really like the plastic-y look of this game and I think it mimics the original GameBoy sprites perfectly.


Persona 5

This image isn't the best showcase, but this game has great graphics, especially in the UI. I know, everybody and their dog already praised this game for its menus, but they might as well be the most stylish menus to ever exist. I hate to admit that i've never actually played this game. I need to.


Aaaand that's all I could think of for now (i was pretty tired when I wrote this). I might add a couple more that are mentioned in replies if I get any good ones.

(i'm not really expecting this topic to get that much attention because it's very specific but whatever)

stardew valley is really pretty and I like the level of detail

when people cosplay as your battle system you know you've made a good UI

CatsUnited wrote:

when people cosplay as your battle system you know you've made a good UI

wait what

edit: i just looked it up. People actually cosplayed as the Persona 5 battle menu. That's amazing

The fact that the Sonic the Hedgehog art-style is based on old school cartoon design is intriguing.

Livalelin wrote:

okami

How did I not think of Okami am i stupid

Downwell is awesome in this regard

Minimalistic but not in an obnoxious way, the game only uses 4 colors. Black is the background, white you can stand/jump on, don't touch red, and blue refills your air meter in world 3. The game offers unlockable color palettes that change those 4 colors (wish it had a custom option though, but there's plenty to choose from) as a reward for getting its in game currency (which is the item you use in the shop as well)

As bad as the game is (it's improved but still incredibly “eh” unless it targets your thing), No Man's Sky's art style is very nice on the Beyond Update.

Pre-Atlas Rises was best NMS though


I also really like the art style in Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX. Story goes that the 3DS wasn't powerful enough to be able to handle the high-poly models from Project Diva, and reducing their polygon count would make them look trash, so Sega decided to use The Power of Nendoroids to make all the Vocaloids in the game lil chibis.

guys

guys

Paper Mario

LiteNing-Piecey wrote:

guys

guys

Paper Mario

Paper Mario and Yoshi's Story on the N64 were imo the beginning of Nintendo creating games using the style of some sort of arts/crafts equipment, since there'd be more games in this category of art style made, such as the other Paper Mario games, Yoshi's Woolly World, Kirby Epic Yarn etc.

CatsUnited wrote:

LiteNing-Piecey wrote:

guys

guys

Paper Mario

Paper Mario and Yoshi's Story on the N64 were imo the beginning of Nintendo creating games using the style of some sort of arts/crafts equipment, since there'd be more games in this category of art style made, such as the other Paper Mario games, Yoshi's Woolly World, Kirby Epic Yarn etc.

I especially like these when it has that “realistic” look like in Paper Mario: Color Splash and Yoshi’s Crafted World.

Bump -

Cuphead


I love the amount of effort the team took to recreate the art style of old cartoons. Each character was animated the old-fashioned way to get that touch that other attempts at this style don't seem to have.

-ShinyRock- wrote:

CatsUnited wrote:

LiteNing-Piecey wrote:

guys

guys

Paper Mario

Paper Mario and Yoshi's Story on the N64 were imo the beginning of Nintendo creating games using the style of some sort of arts/crafts equipment, since there'd be more games in this category of art style made, such as the other Paper Mario games, Yoshi's Woolly World, Kirby Epic Yarn etc.

I especially like these when it has that “realistic” look like in Paper Mario: Color Splash and Yoshi’s Crafted World.

Super Paper Mario has all this really cool abstract polygonal stuff that's also super neat

-ColorMaster- wrote:

-ShinyRock- wrote:

CatsUnited wrote:

LiteNing-Piecey wrote:

guys

guys

Paper Mario

Paper Mario and Yoshi's Story on the N64 were imo the beginning of Nintendo creating games using the style of some sort of arts/crafts equipment, since there'd be more games in this category of art style made, such as the other Paper Mario games, Yoshi's Woolly World, Kirby Epic Yarn etc.

I especially like these when it has that “realistic” look like in Paper Mario: Color Splash and Yoshi’s Crafted World.

Super Paper Mario has all this really cool abstract polygonal stuff that's also super neat

I kinda hope the next Paper Mario is closer to Super's art style than to Color Splash and Sticker Star's but I highly doubt it. I would be okay with either though tbh

-ShinyRock- wrote:

-ColorMaster- wrote:

Super Paper Mario has all this really cool abstract polygonal stuff that's also super neat

I kinda hope the next Paper Mario is closer to Super's art style than to Color Splash and Sticker Star's but I highly doubt it. I would be okay with either though tbh

I'd personally like to see something more like TTYD in terms of art style if there was to be a new Paper Mario. I guess we'll see if they ever release another one.

Ace Attorney has a super awesome over the top aesthetic that'll probably never be fully recreated. It's pixel art but not retro and absolutely bonkers and I love it.

-ColorMaster- wrote:

Ace Attorney has a super awesome over the top aesthetic that'll probably never be fully recreated. It's pixel art but not retro and absolutely bonkers and I love it.

It's funny that you say that now because I just finished Apollo Justice today

Breath of the Wild

SuperDoom wrote:

Breath of the Wild

Maybe it's just because my family has a projector now rather than a TV, but when I go to play it again it's just so foggy and muddied out that I end up not playing for very long. I think if they took things a step further and made some of the landscapes a bit brighter in color it'd be fantastic