What do you guys think of pixel art in games and in general?

[Chester Rabbit]

I think it?s great! Someone once said limitations bring out the best in us well there you are right there.

I love seeing these people who are passionate about making a game that have to work within a small budget making the best out of it and taking something as simple as pixel sprites and such and making some truly beautiful visuals with it.

I?ve always appreciated the great work people have managed to pull off within the limitations of having to work in pixel art and am overjoyed to see it coming back with smaller developers.

 

[Qvar]

As someone above said, I like it when there's a point to it (Minecraft). But I just can't stand it when it's for the sake of it and makes difficult to reconogize what the hell are you clicking at (Superbrothers, I'm looking at you. Or some pixeled thing that I hope it's you).

 

[Victim of Progress]

Frankly, I'm getting a bit sick of it. If it's done properly, then I don't mind it too much. But if it looks like someone hastily did in MS paint, then it really bugs me. I feel like pixel art is used a bit too much in indie projects nowadays, even though there are a lot of alternatives, which sometimes require less effort. I understand that not everyone can make a 3D game, but just take a look at the artstyles that are being neglected:

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General bitmap/flash art style

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3D games

And hell, if making a whole 3D game is too difficult for you, why not render the assets and present them as 3D sprites?

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[Casual Shinji]

I'm not that experienced with it, but with games like Metal Slug it's the pixel animation that gives it its vibrancy. If you'd remake that game today, like, in the style of Rayman Origins/Legends or just 3D graphics, most of its personality would be lost.

 

[KOMega]

I suppose it is neat, but if I had any criticism about it, it would be that there is so god damn much of it.

But I can't really blame that on anyone since I would assume it is a lot cheaper than much else when doing game graphics, so we gotta make do.

But in the end, it is the general aesthetic of the game that matters.
If pixel art fits the game then by all means, do so.

 

[Lightknight]

It actually ruined Swords & Sworcery for me. I don't know how to distinguish what makes a good pixel art game from others. Some pixel art I like just fine and others are eye gougingly awful to me. I think generally I just need it to look somewhat organized and I'm good for it.

 

[OrpheusTelos]

Considering that games like Chrono Trigger still look good as far as I'm concerned, I can safely say that I am a fan of pixel art if done well.

 

[JazzJack2]

I generally really dislike it's use in modern indie games but there are few exceptions where I think it works.

-Cave Story because even though it uses retroesque pixel art it doesn't use it as a cop-out and the sprites are really nice.

-Hotline Miami because the pixel graphics not only fit with 80's visual style they also leave you to fill in blanks when it comes to the violence(kind of like a horror movie, what you imagine is a millions times worse than anything the Film could have directly shown you.)

 

[Bakuryukun]

I think it's a fine art style, it's just as valid as any other kind of aesthetic a game designer could use, the more variety the better.

 

[Vivi22]

Sadly most pixel art I see in games is butt ugly. Usually because it's trying to look like an old NES or SNES game. Which were butt ugly.

Butt ugly? Really?

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[Lightknight]

Sadly most pixel art I see in games is butt ugly. Usually because it's trying to look like an old NES or SNES game. Which were butt ugly.

Butt ugly? Really?

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I consider that particular screenshot to be ugly.

I just think Zhukov's statement was too vague. I don't know what game they were referring to but there were some very ugly pixel games. I think Sword and Sworcery is very ugly and yet I find myself loving other pixel art games.

Generally speaking, I just need the visual style to not get in my way of playing the game. At no point do I want to be wondering, "What is that?" with something I shouldn't have any problem recognizing like a rock or person.

 

[TehCookie]

I like the detail pixel art like in Chrono Cross or To the Moon. I don't like the kind in the OP unless it has fluid motion like in Ghost Trick.

 

[Terminate421]

One game series that used pixel art for the longest time made it work regardless of version.

The gif makes it move rather quickly but in essence, Pokemon sprites have always worked at showing the Pokemon's form very well. The sprites from Yellow and onward look great even to this day.

Remove your nostalgia glasses when I say this:

POKEMON RED AND BLUE SPRITES LOOK LIKE SHIT.

 

[DrOswald]

If you have the skill to do pixel art then it can greatly reduce the development cost and time of your game as well as greatly reduce the install size and required processing power for your game. So that is awesome.

Second, pixel art can look very good if you are good at it and stands the test of time very well. Super Mario World, Gimmick, Chrono Trigger, A Link To the Past, all of these games used pixel art and still look great today.

Third, pixel art has a unique advantage in that it does not actually show what is being represented, it only suggests it. For example, what does link actually look like in ALTTP? The answer is whatever you want him to look like. The low fidelity of the medium allows the player to fill in the details with their imagination. And the imagination of the player will always trump what you can bring to the table.

That all said, pixel art can also crash and burn really hard. Like any medium, you have to understand it before you can use it properly.

Also, I like your piece, but it is a little hard to look at. I think it has something to do with the colors you chose, they make it hard to focus on the image correctly. But the shapes and especially the characters are very well done.

Last of all, I really don't see how someone can consider Yoshi's Island butt ugly. You guys are just wrong, sorry. You may not like it but that is a beautiful game.

 

[Darquenaut]

If it actually suits an artistic purpose, then I'm all for it. Hell, I love more detailed sprite animations like in SFIII and Blazblue. I realize that is far from the lo-fi style you're referring to, but it does show just how awesome a decent art direction can use pixels.

However, more and more, it feels like pixel art is being used only to state, "This is an indie game! Looks how much different this is from the AAA market, with all their browns and grays!" and in turn is losing it's charm. I wish you the best of luck with your project, but more and more the pixel-art style is becoming more and more tired.

 

[Lightknight]

Last of all, I really don't see how someone can consider Yoshi's Island butt ugly. You guys are just wrong, sorry. You may not like it but that is a beautiful game.

That picture was ugly.

Besides, this is highly subjective, you can't authoritatively call anything absolutely beautiful anymore than I can claim that it's absolutely ugly.

 

[Muspelheim]

Pixel is best graphic. Polygon is needed in defence effort against Kolechia. Pixel is simple but stronk work horse. It can of do amazing things. With simple tools, one much work better, not harder. If that of make any sense.

http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/12/122165/2455368-jorji+costava.jpg

Oh, Jorji, we meet again... How you make me smile...

If it is of just dishonest gimmick, then pixel is bad. Use pixel because you want to. Or because you need to. Not because you think it will of be better automatically.

Is like zombie. Adding zombie alone is of not enough. Not anymore. Make it be neccessary.

 

[default]

I like it. But I feel that often there's sometimes too much emphasis on using retro for the sake of spectacle without trying to do the game right. I loved the artstyle of Sword and Sworcery, but I hated the gameplay and writing and wanted it to burn in a fire.

I would like to see more games do the style of the GBA Castlevanias, and I hope to forward a project that does just that.

Also, that shot of your own work is very nice, what do you work with?

Thanks buddy, I put the characters together in MS Paint and resized and worked the rest of the image in Photoshop. It was really just an experiment, a nice change of pace from painting, but I like how it turned out and it illustrated the kind of style I like.

I love it for so many reasons.
There are times when it's unnecessary, and it's obvious when a company are trying to shoehorn it in for nostalgia. But all in all, I have to say some of the best looking games of the past 3-4 years have been pixel art stylized.


Your image looks fantastic too. I love the way you've added light pink and cyan tones either side of your foreground image. It makes it feel very 'digital', which juxtaposed with your samurai-esque fighters looks rad as fuck. Is there anywhere I can find out more about your project?

Thanks a bunch man! That was the idea, I love digitalising images. This project is literally not even in alpha stages yet, I'm still working out the engine and general art style, but once I have something decent to show I'll start with the blogging and such. It's PROBABLY going to be a top-down smooth flowing roguelike with some wierd ideas for persistent systems I've had floating around in my head. After my last released game I'd like to do something very unique and strange.

 

[Weaver]

Really, sometimes it's good and sometimes it's bad.
The pros to pixel art is it allows smaller details and characters to be very visually separated in a well put together scene.

However, some devs don't seem to realize this and just kind of make things pixelated because it's cheaper.
I can't say I blame them. If I was going to make a game it sure as hell wouldn't be a full 3D title, but the market is just saturated with it now.

 

[Pink Gregory]

I really like it, but one has to remember that really it's a tool, rather than a ready-made aesthetic.

Some make it the first way, others the second. Can't expect everyone to get it right.