During the fifth generation of gaming, titles started to deviate from pixels and lean much harder into the realm of polygons and full motion video. Metal Gear Solid effectively recreated the stealth action gameplay from its MSX forefathers on the considerably more powerful PlayStation platform. Players were enthralled as video games inched closer and closer to pure realism. In turn, many developers decided to leave pixels behind, electing to challenge themselves to fulfill those players' fantasies.
However, some games retained this pixelated art style while still taking full advantage of increased horsepower, such as Castlevania Symphony of the Night, also for the PlayStation. While polygon counts grew higher and 3D gaming blossomed, the love for pixilated visuals never really went away, and independent developers have done their best to keep it alive and well.
Updated on October 18, 2022, by Michael Colwander: While big-budget games strive for realism, indie developers continue to push what can be done with pixel art. The results continue to be gorgeous!
15 ANNO: Mutationem Is A Beautiful Cyberpunk World
Developers don't have to choose between 2D pixels or 3D polygons. There's a beautiful place directly in the middle that gives a game a unique artistic look. This contrast shines in ANNO: Mutationem's cyberpunk world. ANNO is an action-adventure game developed by ThinkingStars.
In ANNO, players control Ann Flores as she explored the bright and colorful Metropolis and tries to get to the bottom of the criminal mysteries lurking in the shadows of the city. ANNO is not a linear game as players can explore the populated city at their leisure and even spend some time bartending. ANNO has an incredibly lively world, and it's art-style is a big reason why.
14 Unsighted Is A Sight To Behold
Unsighted is a Metroidvania game developed by Studio Pixel Punk. Any developer that includes "pixel" in their name can be trusted to utilize pixel art to its fullest. That is certainly true with their 2021 game Unsighted. Unsighted is a race against time, literally, as humans are at war with sentient machines known as automatons. Unsighted has a timer that players must keep filled.
Not even a time crunch can distract players from Unsighted's visual style. Players who would prefer to stop and appreciate Unsighted's pixel art can take advantage of the Explorer mode, which allows players to take their time and enjoy Unsighted's bloody, mechanical, wartorn world.
13 Eastward Was Bound To Be Inspired By An Earthly Classic
Eastward is an action-adventure RPG developed by Pixpil. It follows Sam and John as they fight for survival in the toxic-filled world thanks to the "miasma" plague. Both Sam and John have access to unique abilities as well as weapons such as a frying pan.
Eastward's world is filled with bustling towns overflowing with cartoony and expressively animated characters to interact with. Beyond the towns, Eastward has dark and gloomy caverns filled with dangerous foes. Eastward's art style invokes the likes of Nintendo's classic EarthBound, which served as the inspiration for both Eastward and the playable video game within Eastward titled "Earth Born."
12 Titan Souls Made The Most Of Its One Shot
Titan Souls is a difficult action-adventure game developed by Devolver Digital. True to the "Souls" in its name and its clear inspiration from Shadow of the Colossus, Titan Souls is not an easy adventure. In Titan Souls, players can only take one hit. As if that's not enough, they only have one arrow to defeat Titan Souls' numerous, wonderfully designed Titans.
Studying boss patterns is made much more engaging thanks to Titan Souls' pixelized art and animations. If these Titans were eyesores, players would've had a difficult time staying attentive, leading to increased frustration.
11 Slain! Came Back From Hell
Taking cues from 16-bit action games and heavy metal album art, Slain! was a 2D dark fantasy hack-and-slash platform game and drew many comparisons with Konami's vampire-hunting series Castlevania. Slain!'s initial 2016 Steam release wasn't warmly received, facing criticism for its unresponsive controls, trial-and-error level design, and boring gameplay.
A later version dubbed Slain! Back From Hell, attempted to address most of the complaints made about the vanilla version. Slain!'s art direction and visuals are an undeniable highlight, with a suitably moody color palette, and some gruesome-looking bosses.
10 Blasphemous' Art-Style Is Something To Revere
It's clear Castlevania's decision to stick with 2D-inspired generations of indie developers. Castlevania's gothic style has extended to numerous pixelated indie titles such as Slain! Another game inspired by Castlevania is Blasphemous. Blasphemous is a Metroidvania game developed by The Game Kitchen and initially began life as a Kickstarter.
Blasphemous is centered around The Penitent One, a member of The Brotherhood of a religious group sworn to silence called the Silent Sorrow. After The Brotherhood of the Silent Sorrow is massacred by the governing Church, The Penitent One is resurrected to pursue revenge on His Holiness Escribar. Blasphemous' candle-lit corridors, sunset skies, and grotesque bosses feel ripped straight from Castlevania.
9 Undertale's Minimalist Approach Belies Its True Nature
On its surface, Undertale's retro graphics don't look like something worth writing home about. While the character portraits are suitably cartoony and expressive, the actual in-game sprites aren't very detailed. Battle scenes are almost entirely monochromatic, and there's little to no animation.
But Undertale is not a game to be judged by its cover. As Undertale progresses, it becomes clear that this minimalist approach is a deliberate artistic decision meant to catch players off guard during the game's more dramatic or unnerving moments. When the more striking and elaborate visuals do pop up, it becomes all the more surprising and effective.
8 Katana Zero's Neon Noir Visuals Evokes The 80s
Katana Zero is a 2D hack-and-slash platformer that incorporates both melee and long-ranged combat. The goal in Katana Zero is to not be hit, so players will have to use the tight combat controls and time-bending abilities to clear each room of enemies.
With a dark and grungy cyberpunk aesthetic, Katana Zero evokes memories of Blade Runner and the first Terminator, mixing them with a retro side-scrolling look. Players will paint the nightclubs and alleys of this metropolis red with their repertoire of moves. Flashing neon, CRT TV effects, and stylish bloodshed permeate this title and add to the 80s nostalgia invoked in other Devolver Digital titles such as Hotline Miami.
7 Shovel Knight Evokes The Retro Era Without Slavish Devotion
Shovel Knight is a 2D action platformer from Yacht Club Games that took the indie scene by storm with its love for retro gaming and willingness to eschew elements of the era that didn't age well. While Shovel Knight pays homage to the 8-bit games which defined the Nintendo Entertainment System, it's not a slave to the era.
Shovel Knight takes full advantage of modern hardware to incorporate nifty effects such as parallax scrolling. True to its retro roots, the Japanese version of Shovel Knight even includes added graphical effects and frames of animation. This was seen as an homage to how Castlevania III Dracula's Curse was graphically downscaled from its initial release.
6 Dead Cells Does Not Sacrifice Quality Gameplay For Visuals
Dead Cells is a 2D hack-and-slash rogue-like with elements of FromSoftware titles. Had Dead Cells prioritized looking good over keeping its challenging mechanics balanced, it might have turned out to be a disaster. Fortunately, Dead Cells doesn't sacrifice any substance for its style.
Dead Cells' fluid combat is accompanied by equally fluid animation as players run, jump, roll, and slash their way through the multitudes of hostiles. Dead Cells is also helped by a color palette that manages to be diverse and vibrant without detracting from its gloomy dark setting.
5 Celeste Effectively Uses Color To Evoke The Proper Mood
Some might not consider Celeste to be a fully pixilated title since its character portraits and letters use hand-drawn art. Regardless, that doesn't change the fact the main game effectively uses a great mix of diverse locales and colors to craft an emotionally charged adventure.
In Celeste, players expecting samey locations in a game about traversing Mount Celeste are in for a pleasant surprise as Madeline will have to run and jump through a wide variety of treacherous environments. Some areas feature very warm colors to evoke a suitably tranquil feeling, while others use highly contrasting colors to unnerve the player. Celeste is a beautiful game both inside and out, and one that is very much worth playing.
4 Moonlighter Juxtaposes Its Tranquility With Flashy Animations
Moonlighter is a dungeon-crawling rogue-like that mixes in elements of shop managing games. Once players enter the temples and plunder them of their spoils, they can take these goods and sell them in the village for a price of their choosing.
Developed by Spanish studio Digital Sun, Moonlighter juxtaposes its tranquil pastoral village setting with intricately detailed creatures and fighting animations. Even if players don't find the dungeon crawling or shop managing gameplay engaging, Moonlighter is a visual splendor with vibrant colors, well-drawn character sprites, and buttery smooth animations.
3 Pier Solar And The Great Architects Mixes The Best Of Both Worlds
The Sega CD and 32X add-ons were created to expand the Sega Genesis' lifespan and help make the transition to the much trendier full motion video and polygonal graphics. Unfortunately, the tech behind Sega CD and 32X was far behind the times, unable to deliver an experience on par with the upcoming PlayStation.
It seems ironic that some independent developers would release a gorgeous 2D game years after the Sega CD and 32X's demise. Pier Solar and the Great Architects is a home-brewed Sega CD 32X RPG that mixes lavishly drawn pixel graphics with audio not possible on the meager Genesis hardware. Pier Solar and the Great Architects was eventually given a release on Steam, making it even more accessible to modern audiences.
2 Coffee Talk's Expressive And Detailed Characters Shine
Coffee Talk is a reminder that retro visuals don't always have to accompany platformers, beat 'em ups, or other throwback genres. Coffee Talk is a visual novel and takes place in an alternate Seattle where humans and fantasy creatures co-exist.
In Coffee Talk's central café, players take control of a barista who lends her ears to the humans, orcs, mermaids, and many other races who come to get a drink while talking about their trials and tribulations. The visuals shine with detailed and expressive character sprites and a fully robust latte art creation mechanic.
1 Owlboy's Pixelated Graphics Look Like A Painting
Owlboy is a 2D platforming adventure title developed by Norwegian independent developer D-Pad Studio. It mixes its old-school pixilated visuals with a lovingly crafted style and evokes hand-painted art bolstered by slick animation.
The whimsical and mysterious fantasy setting provokes memories of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Studio Ghibli's Castle in the Sky in the most wonderful ways. Lush pastoral landscapes, ruins of an ancient civilization, and steampunk cities are inhabited by a diverse cast of characters ranging from humans to hybrids of man and owls.