The Best Dressed Games

Recently, Might and Delight released a trailer for Shelter 2. Having not known of the series or its prequel, I was really intrigued by the art style. It basically reminds me of a paper cut-out style taken to a level I haven’t seen in a game.

Instantly I was reminded of so many other games with original art styles. Here’s a few (in chronological order) that I believe are the cream of the crop.

Another World/Out of This World

To be honest, I’ve never actually played this game, but I’ve watched plenty of gameplay. This game is a platformer in which the character you play gets stuck in another world after a malfunction in his lab.

First thing to notice are the rotoscoped graphics, reminiscent of Prince of Persia. Also, I believe that it’s one of the first games to include cutscenes, which says a lot for such an old game. This alone made it stand out from the herd, but the game itself really looked great. It uses a very dull color palette, which creates a great mood that fits the tone of the game perfectly: you are essentially alone for most of the game, fighting off these giants. Despite a limited color palette, it manages to change things up with smaller details and a smart use of the color blue. 

Comix Zone

Now here’s a game I played extensively, given the fact that it’s available on PS3/Xbox 360/Wii. Comix Zone is a great 2D action game like many others from its generation (it came out on Sega Genesis) however, it excels in its presentation: the game is presented as if it were a comic book! You move from panel to panel, page to page, and fight various enemies. The art style is really eye-catching with its color palette, and the story is told through speech bubbles just like a comic book. The cartoony style works so well with the other aspects of the game. Overall, a gem for the Genesis. 

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

This wouldn’t be a good list without Wind Waker. I played this game countless amounts of times but have never finished it. Nevertheless, I can still appreciate the chance Nintendo took on this art style: moving from run-of-the-mill graphics to a vibrant, cel-shaded world was definitely a good move in retrospect. This game is timelessly gorgeous, and ahead of its time. It sparked a trend of cel-shaded games, which have become much more common nowadays – think of Ni No Kuni or Dragon Quest VIII.

Okami

I mean seriously: This is art

Sony was able to retaliate with Clover Studio’s Okami. The game initially went for a more realistic look, until Clover scrapped the idea in favor of a Japanese “sumi-e” look. Basically, every single frame of this game ended up looking like a piece of art, and I especially love the “inky” use of black. Also, instead of a color overload, we are treated to bright and dark colors fairly equally. Flowers grow with every step you take as the wolf/goddess named Amaterasu, adding extra pop as you move. Quite a distracting game, because it’s art style looks like a moving watercolor canvas.

The PS2 version of Okami, has shown its age – its 480i, 4:3 presentation doesn’t do it justice on newer televisions. More importantly, the HD release brings it back to life. Must buy. 

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Green is the color of Enslaved

I haven’t played through all of Enslaved, but it’s in my “to finish list”. Ninja Theory’s Enslaved: Odyssey to the West has you play as Monkey, who is stuck with another character named Trip. He is linked to her via this headband, and if she dies, so does Monkey. This game was released on PS3/Xbox 360 and ported to PC. At the time, so many of the post-apocalyptic games I played used tons of grey or duller colors. Enslaved was a breath of fresh air, which used a lot of green in its flora. It definitely fits the game well, showing the destroyed world, taken over by greenery. Much like Okami, sometimes it's great to just stop moving and look around.

Final Thoughts

Overall, art direction in videogames can make or break the game. Would Wind Waker be so highly praised and remembered had it looked more realistic? Would Okami see ports to the Wii and a HD release had it looked, well, normal? These games have made a mark in the gaming landscape on the basis of the artists’ choices in presentation. Had they not taken chances, they would have been much less memorable to me.

To end this post: What’s your favorite game, solely based on art style?