Great looking pixel art games

Thanks to the capabilities of high-end PCs, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5, games have never looked better than now. It's hard to believe that games like Pong existed next to something like hide and seek Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. That said, as great as these AAA games are, sometimes they can mix too much together, which is why indie games are trending.

Not only can indie games experiment more with mechanics, but smaller teams have more agency in how their worlds are created. Since a lot of time is spent on colors, animations and fluidity of combat, these pixel art games are beautiful and can even compete with 3D games. They recall the past, but surpass it in every way thanks to dedicated craftsmen.

Sea of ​​stars

The spiritual successor to Chrono Trigger

Sea of ​​stars A spiritual successor to the great RPGs of the 90s Chrono TriggerAnd it has some great designs. Even though the playable party is so small, the world map is full of life.

All the NPCs and monsters are well designed, from their color schemes to their animations, and it all sounds great. In war, there is like an active element was killed RPG games, and the animations in these special abilities look lovely for a 2D RPG.

Shovel Night Dig

Dig deep

Shovel Knight The NES, and its sequels/spinoffs are one of the best looking games to try to emulate, Shovel Night DigTries to go for a more advanced SNES look. Rather than an action platformer, this game is about digging vertically below the surface as a roguelike.

Players will attempt to collect gems to obtain temporary items and upgrades, while attempting to tackle bosses in each biome. It may not be as famous as the original game, but Shovel Night Dig A great roguelike with satisfying mining mechanics and an amazing art design.

Mullet Madjack

Anime Doom

Mullet Madjack A Killer is a roguelike first-person shooter with an 80s anime vibe. In the run, players need to keep their adrenaline above a certain level as shown on their phone, otherwise they will die, so time is of the essence.

The color scheme is almost hypotonic in how bright everything is, and each room is detailed with different ways to kill each and every large, sprite-based enemy. Players can easily shoot or slash them, but it's more fun to get creative by kicking them into fans, driving them into electrified walls, or throwing them into vending machines.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Whose feet smell?

When it comes to expressive sprite-based models, there's no better team than Tribute Games, and every one of their indie titles could make the list. Nostalgic 80s players have it at their best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's RevengeOne of the best TMNT Games across the decades.

Players can choose from a wide variety of characters, from the Tubular Turtle to Master Splinter and April O'Neill, and each one is fully animated in battle, from movements to expressions. Although it is a sprite-based brawler, players may mistake it for an interactive episode of the original cartoon series, as it looks impressive.

to the east

EarthBound Plus Zelda

to the east is a tribute to the strangeness of EarthboundBut this is an action-adventure game Zelda title. Players will begin as a miner, John, who then meets a little girl, Sam, and the two soon embark on an adventure to find her true past.

In every village they visit, players will find wild character models and intricately detailed backgrounds that are almost too good for an indie game. to the east The kind of game where every frame can be taken as a screenshot, framed, and then hung on the wall as a fine piece of art.

Children of Morta

A family business

Descendants of Morta There are less detailed models than many pixel-based indie games, as the developer went for more exaggeration that still looks good. The story follows The Bergsons, a family sworn to protect the world from the evil that lurks beneath their family home.

It is an action-based roguelike where most of the family members are playable and belong to specific RPG classes such as rangers, warriors, and monks. Combat fluidity and special abilities help set this roguelike apart, along with a caring family dynamic.

Dead cells

Fluid animation

Dead cells Another good example of a roguelike with fluid animations that pop in motion. The game has a hybrid style in its design with some sprite action drawn on multiple polygon models, which helps the animations look more lifelike.

This is a roguelike where speed is everything, and it's easy to zip between areas and attack enemies once players get the hang of the controls. Also, including all crossovers CastlevaniaThere are different art styles to appreciate.

Hyper Light Drifter

A silent Zelda clone

Hyper Light Drifter One of the most haunted top-down Zelda-Like experiences that came out of the indie scene. In a post-apocalyptic world, the protagonist and all the NPCs won't speak a word of English.

Instead, players must interpret words through motions, and the game is expressive enough that this kind of storytelling works. Also, the world has a wild color palette that looks like it's been soaked in acid with a lot of neon, which really pops on TV.

Condemnation 2

2D Bloodborne

Condemnation 2 can be compared to the 2D version of blood borneAnd while it's challenging, it's a Metroidvania and not a Soulslike. The gothic design of the world is haunting, yet inventive, pushing players forward to see the next messed-up boss or NPC.

From large women shedding their skin to arms protruding from their chests, the art team had a blast with these designs. The original game's art style is also great, but as a game, Condemnation 2 Overall a good experience.

the owl

Almost a decade in the making

the owl D-Pad Studio took a long time to come out, as it was announced in 2007 and released in 2016. From an artistic standpoint, it was all worth it because every NPC and background is pixel-perfect.

The titular Oldboy is not a fighter, and instead, players will solve several dungeon puzzles in this Metroidvania. Zelda– Like a hybrid through passive means. For example, they could make clouds out of water, but there are friends that can also be used for combat purposes. There really isn't another game like it.