The best looking Pixel Art games

Games have never looked better now thanks to the capabilities of high-end PCs, Xbox Series X/S and PS5. It's hard to believe that games like Pong ever existed alongside something so breathtaking Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. That said, as great as these AAA games are, they can sometimes blend in too much, which is why indie games tend to.

Not only can indie games experiment more with mechanics, but small teams have a much greater say in the creation of their worlds. Because so much time is spent on colors, animations, and fluidity of combat, these pixel art games are gorgeous and can even rival 3D games. They hearken back to the past, but surpass it in every way thanks to dedicated craftsmen.

Sea of ​​Stars

Chrono Trigger's spiritual successor

Sea of ​​stars is a spiritual successor to the great RPGs of the 90s like Chrono Triggerand has some excellent designs. The world map is full of life, even though the playable area is so tiny.

All the NPCs and monsters are well designed, from their color schemes to their animations, and it sounds good too. In battle, an active element such as Mario RPG games and the animations of these special abilities look fascinating on a 2D RPG.

Shovel Knight Dig

Dig deep

Knight of Spades is one of the best looking games trying to emulate the NES and its sequel/spinoff, Shovel Knight Digtrying to go for a more advanced SNES look. Instead of an action platformer, this game is all about digging perpendicular to the surface like a roguelike.

Players will try to collect gems to get temporary items and power-ups, all while trying to deal with bosses in each biome. It may not be as well known as the original game, but Shovel Knight Dig is a great roguelike with satisfying digging mechanics and amazing art design.

Mullet Madjack

Anime Doom

Mullet Madjack is a roguelike first-person shooter with a killer 80s anime vibe. While running, players must keep their adrenaline above a certain level as displayed on their phone or they will die, so time is of the essence.

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

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Who smells feet?

When it comes to sprite-based expressive models, there's no better team than Tribute Games, and any of their indie titles could make the list. Nostalgic 80s gamers may have it the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revengeone of the best TMNT games for decades.

Players can choose from a wide variety of characters, from the Tubular Turtles to Master Splinter and even April O'Neil, and each one is fully animated in battle, from their movements to their expressions. Even though it's a sprite-based brawler, players might mistake it for an interactive episode of the original cartoon series because it looks so impressive.

East

EarthBound Plus Zelda

East is a tribute to weirdness EarthBoundbut it is an action adventure game more like a Zelda title. Players start out as miner John, who then finds a little girl, Sam, and the two soon embark on an adventure to find her true past.

In every village they venture into, players will find the wildest character models and intricately detailed backgrounds that are almost too good for an indie game. East is the type of game where every image can be captured as a screenshot, framed and then hung on the wall as a beautiful piece of art.

Children of Morty

Family business

Children of Morty it has less detailed models than a lot of pixel-based indie games because the developer went for a more exaggerated look 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 roguelike where most of the family members are playable and belong to typical RPG classes such as rangers, warriors and monks. The fluidity of combat and special abilities help this roguelike stand out, along with the caring family dynamic.

Dead cells

Fluid animation

Dead cells is another good example of a roguelike with smooth animation that gets going. The game has a hybrid style to its design, with some sprites drawn over more polygonal models, which helps make the animations look more alive.

This is a roguelike where speed is everything, and switching between areas and attacking enemies is easy once players get the hang of the controls. In addition, with all crossovers, incl Castlevaniathere are many different art styles to admire.

Hyper Light Drifter

Silent Zelda clone

Hyper Light Drifter is one of the creepiest from top to bottom Zelda-like experiences that came out of the indie scene. In a post-apocalyptic world, the hero and all the NPCs don't speak a single word of English.

Instead, players must interpret words through movements, and the game is expressive enough to make this type of storytelling work. Also, the world has a wild color palette, like it's been doused in acid with lots of neon, which really pops on TV.

Blasphemy 2

2D Bloodborne

Blasphemy 2 can be compared to the 2D version Bloodyand while it's challenging, it's a Metroidvania and not Soulslike. The gothic world design is haunting yet inventive, pushing players forward to see the next botched boss or NPC.

From giant women shedding their skins to lingering arms emerging from chests, the art team had a ball with these designs. The art style of the original game is also great, but as a game Blasphemy 2 is an overall better experience.

Owlboy

Almost a Decade in the Making

Owlboy D-Pad Studio took a long time to release as it was announced in 2007 and released in 2016. Artistically it was worth it as every NPC and background is pixel perfect.

The titular Owlboy is not a fighter, and instead players will be solving a lot of dungeon puzzles in this Metroidvania. Zelda-as a hybrid through passive means. For example, they could squeeze a cloud to make water flow out, but there are companions that can be carried for combat purposes as well. There really is no other game like it.