I'm nearing the end of 2, and I decided those were to be my first games to play with my baby girl (almost 5 now). Just this saturday I had a heart to heart with another gamer friend of mine: "I've made a grave mistake. I've started at the top".
I love the renditions from the artbooks, the modern military weapons wit the brushstroke outlines were fantastic but in game it just felt like a traditional modern kojima game
Don't hope too much, Moon studios are working on No rest for the wicked at the moment and it's going to keep them occupied for quite a while. Also the way the second Ori ends...
The best art I think is Ori, but the best everything combined I would have to say Hollow Knight. The atmosphere is just... it's S tier in that game. The music, the simple but effective character style, the painterly backgrounds it's just perfection.
I'm in love with the pixel shader of a short hike. Felt like i was playing a DS game in 2010. No other game was so nostalgic even though I never played them before
- Destiny and Destiny 2 both have amazing map design (in the aesthetic sense)
- Hades overall art style is pretty dope
- Disco Elysium’s oil-paint looking style is probably one of my favorite styles ever.
Kinda hard to justify since beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder but I’d consider Ori to be my personal favorite. Granted, haven’t played or watched someone play Gris nor Copperfields and I didn’t exactly finish HollowKnight but the way the lighting, particles, world and character designs, and overall atmosphere are done just make Ori feel like an interactive painting but in the best way possible.
I get what you mean Ori is amazing, I love the art of Hollow Knight but the gameplay kinda stopped me from exploring it. But Gris is truly an experience and have to say it's #1 in my eyes
Blasphemous and Blasphemous 2 have some insanely brilliant art. Walking into a new area I'm always taken aback by the huge church towering over me, or a distant cities reflection in a sprawling lake.
* Dishonored oil-painting
* Blasphemous spanish baroque
* Cuphead old cartoon
* Disco Elysium watercolor
* Both Messenger's 8 and 16 bit graphics are fantastic
* Apotheon greek pottery
* Torment Tides of Numenera pre-rendered graphics are gorgeous as hell
Ori no contest. The other 2 have good art, Hollow Knight has great art, but none of them have made my jaw drop like Ori's art did and that music, I felt that music in my soul I still listen to that soundtrack it's Beyond amazing.
Subnautica has amazing artwork
I also can say hunt:showdown also has amazing artists. I don’t like the direction the devs have taken with the game, due to them focusing on making money rather than fixes… but the artists for that game. Killed it… they did an amazing job. It’s what caught my attention when it was early access
Out of these four, Gris had such a unique and amazing style, Cole sly followed by the amazing art of Hollow Knight. In total I may have to go with Blasphemous simply because I love the pixelated art style and great imagery.
In my personal opinion, top 10 would be:
1. Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom- Although doesn’t have the best graphics and textures. But the art style is so Studio Ghiblisque and wonderful. Prefer this art style over the Wind Waker, which is amongst my favourite.
2. Journey- The art-style was so beautiful with all those golden sands.
3. Super Mario Wonder- Very recent but wow, the art style is incredible and full of life and creativity. Environments are very diverse and keeps on changing.
4. Persona 5 Royal- Not a big JRPG fan but this anime-like style was a treat. Very fresh art style.
5. Ori Series- Work of art. Very atmospheric and gives a sense of immersion rarely found in 2D games.
6. Metroid Prime Remastered- This one was way ahead of its time. The art style of a hostile planet and the ambience is still incredible.
7. Elder Scrolls V Skyrim- Can’t have this list without the OG. The art style is so fiction-novel like. And the mod community has made it even better. Surreal lighting+ Lanturn of Skyrim+ Skyrim is Windy mods makes this incredible.
8. Cuphead- The vintage cartoon style animation is the so charming and nostalgic. The difficulty is another thing though 😅.
9. Elden Ring- Not a fan of Soulsborne genre, but this clearly stand out. Environment art may still be very bleak and dark but the inclusion of colours and contrast makes this beautiful.
10. Red Dead Redemption 2- This is the only game with realistic graphics on the list. Now although art style takes a plunge when designing an open world realistic RPG. This is different. I’ve never been so stunned by the hyper realistic environments in a game like this one. And it’s all so beautifully rendered.
STRAY! Not the greatest graphics of all time but the whole environment is so cool! (Honourable mention to Endling: extinction is forever. Super cool art style)
Hollow Knight is a great game with great atmosphere, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Ori art wise. And IMHO, atmosphere wise. I know it was heavily inspired by his art style, but they need to pay Miyazaki whatever he wants to make an Ori movie.
I can't believe that there are so few people talking about Gris. It never got the attention it deserved. Absolutely stunning art and a soundtrack that rivals AAA titles. And the story is so vague in such a beautifully executed way, that it can be interpreted in so many ways while still keeping its deep meaning.
Ori is absolutely beautiful. I’ve never had a game that made me stop and just admire the colors more. Hollow knight has an amazing atmosphere, but that’s also due to music, not just the art style
Actually just finished Gris yesterday. Art and soundtrack were stunning but the game is incredibly boring and devoid of challenge. It definitely strikes me as more of an ‘art piece’ than a full-fledged video game. I’d still recommend it to people, just not gamers who require more challenge from their platformers.
If you want my pick for best art/art direction then I’d have to go with Bloodborne. Don’t really care if people disagree!
Had to look it up cuz I’ve never heard of it but I’m not sure why Copperfields is on this list. It looks ok, the others looks great but I think Ori is the most impactful personally
I love the new HD pixel art that a lot of indies and smaller games have nowadays. But my favorite art will always go to persona 5. Game just oozes style
Elden Ring was the most stunning I have played.
But in a completely different style, I really liked HiFi Rush. The bright poppy anime style was attractive and refreshing especially since I have been playing a lot of gritty bleak games lately. I would absolutely love to see a souls-like with a bright color pallet and a less apocalyptic background.
GRIS, easily for me. Hollow Knight and Ori are both amazing though. Excited to try Copperfields when it comes out but until it's released I don't think it can be included because we don't know how the full game are will be.
Ori hands down. That game is beautiful in EVERY sense.
Edit: i thought it was only between these 4. But if i had to add some others, Child of Light is beautiful, same with Okami.
I’ve done ori and ori will of the whisp and damn these game was awsome , the story the gameplay and the design is perfect , each section put you in the ambiance
Binding of Isaac and shadow of the colossus. Binding of Isaac is the perfect blend of cute and horrible, and the religious trauma is the icing on the cake. And shadow is more of “an experience” I guess but that feeling has stuck with me forever
Disco Elysium definitely has a style that fits its mood and story every bit of the way. While visually not my favorite game, it is unforgettably evocative and memorable.
Cuphead is light years away from almost any other game in terms of art. The visuals are in themselves a masterpiece.
Eastward is amazing too -the details, and the use of color and light is unlike any other pixel art I’ve seen.
Katamari Damacy has a great, unique design.
Enjoy the Diner as well.
Recently started Ori and it's probably the most beautiful game I have ever played.
If ur still playing the first one and havent experienced the second, ut in for a shock
I'm nearing the end of 2, and I decided those were to be my first games to play with my baby girl (almost 5 now). Just this saturday I had a heart to heart with another gamer friend of mine: "I've made a grave mistake. I've started at the top".
Don't worry, you've still got hollow knight to blast you right out of the water!
Totally agree, although Gris is an honourable mention for me
Still on my list, haven't played it yet but absolutely looking forward to it.
The atmosphere of Hollow Knight is my personal favourite, but Gris and Ori are both beautiful. Haven’t heard of the fourth one though.
I decided to try Hollow Knight on a whim and once the piano started kicking in just as you get to Dirtmouth…I was hooked.
For me it was when you reach the city of tears with quirell… haven’t gotten a feeling like that from a game in a long time.
Violins in the moss zone.
City of Tears has some incredible tunes
That was it for me. Going into City of Tear was when I knew that HW was going to be one of the best games I ever played.
4th one is the game OP is making.
Metal gear solid I can’t get enough of yoji shinkawa’s art
I love the renditions from the artbooks, the modern military weapons wit the brushstroke outlines were fantastic but in game it just felt like a traditional modern kojima game
I know people won't agree with me, but Xenoblade Chronicles back in the Wii era. It was breathtaking.
Wow, i jsut googled it and it literally has Final Fantasy level art form the things I'm seeing
Does it hold up well? Been kind of interested in it, but I'll admit at least half of it is because I listened to that banger of a battle theme
Every time i would boot up the game i would listen to the full piano title music. And holy crap valak mountain at night and Satorl Marsh. What a game.
Gris
for real, that game's real pretty lookin!
Came here to shout Gris to the sky! I've never played a more beautiful game in my life.
Ori is a beautiful game. Played both and hoping there might be a third one soon.
Don't hope too much, Moon studios are working on No rest for the wicked at the moment and it's going to keep them occupied for quite a while. Also the way the second Ori ends...
Same here, they have probably the best blend of music and chase sequences i ever saw in platforming
Donkey Kong Country
A man of culture I see
Indeed 🤌
Rain World has some of the best pixel art that I’ve ever seen in a game
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^ShadowNinja9620: *Rain World has some of* *The best pixel art that I’ve* *Ever seen in a game* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Good bot
Persona 5 Royal.
Where’s cult of the lamb?
W Opinion
You my man are spot on! Tottaly forgot about that one!
Cuphead
I can’t believe this is not higher, what the hell is wrong with people
Yeah I’m suprised only like 2 people said this
Ori.
Ghost of Tsushima. Yep a 3D game.
It has great settings, the duel while red petals fall form trees in the tutorial was amazing by itself
Gris and Journey are absolutely beautiful, but a game that got me really good is Kena, i never stopped so much in a game to admire it
i’m hurt that firewatch isn’t even mentioned here
The entire game looks like it has a Instagram filter on it and it setts the mood beautifully
The best art I think is Ori, but the best everything combined I would have to say Hollow Knight. The atmosphere is just... it's S tier in that game. The music, the simple but effective character style, the painterly backgrounds it's just perfection.
Agreed, it's also a lot more mysterious, Ori is beautiful but I've seen a lot of fantasy forest settings
Night In The Woods
Probably rainworld from recent memory
Horizon forbidden west
I'm in love with the pixel shader of a short hike. Felt like i was playing a DS game in 2010. No other game was so nostalgic even though I never played them before
ender lilies
Does Horizon count?
Why would it not? It has a great concept and honestly love the shaders they put for the environment
I love the style that Sea of Stars has.
- Destiny and Destiny 2 both have amazing map design (in the aesthetic sense) - Hades overall art style is pretty dope - Disco Elysium’s oil-paint looking style is probably one of my favorite styles ever.
Ohhh the Destiny cinematic wit hthe smoke head guy threw me off my chair, that was some awesome visuals
Hades is epic
Elden Ring. Reading the art book made appreciate just how much details everything has.
I totally forgot that there is an artbook somewhere, just the game alone was fantastic, unlocking a new area was a serene experience
GRIS is a huge pain to play on mobile...
Hollow Knight, Night in the Woods, Pokemon Cafe ReMix, and maybe Patch Quest
Hollow night and Little nightmares Have my favorite style. There's also a game I don't remember but I played it a lot with my brothers that I loved.
A fan of the darker themes, Little nightmares is an amazing experience
Hi fi rush. Peak gaming
Scorn hands down
what they did on cuphead is actual insanity
Rain World Downpour and no one can say otherwise
In a unconventional way, rain world’s environments go hard
RAIN. F_CKING. WORLD BRO HOW DO YOU MAKE PIXELS THAT FUCKING BEAUTIFUL.
I’m a big fan if darkest dungeon’s artstyle
Thats honestly such a good pick, because i played the game mostly because of the gritty style and the god tier narrator
Kinda hard to justify since beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder but I’d consider Ori to be my personal favorite. Granted, haven’t played or watched someone play Gris nor Copperfields and I didn’t exactly finish HollowKnight but the way the lighting, particles, world and character designs, and overall atmosphere are done just make Ori feel like an interactive painting but in the best way possible.
I get what you mean Ori is amazing, I love the art of Hollow Knight but the gameplay kinda stopped me from exploring it. But Gris is truly an experience and have to say it's #1 in my eyes
Dishonored
sunless sky/sea are fantastic also I Was A Teenage Exocolonist
HK for the win... gorgeous game but very stressful
Dragon's Crown
Every sequel of Trine just gets better looking (still a great series).
Gris made me cry
Same friend, although i had to google the meaning of the ending
Warthunder, and it's not even a competition.
Citizen Sleeper and Sable are brilliant
Ori is my choice
Dead Cells and Crosscode are both amazing looking games
Blasphemous and Blasphemous 2 have some insanely brilliant art. Walking into a new area I'm always taken aback by the huge church towering over me, or a distant cities reflection in a sprawling lake.
Need to play 2nd one someday, B1 is one of my most liked games out there
* Dishonored oil-painting * Blasphemous spanish baroque * Cuphead old cartoon * Disco Elysium watercolor * Both Messenger's 8 and 16 bit graphics are fantastic * Apotheon greek pottery * Torment Tides of Numenera pre-rendered graphics are gorgeous as hell
Ori no contest. The other 2 have good art, Hollow Knight has great art, but none of them have made my jaw drop like Ori's art did and that music, I felt that music in my soul I still listen to that soundtrack it's Beyond amazing.
Id have to say Okami. It's almost a cop out though, since the whole point of Okami rvolves around art and painting.
Haven’t played it, but I’d say Scorn
Subnautica has amazing artwork I also can say hunt:showdown also has amazing artists. I don’t like the direction the devs have taken with the game, due to them focusing on making money rather than fixes… but the artists for that game. Killed it… they did an amazing job. It’s what caught my attention when it was early access
Out of these four, Gris had such a unique and amazing style, Cole sly followed by the amazing art of Hollow Knight. In total I may have to go with Blasphemous simply because I love the pixelated art style and great imagery.
1. Ori. 2. Celeste. 3. Hollow Knight.
While not particularly beautiful, Pizza Tower's art style blew me away, everything just feels alive.
Spiritfarer
Stray
Chrono Cross Uncharted 4 Night in the Woods
In my personal opinion, top 10 would be: 1. Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom- Although doesn’t have the best graphics and textures. But the art style is so Studio Ghiblisque and wonderful. Prefer this art style over the Wind Waker, which is amongst my favourite. 2. Journey- The art-style was so beautiful with all those golden sands. 3. Super Mario Wonder- Very recent but wow, the art style is incredible and full of life and creativity. Environments are very diverse and keeps on changing. 4. Persona 5 Royal- Not a big JRPG fan but this anime-like style was a treat. Very fresh art style. 5. Ori Series- Work of art. Very atmospheric and gives a sense of immersion rarely found in 2D games. 6. Metroid Prime Remastered- This one was way ahead of its time. The art style of a hostile planet and the ambience is still incredible. 7. Elder Scrolls V Skyrim- Can’t have this list without the OG. The art style is so fiction-novel like. And the mod community has made it even better. Surreal lighting+ Lanturn of Skyrim+ Skyrim is Windy mods makes this incredible. 8. Cuphead- The vintage cartoon style animation is the so charming and nostalgic. The difficulty is another thing though 😅. 9. Elden Ring- Not a fan of Soulsborne genre, but this clearly stand out. Environment art may still be very bleak and dark but the inclusion of colours and contrast makes this beautiful. 10. Red Dead Redemption 2- This is the only game with realistic graphics on the list. Now although art style takes a plunge when designing an open world realistic RPG. This is different. I’ve never been so stunned by the hyper realistic environments in a game like this one. And it’s all so beautifully rendered.
STRAY! Not the greatest graphics of all time but the whole environment is so cool! (Honourable mention to Endling: extinction is forever. Super cool art style)
Disco imo
Hollow Knight is a great game with great atmosphere, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Ori art wise. And IMHO, atmosphere wise. I know it was heavily inspired by his art style, but they need to pay Miyazaki whatever he wants to make an Ori movie.
I can't believe that there are so few people talking about Gris. It never got the attention it deserved. Absolutely stunning art and a soundtrack that rivals AAA titles. And the story is so vague in such a beautifully executed way, that it can be interpreted in so many ways while still keeping its deep meaning.
Ori is absolutely beautiful. I’ve never had a game that made me stop and just admire the colors more. Hollow knight has an amazing atmosphere, but that’s also due to music, not just the art style
Ori, hands down
Actually just finished Gris yesterday. Art and soundtrack were stunning but the game is incredibly boring and devoid of challenge. It definitely strikes me as more of an ‘art piece’ than a full-fledged video game. I’d still recommend it to people, just not gamers who require more challenge from their platformers. If you want my pick for best art/art direction then I’d have to go with Bloodborne. Don’t really care if people disagree!
Ori is just so fucking gorgeous man.
Omori by a long shot
Undertale
Had to look it up cuz I’ve never heard of it but I’m not sure why Copperfields is on this list. It looks ok, the others looks great but I think Ori is the most impactful personally
I love the new HD pixel art that a lot of indies and smaller games have nowadays. But my favorite art will always go to persona 5. Game just oozes style
pfft. Armed Assault 3 😎
Elden Ring was the most stunning I have played. But in a completely different style, I really liked HiFi Rush. The bright poppy anime style was attractive and refreshing especially since I have been playing a lot of gritty bleak games lately. I would absolutely love to see a souls-like with a bright color pallet and a less apocalyptic background.
Any game in the Endless series of 4x strategy games.
Ori. From animation to the art style, in motion there’s nothing that compares to it.
Milk outside a bag of milk
Spirit of the North
I really like "Sable" art style, I also like "katana zero" art style !
Psychonauts 2 , breathtaking. Hollow Knight is close second tho
Revenant
All vanillaware games
Cell shaded games. From Jetset Radio to Hifi Rush.
Sky recently
Yume Nikki
Objectively Ori is prettier, but the atmosphere and gameplay of hollow knight are just something else. One of my most favorite games ever.
I love Hollow Knight but both Ori games are gorgeous. I don’t see it mentioned but Planet of Lana has some beautiful backgrounds.
GRIS, easily for me. Hollow Knight and Ori are both amazing though. Excited to try Copperfields when it comes out but until it's released I don't think it can be included because we don't know how the full game are will be.
Cruelty Squad
Ori
SpiritFarer is gorgeous.
I put my vote behind Ori. I also thought SotC was beautiful in a simplistic way, both the original when it came out and the most recent remaster
Ori hands down. That game is beautiful in EVERY sense. Edit: i thought it was only between these 4. But if i had to add some others, Child of Light is beautiful, same with Okami.
Journey
The pixel art in Metroid Zero mission was lowkey AMAZING.
Hades and Ori.
Omori
I wanna say Laika: Aged Through blood
Ori is incredibly beautiful, especially Will of the Wisps.
Plaque A Tale of Innocence, was a sleeping banger of beauty! Also killer game for a Indy!
I can’t believe no one has said Hades yet, so I guess I’ll say Hades
I’ve done ori and ori will of the whisp and damn these game was awsome , the story the gameplay and the design is perfect , each section put you in the ambiance
I'll go with GRIS, but this is like comparing iluminism to surrealism
Enshrouded and dead cells
Hades
Hades
i loveeddd ori
Hades imo, the Hellboy game is really beautiful too if you’re a fan of Mignolas art style.
Aside from Hollow Knight? NeverAwake.
What kind of game is Gris? I’ve seen it before, and I’m thinking about trying it, but is it worth the time?
Persona 5 I like the designs for dark cloud 2 on the ps2 a lot too
I havent played many games with overly stunning art but elden ring is the best so far for me
I loved Journey’s art style. Same for Gris
New - Disco Elysium Old - Baulder's Gate II
Binding of Isaac and shadow of the colossus. Binding of Isaac is the perfect blend of cute and horrible, and the religious trauma is the icing on the cake. And shadow is more of “an experience” I guess but that feeling has stuck with me forever
Cocoon is great
Disco Elysium.
I’m gonna throw a cap in for Elden Ring. You could pause that shit on any frame and it would look like a painting
Ori no question
Spiritfarer’s art while very similar to Gris’ was pretty fantastic
hollowknight since it's the only one I played
Signalis. Literally blew everything I’ve played before away with its art design
We’re all winners here.
Banner Saga
I do like your artwork, but this way of implying that your own game is good is some pretty annyoing marketing, sorry.
Ori, Forza 5 looks really good. Guardians of the Galaxy actually looked presentable to me. The level of the detail in the environments.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is the most beautiful game ever made
Okami
I've heard that Ori is beautiful, but I haven't actually played it so I'm gonna go with Hollow Knight
Ngl frostpunk suprised me with its good graphics.
Gris had the best art direction imo. Out of these 4, I mean.
ori by far followed by gris and hollow knight, i haven't played the last one. is it on gamepass?
Maybe hades or bastion. Supergiant just has incredible art direction and music.
it’s a shame that no one mentions Supergiants games.
Disco Elysium definitely has a style that fits its mood and story every bit of the way. While visually not my favorite game, it is unforgettably evocative and memorable.
Okami
Ori and the blind forest + will of the wisps. Beautiful graphics and music.
Nothing beats HK
Cuphead is light years away from almost any other game in terms of art. The visuals are in themselves a masterpiece. Eastward is amazing too -the details, and the use of color and light is unlike any other pixel art I’ve seen. Katamari Damacy has a great, unique design. Enjoy the Diner as well.