Games with great Art Design? (with screenshots)

[Citizen]

 

[DraQ]

Also, older but still 3D (not my shots):

Spoiler

 

[Verylittlefishes]

Very good thread! It seems I drink a lot since the lockdown so nowadays I often play games that are more relied to imagery than coherent text. Artsy shit, as you call it, but real fun.

So there is that small indie "walking sim"/surreal FPV quest Tales From the Off-Peak City (2 hours to play, it also have two even shorter prequels), and you can do the in-game photography via 8 different filters (hey just like on Instagram!!!). So I did some shit. In-game. Honestly, I think I've found something good.

Spoiler

 

[Verylittlefishes]

I also think that Failbetter Games did amazing job with Sunless Skies by adding a lot of multi-layered visuals to the narrative abyss of the setting.

 

[DraQ]

And, of course, there is Homeworld:

(I have long since lost my own screenshot gallery, and it's difficult to find non-remastered ones, but remastered will do as well).

 

[DraQ]

Deus Ex Mankind Divided:

Definitely.
Both NuDeus games have actually very good art direction.
One of the relatively few things they do way better than the original.

Interestingly, art direction is often one of those "less is more" things - sometimes the best art direction is literally not having any:

OMNOMNOM delicious space turborealism (with programmer graphics).

 

[you know what time it is]

I thought GRIS was very easy on the eyes.

 

[Outlander]

I don't think Paper Sorcerer was posted:

 

[Verylittlefishes]

I also believe I didn't see anybody mentioning KRZ in this thread. Weird.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

Gadget: Past as Future

This cult surreal Japanese FPV quest from the 90s, obsessed with trains, was inspired by futurism, Jules Verne, William Burroughs' Nova Express AND Philip Dick's VALIS insanity.

Pretty unique experience and it is so so beautiful and styled. Even game menu was constantly mutating in connection to what your recent actions were.

it also had a full-length video for acid trips on bonus DVD



nineties were awesome.

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

 

[laclongquan]

Too many artsy game yet not great~

 

[ItsChon]

Anyway, can't believe Ori (both games) doesn't figure prominently ITT, so I need to fix that:

Ori is super fucking overrated. I only played the game for like an hour and a half since I thought it was terribly boring (I prefer platformers like Celeste tbh), but the visuals always seemed terribly lackluster to me, and they don't look any better in your screenshots.

 

[luj1]

Soul Reaver

Quake 1

Morrowind

Outcast

Omikron the Nomad Soul

Evolva

Sacrifice

Giants

Arcanum

Little Big Adventure

Abe's Oddysee

Last Blade 2

MDK

Powerslave

 

[urmom]

There's almost no gameplay, but I really like how FEZ looks and sounds.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

There's almost no gameplay, but I actually really like how FEZ looks and sounds.

What do you mean "no gameplay"? Its a very good post-Mario platformer.

I also remember some REALLY fucked up remake of Mario where rules were constantly changing...forgot the title though.

 

[urmom]

What do you mean "no gameplay"? Its a very good post-Mario platformer.

All you do is climb stuff and collect cubes. And occasionally receive cute messages. IIRC there are also meta puzzles that require IRL research.

Maybe the game is supposed to be played on acid... which would be okay I guess.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

What do you mean "no gameplay"? Its a very good post-Mario platformer.

All you do is climb stuff and collect cubes. And occasionally receive cute messages.

 

[curds]

Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom

Spoiler

Medieval: Total War

Spoiler

Age of Wonders II and AoW: Shadow Magic

Spoiler

 

[The Fish]

Vagrant Story:

Tactics Ogre:

 

[Verylittlefishes]

Vagrant Story:

This (unintentionally I suppose) looks like awesome stylised indie horror from 2020.

 

[urmom]

I should replay Vagrant Story. I only had a bootlegged Japanese copy given to me by my Korean roommate, so I have no idea what the story was. I imagine it was really great, though.

 

[cosmicray]

The Witcher had this foreboding atmosphere at all times, especially at sunset. Much of it exists because of the oppressive music that changes into something eerier during "the hour of the wolf" when you instinctively expect something terrifying to come out. The art design however has a certain dark quality of its own. It hints at rot, curses and dark magic.

Too bad it's not like that in sequels. I can't get into Witcher 3 because its colors are way too vibrant, which doesn't suit it.

 

[Semiurge]

I wish I knew what settings to use with dosbox and Xenophage, it just unstable.

 

[PlanHex]

I liked Wind Waker, smd

Also, I really like the design of Papers Please:

That wasn't mentioned yet I think. I didn't like the visuals of Obra Dinn as much, but still liked the game.

Also, someone mentioned the newest prince of persia, which feels so odd when Sands of Time and especially the original had better art than that.