Coolest Pixel Art game

Gaming has 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 next to something breathtaking like Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. That said, as good as these AAA games are, sometimes they can be mixed up too much, which is why indie games tend to trend.

Not only can indie games experiment more with mechanics, but the small teams have a lot more leeway in how their worlds are created. Because so much time is spent on color, animations, and the fluidity of combat, these pixel art games are gorgeous and can even compete with 3D games. They refer 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 great RPGs from the 90s that Chrono Triggerand it has some excellent designs. The world map is full of life, even though the playable party is so small.

All the NPCs and monsters are well designed, from their color schemes to their animations, and everything sounds great too. In battle there is an active element which Mario RPG game, and the animations on these special abilities look fascinating for a 2D RPG.

Spade Knight You

Dig deep

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

Players will try to collect gems to get temporary items and upgrades, while trying to deal with bosses in each biome. It might not be as famous as the original game, though Spade Knight You is a great roguelike with satisfying digging mechanics and a great art design.

Mullet Madjack

Anime Doom

Mullet Madjack is a villainous first-person shooter with a killer 80s anime vibe. On runs, players must keep their adrenaline above a certain level, which is 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, pushing them into electrified walls, or throwing them into vending machines.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Who smells feet?

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

Players can choose from a variety of characters, from the Tubular Turtles to Master Splinter and even April O'Neil, and each one is fully animated in battle, from movement to expression. Although this is a sprite-based brawler, players might mistake it for an interactive episode of the original cartoon series, as it looks so impressive.

East

EarthBound Plus Zelda

East is a tribute to the strangeness of Groundedbut it's an action adventure game more like one Zelda title. Players begin as a 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 go to, players will find the wildest character models and intricately detailed backgrounds almost too good for an indie game. East is the kind of game where every frame can be captured as a screenshot, framed and then hung on the wall as a fine piece of art.

Morta's child

A family business

Morta's child has less detailed models than many pixel-based indie games, as 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 an evil that lies beneath their family home.

It is an action-based roguelike where most family members are playable and belong to typical RPG classes such as rangers, warriors and monks. The agility of the combat and the special abilities are what help make this villain stand out, along with the caring family dynamic.

Dead cells

Fluid animation

Dead cells is another good example of a roguelike with fluid animation that pops in motion. The game has a hybrid style to its design with some sprite work drawn over more polygonal models, which helps make the animations look more alive.

This is a roguelike where speed is everything, and it's easy to shoot between areas and attack enemies once players get the hang of the controls. Plus, with all crossovers, including Castlevaniathere are many different styles of art to admire.

Hyper Light Drifter

A silent Zelda clone

Hyper Light Drifter is one of the most horrible top-down Zelda-similar experiences that came out of the indie scene. In a post-apocalyptic world, the hero and all NPCs will not speak a single word of English.

Instead, players must interpret words through movement, and the game is expressive enough for this kind of storytelling to work. Also, the world has a wild color palette as if soaked in acid with lots of neon, which really pops on a TV.

Blasphemed 2

2D Bloodborne

Blasphemed 2 can be likened to a 2D version of Blood borneand while it's challenging, it's a Metroidvania and not a Soulslike. The gothic design of the world is creepy, but inventive, driving players forward to see the next messed up boss or NPC.

From giant women shedding their skin to lingering hands emerging from coffins, the art team had a ball with these designs. The art style of the original game is also good, but as a game, Blasphemed 2 is the overall better experience.

Owlboy

Almost a decade in the making

Owlboy took a long time for D-Pad Studio to put out, since it was announced in 2007 and it was released in 2016. From an artistic point of view, it was worth it because every NPC and background is pixel perfect.

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