Good graphics are an important part of any video game, as they help market it to a wide audience, and art style and graphics are often a big draw for many gamers. But not all games focus on perfectly rendered scenes or high-fidelity character models. Instead, they choose a far less appealing aesthetic that often results in things looking chaotic or ugly. But even when things are on the dull side of the spectrum, these games still feel great to play, with their questionable visual style often working with the gameplay to create a more unique experience.
The two main genres where these “ugly” games featured are shooters, where the fast-paced action allows for more experimental design choices and horror, with settings and creatures that become far more sinister the further they are from reality. There are also plenty of other games out there that take a less conventional visual approach, presenting characters and worlds that are either intentionally divisive in their appearance or uglier in a way that's both offensive and alluring at the same time.
ULTRA KILL
Fast, bloody, non-stop action
ULTRA KILL is a brand new kind of boomer shooter that takes a lot of inspiration from the early days of the genre and depicts a bloody hellscape full of machines and carnage. The unique gameplay comes from the style system that players can rank based on performing different kills and combos, in a similar style to games like Devil May Crygiving it a huge amount of skill expression for players who enjoy pushing their limits to the max.
From the outside, the visuals appear rather dated and cluttered, but the color choices and retro aesthetic make the game work perfectly, making every arena feel like a classic battle against evil. Also, despite their simplistic design, enemies can be quite intimidating, and taking them out feels all the more satisfying thanks to the killer score and responsive movement that turns players into the ultimate killing machine. ULTRAKILL'S The distinctive style has allowed it to become a shooting sensation, proving that games can be very successful even with an unusual visual and gameplay style.
No, I'm not a human
Be careful who you let in
No, I'm not a human is a remarkable horror game that takes the concept of an apocalyptic invasion and places players in the middle of a cryptic, worldwide disaster. The sun has darkened and strange creatures roam the streets looking for blood. The player's job is to monitor their surroundings and help or repel passers-by looking for a place to stay, whether for safety or perhaps more malicious intentions.
The game's art style is very strange, with the characters themselves being distorted and sometimes grotesque in appearance, even though they are indeed human. But while it's rough around the edges, this aesthetic gives it a creepier, eerie feel that makes everything from the buildings to the people who enter the house appear out of the ordinary. It keeps players in a state of suspense at all times and makes them anxious for every encounter on the other side of the door, showing all the gory and gory details up close from start to finish.
Cruelty Squad
Satisfying gunplay with questionable aesthetics
Cruelty Squad seems abrasive at first glance, with a palette built of sickly greens, bruised purples and general visual noise that looks more like a crumbling environment than a polished render. The deliberately unstable visual language makes every space feel toxic and unclean in a way that is consistent with the game's moral ideas about the corporate world and the relationship between people and the economy. What makes the game so unique is how it creates a sense of hostility by filling the space with shapes and colors that would never fit into a cohesive world, whether the player is in the suburbs or traversing giant industrial zones.
Despite the chaos, nothing is ever random. Items are carefully placed in specific, if odd, locations that constantly push the player to adapt to their surroundings. This forced chaos can take some getting used to, especially when players have to deal with a host of uncanny enemies that can easily get the best of them with movements that can go from slow to fast in an instant. Funnily enough, the shooting feels crisp and clean, giving players complete control over how they approach each area, even though the game is visually all over the place.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
Grotesque Creatures In The Pits Below
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is easily one of the best roguelikes ever made, but it doesn't win any points for having a beautiful world for players to explore. The setting is grimy and at times disgusting, with players having to contend with literal chunks of flesh and feces, and all manner of grotesque abominations littering each floor. The perfection extends to Isaac himself, as certain items can drastically alter his appearance, often in ways that make him look more like a horror movie villain than a brave hero.
As players dig deeper and manage to make it to the end, everything is shrouded in darkness and decay, with no real moments of positivity breaking through, even in the final cutscenes. With all that said, the grittiness actually makes the game all the more fun. Fighting piles of flesh and ugly amalgamations of flesh can actually be quite satisfying, especially given the incredible array of item combinations players can access to break any semblance of balance the game's combat initially has.
Hypnospace Outlaw
Explore the web one page at a time
Hypnospace Outlaw is a trippy journey deep into cyberspace that brings the internet world of the late 90s back to modern times. Not only are the images deliberately dated and inspired by a simpler time of computing, but they also go above and beyond by adding extra objects and clutter to web pages, making every click feel like a rabbit hole of malware and scams.
This visual identity does Hypnospace Outlaw Really feels like nothing else out there, combining retro symbols and items with an overwhelming amount of clutter that can often make even basic pages difficult to navigate. The garbage also plays into the gameplay loop of scrolling through websites trying to find violations, which can be hidden behind elaborate link chains that lead players to random parts of the web they never intended to visit. It's the perfect parody of early web surfing that manages to recapture the essence of bloatware and chaos from an unmonitored World Wide Web.
