Do you think modern games with a retro look have the same charm?

[tranzittruther]

I've been seeing a trend of indie developers making games today that try to look like they could have been released for the PS1, but there's always a certain "modern" feel, whether it's in the art direction, game design philosophy, story, etc. that makes them very distinct from actual 5th gen games (at least for me it feels that way).

Personally, I feel like these retro-looking elements aren't used as cleverly as they are in actual old games, since hardware limitations played a part in how the game ended up looking (think the fog from the original Silent Hill) and they feel entirely superficial rather than a solution to a problem that could also add to the experience.

What do you think of this type of game? Do you think it's just a cash grab taking advantage of the popular aesthetic online? Or are you glad that people are bringing back the nostalgic look of older games?

 

[PaleFolklore]

It HUGELY depends on the case and can fluctuate significantly—from game to game and developer to developer.

For instance, ULTRAKILL is a well-known and straightforward example of a "retro aesthetic done right," so to speak. However, this isn’t something that can simply be plotted on a graph and considered settled; numerous variables inevitably contribute to whether the experience feels fulfilling or not.

 

[lil_thang]

they have a certain charm, but they absolutely and completely do not have the same charm as it was backinday and/or on associated hardware

I'm so sick of the 'Spooky PS1 Demodisc' aesthetic that appears to have shitbrained entire generations as to how scronkly the PS1 texture scaling actually was, and holy fuckin shit everything did not have ridiculous RGB colour separation (what the idiots have now coined as 'chromatic abberation' as if it didn't already have its own definition)

Things still generally look 'nicer' 'warmer' etc on CRT displays as you aren't pixel hunting

Emulating these effects on ultrawide 4k monitors is not it. Worst of both worlds in terms of visual acuity AND the pixel hunting.

 

[ExeExe]

Speaking mostly of horror games here; I don't think most of them nail the look at all, so it doesn't get the nostalgia googles on like they hope they would. However, I still tend to give those games a shot if they also use the old mechanics those games did, as they are now almost entirely absent from modern horror games. So PS1 looking game with stuff like solving puzzles and exploring a limited space, tank controls and limited ammo = a must buy from me. PS1 looking game that is first person and doesn't allow you to do anything but run from the monster as it keeps constantly interrupting you from progress and one hit kills you = adding the game to the ignore list.

I will say that Alyssa DID nail the PS1 style so well, it does give the warm fuzzy feelings of nostalgia, and it is my most favourite horror game in recent years. So when developers can pull it off, it truly is something special. It's just that, sadly, most horror games are made as either cash grabs, or by inexperienced developers that have no hope to get close to the old classics.

 

[bubbyrude]

not at all, no. they aren't utilizing the same tricks devs used to have to use due to the limitations and it usually falls flat.

 

[tranzittruther]

I'm so sick of the 'Spooky PS1 Demodisc' aesthetic

Funny you should mention it, the game that prompted this post was Mouthwashing. It would have been so much more enjoyable for me if it wasn't set on looking like a 2005 creepypasta about an odd game the writer found on the bin

 

[Clippy]

Not really, no.

1. What was impressive in 1996 is not as impressive in 2025.
2. I'm not longer 8 so I'm not as prone to being wowed as I used to be.

 

[lil_thang]

Funny you should mention it, the game that prompted this post was Mouthwashing. It would have been so much more enjoyable for me if it wasn't set on looking like a 2005 creepypasta about an odd game the writer found on the bin

i felt i very much must have not been the demographic for mouthwashing. it was on my wishlist like 800 other quirky indie dev games, but then when it came out it made fuckin WAVES, especially on like, tumblrina sort of spaces, i recall unwittingly seeing CRAPTONNES of mouthwashing art shortly after its release.

and yeah that coupled with its kinda, clearly not made by someone who grew up with a playstation1 artstyle, it got removed off the wishlist

 

[bjork]

I think it's probably like any other popular thing: there are a few standouts and then a lot of me-toos that don't quite nail it, whether that's due to inexperience or cutting corners, and now it's an overcrowded genre. Same thing happened with "this is an indie platformer about loss" and "this is a cozy game where the world has gone black and white, recolor everything to restore happiness," there are probably excellent ones, but there's so many available that it's hard to tell right away.

 

[ciro64]

If we're talking about pixel art games it's a straight up no. Pixel art displays differently on modern flat screens and all modern pixel art games. Whenever paying homage to retro games or not, they target such displays. You can't pull the same sub pixel tricks there you could pull in CRTs, instead they count on pixels always looking sharp, which do affect the art style quite a lot.

I suppose a few games that imitates the NES or something similar could pass as genuine as not many games from that time were using advanced sub pixel CRT techniques, but that would be it.

When it comes to 3D games however, a few devs have done their homework.

First game is Zera, directly inspired by Spyro. Or should I say, inspyro'd LMAOO
If I remember it correctly it even simulates the jaggy triangles from ps1.

Second is Pseudoregalia and goes for the N64 aesthetic. It clearly takes a few liberties as the N64 wouldn't be able to handle such amount of polygons at 60 fps for example, but as far as the visuals go it feels very much the N64.

Of course, a lot of other indie devs don't do their homework. They put low poly models, a pixel filter and call it a day, yet they have the audacity to let multiple complex lights with ambient occlusion and real time shadows affect everything in the scene indiscriminately.

 

[ExeExe]

i felt i very much must have not been the demographic for mouthwashing. it was on my wishlist like 800 other quirky indie dev games, but then when it came out it made fuckin WAVES, especially on like, tumblrina sort of spaces, i recall unwittingly seeing CRAPTONNES of mouthwashing art shortly after its release.

and yeah that coupled with its kinda, clearly not made by someone who grew up with a playstation1 artstyle, it got removed off the wishlist

I was recommended this game several times despite me not liking first person games, and after looking up the plot and some playthroughs on youtube, I feel like I dodged a bullet in not trusting those opinions. Personally, it feels like the only thing it has going for it is edgy shocking stuff made to be edgy and shocking to an audience that has grown up in such a washed out enviroment that they don't see how schlocky it is. Not anything that actually sticks with you or is fun to play.

But you know, maybe I'm just old and boring now.

 

[moonbits]

I don't find it particularly interesting if they copy aesthetics but if they build upon it and create something unique like Crow Country then you got my attention.

 

[lil_thang]

yeah there is definitely an aspect of getting older and recognizing the demographics for what they are, but also i wouldn't say you're necessarily getting boring plotting time on the x graph. its just that through le tragedy of le commons etc things from our given areas of interest have been increasingly commodified, generalized and marketed outside of their initial audiences.

that is all to say no it is the children who are wrong

 

[ExeExe]

When it comes to 3D games however, a few devs have done their homework.

View attachment 23059

First game is Zera, directly inspired by Spyro. Or should I say, inspyro'd LMAOO
If I remember it correctly it even simulates the jaggy triangles from ps1.

Lol, Zera has been on indefinite hiatus for years, as have all Spyro inspired projects.

........... thanks for the reminder. *sob*

that is all to say no it is the children who are wrong

Given the vast majority of fanart and fanfics that have come of out the mouthwashing fandom, that you've no doubt seen some of, horror fans wasn't the demographic that game attracted anyway :/

 

[LiberoVulpes]

For me, it doesn't have to look the same, it has to feel the same as a retro game, its a vibe.

Lunacid, feels like a polished King's Field, which is why i like it.

Death Trash, feels like a polished Fallout 1 and 2, which is why i like it.

Hand of Doom, is clunky af and it isn't polished at all, but i love it for what it does.

Nightmare of Decay, feels like a first person RE1 which really makes it great.

 

[BobbertMoss]

I do generally like the PS1 aesthetic, but I don't really have any nostalgia for it or anything. There are some times where I feel like the aesthetic doesn't fit for some modern games, and times where it's great, but I don't go out of my way to play games because of how they look.

It's kind of the same with pixel art, most of the ones I see using it either do an 8 bit imitation which is like the most boring way to use pixel art, or it feels like pointless pixelation.

What I'm excited about is when nostalgia reaches PS2 graphics, or even better, PS3 graphics. Brown and bloom baybee!

 

[goregoregoregoregoregore]

I think not really about the graphics. But the game has to have a feel of a retro game to have the same charm. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk captured very well these retro games feel by how "arcadey" it is and the lack of explanation for most things. Hyper Demon and Devil Daggers look and play like a retro game, it's absurd how they got little things like being able to reset to a new game straight away after losing, almost nothing being really explained and the big focus on scores and leaderboards.
Trepang 2 has modern graphics but has this retro fps from 2000s vibe as well

 

[ciro64]

Actually I take it back a little what I've said, Shadow of the Ninja Reborn manages to look quite retro while still targeting modern displays.

 

[r0ach]

They're ruined by the fact they all use Unity and for some reason Unity isn't capable of making good games with a few exceptions like Pillars of Eternity 1/2.

 

[Strategist's iconStrategist]

Problem is what made those games popular isn't simply a look, it was also gameplay, story and vibes. You have to hit on all aspects to truly deliver the "retro" experience. If I had a dime for every Chrono Trigger inspired indie game that didn't live up to the inspiration, I'd be a rich man.

 

[RageBurner]

It's more than skin deep, when it works. Retro isn't just an aesthetic, it's a soundscape, a design philosophy. When a developer gets everything right, then the charm returns as if the clock hadn't moved.

 

[lil_thang]

Death Trash, feels like a polished Fallout 1 and 2, which is why i like it.

Hand of Doom, is clunky af and it isn't polished at all, but i love it for what it does.

Nightmare of Decay, feels like a first person RE1 which really makes it great.

death trash devs are garbage people, but wowee thanks for Hand of Doom reminder, you are 100% on the money with your assessment of it, i installed it and vibed with it but quickly put it down due to needing to redo the entire default control scheme via steaminput or whatever to make it more comfortable to play, and i just couldn't be arsed. I also do have Nightmare of Decay in my library but haven't booted it up yet

 

[moonbits]

Unity isn't capable of making good games

that is quite stupid

 

[Strategist's iconStrategist]

that is quite stupid

I'm not sure if it has more to do with the devs or the current state of Unity, but a lot of games have really bad performance relative to the low level of graphics.

 

[RageBurner]

I'm not sure if it has more to do with the devs or the current state of Unity, but a lot of games have really bad performance relative to the low level of graphics.

Probably a little bit of both. If Godot hadn't nuked itself to the public eye, Unity would still be in rather dire straits.