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

[Ikagura]

Slightly off topic but I want to address a behaviour that's rather common among indie devs and one I believe contributes to the unfaithful depictions of retro gaming.

While you could never make it absolutely faithful (because of display technologies and the way games are programmed) I believe some are still able to keep the same feel of the old ones while having some quality of life improvement.

 

[Nidoking's iconNidoking]

I have definitely felt that same charm from modern 'retro' style games, but it's pretty rare. When they nail it, though... it's special.

 

[BigTony]

I wanna like it but I'm already getting sick of the "Retro PS1" look especially when its being sold as such. it rarely does a good job at replicating the style. another problem I have with a lot of indie games is that they are usually just knock offs of games that came out 30 years ago I've even seen devs go as far as to just say in they're steam listing "this is basically just X game from the 90s"

 

[DZero]

Well it's more because of fads (like how metroidvania and roguelites are popular with indies).

I have only played Fatum Betula and Blood Sanctum for these eerie low poly game so far.

On the other hand I'd love to see more games like that if they wanted to add "uncanny low poly" in their indies

(Yeah it's inspired by ThunderForce but with a twist).

i think that OP refers to those first person horror ps1-like games that try to be the next viral indie horror game.
I have Fatum Betula on my wishlist.
Never heard of the other game before, i'm a big fan of shmups, it looks great, it takes inspiration of other classic shmups but it makes his own thing, that's how retro indie games should be done.

 

[faceless0man]

hit or miss


mouthwashing
very good

 

[skarlezone]

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

Glad to see there's someone else who shares this sentiment with that game.

 

[Big Finger Jim]

Very much depends on how it's executed. I've been playing Odallus, it is very well done and the crunchy voice clips add a lot. I love pho-PS1 stuff (Puppet Combo, Bloodborne Kart, Crow Country, etc.) a lot more. Also, Blasphemous, probably my favorite art direction in any game.

 

[HITMAN_99]

yeah no thanks, all modern indie "games" try so hard to be either quirky or "unique" and ended up just trying to copy older games without half the talent or charm or skill or cultural impact.

if i wanted to play a retro PS1 game or a boomer shooter im just gonna emulate a older actually good game instead. (-@_@-)

 

[Melir]

It's interesting to read all these opinions on the topic. I'm developing a game with a retro aesthetic so it's definitely relevant.

Personally I'm not trying to copy anything, but rather pay homage to the games I grew up with. There was a turning point during the PSX era where 2d games could apply all kinds of new effects, have super detailed animation, etc. That was awesome!

Then at some point, there was a paradigm shift, pixel art was gone from video games. :(

For many of us that aspired to be game creators, that pixel art was a part of the charm of video games. So it's natural to see so many trying to recreate that magic, or even to pick up where games in the PSX era left off. At least that's my POV.

Execution is another thing however! Blasphemous was mentioned earlier. A truly beautiful retro aesthetic game! That gets my nostalgia going!

At the other end of the spectrum you'll have titles like Dave the Diver. For me, this category of 'retro-art', totally misses what retro is about. It seems like this game just has a pixelated look for the sake of having pixels. There is a night and day difference to the execution.

Yes, I'm somewhat of a pixel-snob. To get on-topic: I think some games really do have that same charm. It heavily depends on the execution. If new games come out that look as though they might have been some of the best during the SNES or PSX -era, I'm super interested.

 

[trickybus]

For many of us that aspired to be game creators, that pixel art was a part of the charm of video games.

I'm a big fan of pixel art as its own media, so I'm always happy to see someone take up the challenge! There's a world of difference between amateur pixel sprites and professionally done sprites, so I recognize the talent and dedication it takes to get them looking right. I wish you well on your game development journey!

 

[Ian Naxieas]

The same charm? No. But they do have their own sort of charm. I'm always happy to see some really well done sprites and even the retro 3D style can be done very well. The biggest issue with retro styled games is making something their own. A unique style, a good mixture of gameplay systems/genres, or even just a super tight and polished example of a genre.

I don't think every game with pixel art is meant to be retro though. Pixel art games have never stopped existing, even if the style has fallen out of favor for most gamers. Some games are obviously copying a certain retro style, but I feel like games like Hotline Miami or Papers, Please are just indie games using pixel art for graphics. I could be wrong about those examples, but they never came across as trying to tap into your nostalgia for brownie points to me and there are other such examples.

That applies to low poly 3D games too. I don't feel like Ashen or Superhot are trying to be nostalgia bait, they just chose to use low poly 3D as a stylistic choice. Again, could be wrong, that's just the impression I get.

 

[Ikagura]

yeah no thanks, all modern indie "games" try so hard to be either quirky or "unique" and ended up just trying to copy older games without half the talent or charm or skill or cultural impact.

if i wanted to play a retro PS1 game or a boomer shooter im just gonna emulate a older actually good game instead. (-@_@-)

I'm sorry but cultural impact shouldn't have a thing on the game itself.

Also as for Boomer Shooters I barely recall any game similar to Ultrakill or Zortch on PC back then.

That applies to low poly 3D games too. I don't feel like Ashen or Superhot are trying to be nostalgia bait, they just chose to use low poly 3D as a stylistic choice. Again, could be wrong, that's just the impression I get.

SuperHot's minimalism is actually great for better readability.

 

[Mago]

I feel this way a lot. Even if the games technically look good a lot of them feel off to me. Freedom Planet 2 is a rare game that at least for me felt less like imitation and more like an evolution on older graphics but I dunno how to exactly explain why.

Post automatically merged: Feb 17, 2025

yeah no thanks, all modern indie "games" try so hard to be either quirky or "unique" and ended up just trying to copy older games without half the talent or charm or skill or cultural impact.

if i wanted to play a retro PS1 game or a boomer shooter im just gonna emulate a older actually good game instead. (-@_@-)

I feel like I could agree if you said "a lot of" or maybe even "most" but saying all is just going too far. Also not sure why you put games in quotes like that?

 

[Ikagura]

I feel like I could agree if you said "a lot of" or maybe even "most" but saying all is just going too far. Also not sure why you put games in quotes like that?

I assume that it was just hyperbolic.

 

[symplily]

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.

Amazing remake

 

[HITMAN_99]

I'm sorry but cultural impact shouldn't have a thing on the game itself.

Also as for Boomer Shooters I barely recall any game similar to Ultrakill or Zortch on PC back then.

while not the same, in aesthetic and gameplay, they almost all are triyng waaaay to hard to be Quake.

I feel like I could agree if you said "a lot of" or maybe even "most" but saying all is just going too far. Also not sure why you put games in quotes like that?

i feel that way about 90% of indie, and the other 10% i feel that lacks originality or is a boring yapping session made by zoomers.

i assume that it was just hyperbolic.

bingo. : )

 

[Ikagura]

While not the same, in aesthetic and gameplay, they almost all are triyng waaaay to hard to be Quake.

I've played Quake and honestly they don't try to be Quake. UK has much more air movements and an emphasis on rooms after rooms like Doom 2016 (and parrying changes the game design quite a bit) with a DMC-inspired style system.

Zortch is perhaps much more like Unreal and Turok than Quake with the enemy types and secondary shots.

Sure, Quake defined fully 3D space FPS but then again it's like saying any fighting game is based on Street Fighter II.

 

[Dyne]

It can definitely be hit or miss.
Games like Alwa's Awakening do a good job of making me feel like I'm playing an old game while at the same time doing things that an NES could never do. Many games do absolutely fail though.