The coolest sprite work?

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

Doesn’t matter if it’s a cool animation or a great sprite, I just want to see what you think are the best sprite-based visuals that you’d like to share with us all!

 

[Segadude113]

Third Strike. Best sprite animation EVER.

 

[X y b e r - S k u ll]

Breath of Fire IV has incredible sprite work

 

[RustySK]

Third Strike. Best sprite animation EVER.

This. Specifically Ryu's Donkey Kick.

But if I had to bring up something more recent, Owlboy and Eastward both have some absolutely stunning sprite art in them.

 

[Segadude113]

This. Specifically Ryu's Donkey Kick.

But if I had to bring up something more recent, Owlboy and Eastward both have some absolutely stunning sprite art in them.

every character moves so fluidly! also Owlboy is a gorgeous game!

 

[ThunderBoy]

 

[Segadude113]

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

I was looking to see how long it would take for SNK to show up! Some of the best Sprite art ever made comes from the MVS board and its imitators.

(This gif is terrible, and I wanted Samurai Showdown stuff, but I’ll take what I can get here.)

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I don’t think enough loves comes for cutscenes without much animation, but bold colors and detailed spritework that imitates cel animated anime.

 

[brettd94]

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

The original Phantasy Star has my personal favorite dragon sprite:

 

[Tonberry]

 

[X y b e r - S k u ll]

Darkstalkers 3/Vampire Savior has some amazing sprite work as well. I love the expressive, cartoony way all the characters are animated in that. I rarely hear any appreciation for the stage sprites though, outside of Fetus of God (For obvious reasons lol), but they're really impressive as well and very atmospheric.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

Arabian Fight is a SEGA developed arcade game that never got a home port. If it had gotten one, it would have a much bigger fan base, because this game is absolutely gorgeous.

An example of a sprite scaler on the same hardware that managed to get a fandom despite no home port, however, was the incredible Jurassic Park. It’s like an amusement park ride gone wild!

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Darkstalkers 3/Vampire Savior has some amazing sprite work as well. I love the expressive, cartoony way all the characters are animated in that. I rarely hear any appreciation for the stage sprites though, outside of Fetus of God (For obvious reasons lol), but they're really impressive as well and very atmospheric.
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THANK YOU FOR HIGHLIGHTING VAMPIRE SAVIOR! I mean to highlight some character sprites later!

 

[Bonkers225]

 

[bjork]

hard to top this one

 

[Michael Frank]

Front Mission: Gun Hazard

Alcahest

Sword of Mana

Seiken Densetsu

Honestly man, what in tarnation happened to Square?! ever since they stopped being Squaresoft ALL OF THIS STOPPED, think about it, it's baffling how deep they have fallen.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's icon TamagotchiTamaHero24 TamagotchiTamaHero24]

I know it’s a total cliché, but Donkey Kong Country as a series is one of the best reasons to either play on a CRT or play with a great CRT shader.

It’s a pre render, yes, but it’s still a sprite based on the render. And the choices for what colors are used where do so much to make the characters readable. It’s plasticky, but also natural looking. There’s nothing else like it.

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Front Mission: Gun Hazard
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Alcahest
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Sword of Mana
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Seiken Densetsu
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Honestly man, what in tarnation happened to Square?! ever since they stopped being Squaresoft ALL OF THIS STOPPED, think about it, it's baffling how deep they have fallen.

Squaresoft’s developers used to be the gods of sprite art. There’s a genuine art to knowing when to add detail and when to not.
Certain HD - 2D games, not all, but certain ones look very blocky in a bad way. Like I’m staring at an unfinished Picross board. Older Square sprites have immaculate color use to make the right parts of characters and backgrounds pop.

 

[bjork]

I know it’s a total cliché, but Donkey Kong Country as a series is one of the best reasons to either play on a CRT or play with a great CRT shader.

It’s a pre render, yes, but it’s still a sprite based on the render. And the choices for what colors are used where do so much to make the characters readable. It’s plasticky, but also natural looking. There’s nothing else like it.

It's a trend that stopped and I'm so very glad. I get that it was an impressive way to spoof 3D graphics at the time but I don't think I've ever seen a game that uses this where I thought it looked good? It always felt to me like little kids dressing up in their parents' clothes and pretending to go to work or whatever.

 

[Segadude113]

It's a trend that stopped and I'm so very glad. I get that it was an impressive way to spoof 3D graphics at the time but I don't think I've ever seen a game that uses this where I thought it looked good? It always felt to me like little kids dressing up in their parents' clothes and pretending to go to work or whatever.

Speaking of which, this unused Kong

 

[Anoobis]

 

[DunkeyKong]

Most of the GBA games have such an incredible sprite work, like Ninja Five-O

Iridion 2 and Invader

And most of the first party titles (especially Metroid and The Legend of Zelda)

 

[Turbo Kid]

Wow, someone mentioned Arabian Fight. I didn't think anyone here beside me even knew that it existed.

There's something neat about seeing the Adam and Eve story in sprite form in Smelter