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No new postsIs the new Retro look here to stay?
I’m currently playing the Resonance demo. Nice game. But I hate the ugly, blocky graphics. The faux eighties style. The lousy animations. I complained about the same thing when Gemini Rue was released, but I was told that was part of its charm, that the game would not be as good without its retro look and feel. Heated discussion. Well, I disagree. 
If story and gameplay are great, I’ll play anything. Still, I was hoping we’d seen the last of Retro’s pixelated look, but it seems it’s here to stay.
Am I the only one who hates this new trend?
Now playing: ——-
Recently finished: don’t remember
Up next: Eh…
Looking forward to: Ithaka of the Clouds; The Last Crown; all the kickstarter adventure games I supported
I’m not against it. I can still enjoy low resolution graphics today, be it from games of the past or games released today. For me good graphics are about composition, lighting, perspective and other things, and not so much about the amount of pixels.
But on the other hand I like some variety. It’s going to be tiring if every indie developer would pursue the retro look. So, yeah, not too much retro games please.
If it’s done well (what I’ve seen of Resonance looks good; Gemini Rue often didn’t), and it allows small developers to make good games on a small budget – games that wouldn’t get made otherwise – then I think it’s great and I’m all for it.
But then there’s a small cult that will defend this style to the death and say it’s better than anything that came afterwards. I completely disagree with that: the whole idea of pixel art as the pinnacle of human creativity is ridiculous. Obviously, what these people really mean is “my childhood was the pinnacle of my life” – and that’s just sad.
Calling two games “a trend” seems a bit far-fetched. Pendulo and Daedalic make cartoon-style games, Telltales produce 3D-games, others make 2.5 adventures and so on. Even IFs appear from time to time. I wish there were more 3D ags, but the market won’t allow it - it was already clear 10 years ago.
i think its kinda of paradox .. you always look at your (kodak) hard copies photos and say ” how i miss and loved those days” but you still would not give up on using your new digital cam!
the guys with Resonance worked on it for 6 years !, i guess if they had a better composition to provide… surly they would have done it .. but due to the low budget i guess it was like, that or never.
This is precisely like saying ‘I don’t like black and white movies’ to which I always respond “Then you probably don’t like movies all that much to begin with.”
As someone who still plays and enjoys ‘old’ games I can never come to see that point of view and I’d take the low resolution sprites over this ugly piece of fan art any day of the week. Games that look like they were made for mobile phones are the worst.
The second worst thing is when you say you’re going for a ‘retro’ look when it’s clear you’re just being lazy, which ISN’T Resonance or Gemini Rue but games more like this.
But to answer your question “are old looking games here to stay?”
Yes.
Calling two games “a trend” seems a bit far-fetched.
Oh, it’s definitely more than just two games, the most recent one being the Quest for Infamy on Kickstarter. All those indie Quest remakes, and even Al Emmo was entirely based on the Retro game style.
Now playing: ——-
Recently finished: don’t remember
Up next: Eh…
Looking forward to: Ithaka of the Clouds; The Last Crown; all the kickstarter adventure games I supported
I struggle with old, pixelated games. I think there’s something wrong with my depth perception or something, because I have a really hard time “judging” the depth of the scenes and I often struggle with finding the pickable items.
I came to AGs and gaming generally in the late 90s, so I’m used to the 2,5D, drawn backgrounds and 3D-models from that time.
Haven’t been able to complete any of the old pixel-games without a walkthrough because I just can’t see the items properly..
I play story-heavy games, watch animation, anime, B-movies, disaster movies, sci-fi movies and crime shows and try to write about it all on my blog: Snark, pedantry and random geekery
I am definitely not a fan of the retro look. I mean, back when that kind of look was at the forefront of AG technology, I enjoyed those games just fine. But now that I am used to the more realistic look more often seen today, I just don’t think I can enjoy games with the retro style as much.
Currently Playing: The Testament of Sherlock Holmes;
Currently Re-Playing: Culpa Innata
Recently Finished: Secret Files: Puritas Cordis, Art of Murder: Hunt for the Puppeteer, Dear Esther
Yes, it’s here to stay. No, it’s not going to be how every game looks. No, there’s nothing new about this “trend”; the freeware adventure scene has been outputting lots of games with VGA-style graphics for at least ten years, and almost all Wadjet Eye Games releases have used similar resolutions, going back to The Shivah.
Personally I think 3D-rendered graphics (particularly characters) generally look bad, and wish they would stop making them. But they won’t. We all have our cross to bear.
Not sure I believe Kurufinwe’s theory that there are die-hards who see it as the pinnacle of graphic arts. The issue is more that fewer games manage to take advantage of the potential (and avoid the pitfalls) of other graphic styles, so you get many more ugly, soulless games.
I will say that while I thought the art style was a fundamental element of the Gemini Rue design, I have an easier time imagining Resonance in higher resolution, e.g. something like Broken Sword. It looks fine the way it is, though.
more or less i’m with brisk…...personally i like all kinds…..i like that there are still companies releasing retro style games(Wadjet Eye),as i like that there are still companies releasing more hand drawn games(Daedalic).occasionally i’m gonna find a 3D game that i’ll like.i’m expecting first person games from Senscape and the darkling room.
i need the variety.i find this pattern way better and more appealing than having games by the decade they are made in or just because everybody else is upgrading(we saw what happened with BS3(not refering to the story,just the graphics),which only took place because of the whole everyone-is-doing-3D-these-days trend).
i liked Resonance as it is.to me some games are good just as they are.it certainly would be interesting to see them high res and compare.but for me the retro look has succeeded in both cases to capture the feel of the game.sure the pixel hunt is a major pain but for me even with perfect eyesight i had problems finding things even at Lost Horizon or Secret Files.pixel hunting is always a problem.
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In many instances the only difference between old graphical adventures and modern adventure games is the screen resolution and the older graphical adventures had the advantage of AAA budgets so while the technology might be better today, the talent sure isn’t.
I mean, you’d have to be daft to think that THIS looks better than THIS.
Actually, some of those older games are better because they were using motion capture technology for the character animations rather than today’s ugly tweening animation.
I dont mind either way. I actually found the graphics in Gemini Rue to be quite detailed and atmospheric. Yes, its low resolution, but the actual art style - the colour palettes, the details in each screen (eg: the rain animations), the lighting choices - were very well done. I think the art style matters, more than whether it is high resolution or low resolution.
I like the look as it gives me a strong sense of nostalgia and can also serve the gameplay style well. The hand drawn art can be really beautiful.
It’s not for every game, but I don’t mind the retro art.
so while the technology might be better today, the talent sure isn’t.
Thanks for this (Quote) thejobloshow , it curtailments this issue like nothing else’s would !!
I don’t think it will ever go away in the indie scene, partly because of the technical limitations of what they’re working with, and also because they’re paying homage to adventure games of yore.
Seeing those old pixellated graphics always makes me feel nostalgic, whether I’m booting up an old favourite, or something simply produced in that style. I can’t see that ever changing either.
Pixel art has become an art form in its own right; what began as merely a product of the times has morphed into something stylised and intentionally reproduced. It’s achieved this in a way that 3D never has, old 3D games look universally awful, but I’d like to think everyone can find something to appreciate in an old hand painted background, no matter the resolution it was reduced to prior to presentation. People paint in pixels to achieve a look, much in the way that Impressionists sacrificed detail for an aesthetic. You never see someone purposely trying to model primitive 3D, to recapture the days of jagged polygons though.
Understandably it will not be everyone’s cup of tea. Some people may cling too strongly to the familiarity of it, and others may see it as a relic of the past, to be consigned there in the face of modern advances. I’m quite content to see the co-existence of multiple art forms, providing some variety and reminding us of where we began as well as where we are headed.
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