Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is visually stunning. Every character, even the NPCs, feels lifelike while still having that striking, almost idealised beauty. The fashion design is stylish and distinct without being over the top like in many JRPGs. The environments are imaginative, varied, and colourful. I often pan the camera around as if I’m on a sightseeing trip.

Other games I admire for their art direction:

BioShock - the sheer Art Deco flair.
Shadow of the Colossus - one of the most atmospheric worlds ever created.
Chrono Trigger - pixel art at its absolute peak, with the character design of Akira Toriyama.

  • Coelacanth@feddit.nu
    10·
    2 months ago

    I don’t want to sound like a broken record and just reply “Disco Elysium” to every question, but that post-impressionist (or as i heard someone else call it: “Pop Impressionist”) style is just so pleasing, well executed and distinct.

    Return of the Obra Dinn has an incredible art direction that is very unique, and manages to push 1-bit graphics in a way I had no idea was possible.

    Grim Fandango remains an iconic example I always bring up of how art direction will always triumph over pure graphical fidelity.

    Alan Wake 2 and Control both display complete mastery of distinct art direction from Remedy I think.

    Finally - and this might be recency bias as I played it a few weeks ago - but GRIS is one of the most striking and beautiful games I’ve played, with every single scene being a piece of art.

      • Coelacanth@feddit.nu
        3·
        2 months ago

        If you like unconventional choices I actually forgot maybe the best shout, simply because I haven’t played myself yet: The Last Express. Beautiful use of rotoscoping you don’t see often in games.

          • Coelacanth@feddit.nu
            2·
            2 months ago

            Awesome find! Rotoscoping is a really cool technique, Linklater’s movie Waking Life was when I was first exposed to it I think, way back when. Great film, by the way.

            As for the game, I started watching a video essay about The Last Express and how good it is some time ago, and after like 10 minutes I stopped and was like “okay I gotta play this!”. Bought it on the GOG summer sale but still haven’t gotten around to it yet.

        • ewigkaiwelo@lemmy.world
          3·
          2 months ago

          Indeed, and no AI here) Another project of this kind with impressive art is Ultima Ratio Regum that also relies heavily on procedural generation. In the current version it even generates wells and hedges and flowers in ANSI graphics which looks incredible, and the sole developer is working towards a steam release as well

      • ewigkaiwelo@lemmy.world
        3·
        2 months ago

        I do, sometimes, the gameplay takes a while to get used to but the humour is great. It’s on Steam and itch

  • Akagigahara@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    2 months ago

    For me, I would definitely say Dishonored and Destiny. Additionally, the Horizon series is something I always marvel at.

  • Lucy (PieFed edition) [she/faer]@piefed.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    3·
    2 months ago

    2d: Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood. Great visual aesthetics combined with very good characters, music and story.

    3d: Outer Wilds. This game is my personal favorite 3d game of all times so no surprise here.

    Most people likely will dismiss it but Moonring is a great example of minimalist pixel art done right. Colors of the UI are changing depending on the current location and moons cycle. It’s very nice.

  • Björn@swg-empire.de
    3·
    2 months ago

    Minecraft. Somehow he managed to make randomly assembled pixely blocks to look like marvelous vistas. I feel like this should be impossible. But still the game looks awesome even without any special shaders.

  • AceFuzzLord@lemmy.zip
    2·
    2 months ago

    I personally really like the almost Saturday morning cartoon character art style, as some random person I saw on yt call it, in Brok The Investigator. The backgrounds also feel like they match just as well by giving off the feeling you aren’t in the real world while also not being too cartoony, which I also really like. Makes me think of if you could actually play a cartoon like a video game ( without it being one of those 3D PS2 cash grab games ).

    I personally find that kind of style more impressive than the hyper realism that triple AAA games tend to go for since I love animated shows more than live action. Bleeds into videos games for me as well, style wise.

      • AceFuzzLord@lemmy.zip
        3·
        2 months ago

        Yeah, that.

        I like the art style of Cuphead because I grew up watching reruns of old 60s Hannah Barbara cartoons, Looney Tunes, Tom And Jerry, etcetera, so it kinda feels nostalgic in a way, but ain’t no way you’d be catching me playing it. Last thing I need is a rage induced heart attack.

  • missingno@fedia.io
    2·
    2 months ago

    Hard to narrow down a top pick, but a few that immediately come to mind:

    • CrossCode
    • Guilty Gear Strive
    • Jet Set Radio
    • Katamari Damacy
    • Meteos
    • Puyo Puyo 20th Anniversary
    • Skullgirls
    • Splatoon
    • Under Night In-Birth
    • The World Ends With You
  • Ech@lemmy.ca
    31·
    2 months ago

    Gris, Sayonara Wild Hearts, The Last of Us Part 2, Elden Ring (most FS games, tbh), Control, Alan Wake 2. Those are the first I can think of.

      • Ech@lemmy.ca
        3·
        2 months ago

        It really is stunning. Music is great, too. Personally, I enjoyed the gameplay as well, but I suppose it may not be for everyone.

        • Coelacanth@feddit.nu
          3·
          2 months ago

          I would never play it for the gameplay, but then again I’m not a puzzle platformer fan. Even having said that though the gameplay was inoffensive enough that it didn’t hamper my enjoyment of the game as a piece of art.

  • GrantUsEyes@lemmy.zip
    1·
    2 months ago

    Hey! Just found this comm… I was actually scratching my brain about expedition 33’s art direction this week.

    I haven’t played the game myself, but I had a video on it playing as background while working a few days ago and while it didn’t spoil the plot, I gathered that it’s heavily tied to art . It even has a character named Renoir wich maybe is the main antagonist ( like, is he THE Renoir? Famous impressionist painter, or is that just a reference? )

    Anyway. That kind of left me wondering…even if the game looks very beautiful, wouldn’t it be nicer that it had a bit more visual character, Influenced by the era it references or takes inspiration from? As an art person, that would be an instant sell for me, I like the themes, but otherwise I’m unsure if the game is for me. I feel this is a real missed opportunity; I’m aware the game uses UE5, so maybe it’s that. The results are very pretty, but a bit generic.