Budgetary constraints often mean indie games cannot have graphics as traditionally impressive as some triple A games. The games below buck this trend, managing to look great on a shoestring.
10) We Happy Few (PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Classic Mac OS, Linux, Xbox One)
We Happy Few was an immensely successful kickstarter project developed by Compulsion games. It is an action adventure survival horror game set in a world where the Nazis won World War 2.
To repress their guilt, the game’s characters take a hallucinogenic drug named joy. The regular taking of joy is a legal obligation. Those who refuse to take it are banished to the outlands.
The studio founder stated that the primary influence of We Happy Few was Terry Gilliam’s classic Brazil. The game’s colour palette and surreal side really show this off.
The “civilised” world of joy takers is Wellington Wells. It is visually stunning to look at. The rainbow paved roads and bright primary colours in the sky do a perfect job at mimicking the effect of taking joy.
Some enemy locales, including a particular striking Clockwork Orange-esque clubhouse - are a marvel to the eyes. The game is masterfully designed and does a great job at establishing tone through aesthetics.
9) Zeno Clash (Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360)
Leading on from We Happy Few, Zeno Clash feels like it was actually created under the influence of hallucinogens.
The game takes place in Zenozoik, a fantasy world full of bizarre monsters.You play as Ghat, who as the game opens has just attempted to kill the father-mother character who rules over Zenozoik.
The opening sees you fleeing the town and getting used to the fighting mechanics. It is a tense start and one that really involves you in the story and world of Zeno Clash, despite the God-awful voice acting.
This game is wholly eccentric. From the slide in versus bars before a fight, to the zombie-like Corwid creatures that came straight out of an acid trip, Zeno Clash is incredibly impressive for an indie title. The visual style and dream sequences will stay with the player, as they really stand out.
The look of Zeno style is especially impressive when you consider the other indie games coming out at that time. Sure, games like Braid and Super Meat Boy had cool aesthetics, but the 3D models and expansive world of Zeno Clash is still impressive over 10 years later.
8) The Stanley Parable (Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux)
If I had to sum up the art style of The Stanley Parable in two words, I would say colourful and clean.
The game sees you, Stanley, take a break from the monotony of your boring desk job, and face a series of seemingly innocuous, but deeply philosophical decisions. The narrator and pacing gives this one a real cinematic feel.
Although some of the game takes you through the mundane, identical corridors of Stanley’s office, the world expands into bizarre, surreal (you’ve all seen the cardboard baby) and highly colourful environments that have to be experienced to be believed.
The lighting is especially beautiful here, really impressive considering it is an indie title.
The Stanley Parable is largely remembered for its story, but its intensely impressive visuals also stick in the mind.
7) Gone Home (Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS)
Gone Home is a dark, mysterious story. In this first person exploration game, you play as Katie on her return to her family home. This is no home of domestic bliss however. As the narrative progresses, you learn more about the horrors that occurred when Katie was gone.
The game is an excellent example of environmental storytelling, which doesn’t feel the need to hold your hand through the experience.
The house is completely alive and feels totally lived in. The impressive lighting and environments inundated with mystery come together to create a visually remarkable piece of art.
The thriller/mystery feel is perfectly captured in this one, which is something games with much bigger budgets fail to do.
6) Dead Cells (Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Linux, Microsoft Windows, Macintosh operating systems)
Dead Cells is heavily inspired by Metroid-Vanias, and is also the first 2D game on our list. Although the argument may be made that 2D games are not strictly a graphical marvel in this day and age, I believe that the amount going on at once in Dead Cells justifies its inclusion.
You play as a green blob. Inspiring, right? Well, that’s not all; you can possess dead bodies and fight enemies through them vicariously. Although the blob is immortal, the resurrected bodies are not. Meaning, every time you die, you return to the prison quarters where things begin.
This mechanic is intriguing enough on its own, and sufficient to keep many gamers hooked. It is an added bonus then that the game is absolutely stunning.
The sense of movement in the game is incredibly fluid. The character models are exported from 3D models, giving them an extra refined look. The goodies dropped by enemies every time they fall like candy from a pinata.
Individually drawn frames and beautiful backgrounds make Dead Cells a graphical marvel.
5) Hollow Knight (PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Macintosh operating systems)
There is a reason that Hollow Knight was many people’s game of the year back in 2017. It is an intensely addictive and immersive 2D Metroid-Vania, with an art style that will knock your socks off.
Just one look at the derelict kingdom of Hallownest will help you realise what all the fuss is about. It adopts a minimalist, cartoony aesthetic, full of dark backgrounds that contrast the light character models. There is a real phantasmagoric atmosphere with this one, mainly due to it’s art style.
It feels dreamy to play and even to sit still and marvel at the hand drawn art on display here. The blurry backgrounds and striking set piece moments make Hollow Knight an incredibly distinctive game.
It is so impressive that these hand drawn visuals run as smoothly as they do, even on the games Switch port.
For less than £15, Hollow Knight is an absolute steal. It’s a true testament to how good indie games can look these days.
4) Ori and the Blind Forest (Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows)
Final Metroid-Vania, I promise!
You play as Ori, a wisp, setting out to fix a broken world by restoring elements that have gone out of balance.
Ori and the Blind Forest is simply stunning. The opening looks like something straight out of a studio Ghibli film. The rest of the game however is much more idiosyncratic; the picturesque world is notable for mellow, pastel colours and glorious lighting.
The game's backdrop is full of mountains and other sublime structures in the distance. These help to give the player a real sense of vulnerability.
The hand painted world is beautiful in both its day and night sequences, the latter being especially impressive and almost akin to a Van Gogh.
Ori and the Blind Forest is as close to playing Spirited Away as you’ll ever get. Get it now!
3) What Remains of Edith Finch (PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One)
What Remains of Edith Finch is an adventure game by Giant Sparrow. It sees you play as Edith returning to her abandoned family home, searching through relics in an attempt to uncover the mystery behind her family’s demise.
The Finch household is jam packed with detail. It is an architectural marvel. As you journey from room to room, flashbacks are activated, wherein you play as other members of the Finch family.
The great thing about these moments is that we often get a new aesthetic. For example, one flashback sees the Finch household cell-shaded as we run through the boxes of a comic book.
One of the games final flashbacks gives us a surreal top down fantasy world, a stark contrast to the rest of the game.
What Remains of Edith Finch is graphically ambitious, and it pays off. If you haven’t played it yet, I urge you to pick it up and dedicate an afternoon to it.
2) Cuphead (PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Macintosh operating systems)
Cuphead is arguably the most beautiful 2D game ever. The first game by Studio MDHR, founded by Chad and Jared Moldenhaeur, Cuphead is in the style of 1930’s cartoons.
You play as either Cuphead or Mugman, retaining soul contracts for the devil. The game has a range of boss battles and run and gun levels. The gameplay is addictive and tough, but it’s a lot easier to swallow the difficulty when it runs at 60fps.
Nearly all of the boss fights are inspired by relics of Golden Age animation. From Betty Boop, to Popeye, to Mickey Mouse, Cuphead masterfully captures this warm, sentimental animation style.
The game is hand drawn. The backgrounds are watercolours transcribed and coloured on photoshop. Such attention to detail really has no match.
There is even a VHS style filter to really make it feel like you’re watching an old Disney movie. The colour palette is a treat to the eyes.
1) The Witness (PlayStation 4, Android, Xbox One, iOS, Microsoft Windows, Classic Mac OS)
Braid is a beautiful game, but it is Jonathan Blow’s second game, The Witness, that takes the gold here.
The Witness has you spawn on a derelict island, solving puzzles to unlock new areas. As the area expands, you traverse a range of environs that basically cover an entire colour palette.
When you are lucky enough to get a birds eye view of The Witness, you are treated to what looks like a sort of futurist painting; from castles overgrown with weeds, to desert areas, The Witness has enough beautiful environments to please any gamer.
Blow worked with architectural teams to make his world as immersive as possible. The art style focused on simplification, partly due to the influence of some real world photography.
The way the game looks is fundamental to progression; visual cues are everywhere. Blossom in the distance is not merely aesthetic but functional.
The Witness is a carefully crafted, bright game that immerses you in its world entirely. You will relax yourself with every playthrough, wondering why the real world can’t look like this.
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