Top 25 Upcoming Pixel Art Games of 2021 - Get Indie Gaming

[Sander VF]

2021 looks likely to bring us plenty of amazing looking pixel art games for PC, Playstation, Xbox, Switch and more. Here's the top 25 new upcoming pixel art games expected out in 2021 we are most looking forward to.

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Some interesting and gorgeous games in there. I'm personally really interested in Eastward, Gestalt: Steam & Cinder, Bushiden, Kaze and the Wild Masks ... among many other interesting-looking games like Toodee and Topdee or Backbone.

Get Indie Gaming is a handy resource in finding some cool indie games that are coming up. Not sure Cloud Jumper is "pixel art", since that looks like a 3D game with a pixelated aesthetic (like A Short Hike), but whatever, it looks cool.

The list:

Spoiler

25. Garden Story
24. Overloop
23. Hell is Others
22. No Place for Bravery
21. Toodee and Topdee
20. Kaze and the Wild Masks
19. Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
18. Bushiden
17. Backbone
16. Lunark
15. Death Trash
14. Jack Move
13. Radio the Universe
12. Gestalt: Steam & Cinder
11. Cleo - A Pirate's Tale
10. Smelter
9. Chinatown Detective Agency
8. Chained Echoes
7. Eldest Souls
6. Flynn: Son of Crimson
5. Nykra
4. Mighty Goose
3. Narita Boy
2. Cloud Jumper
1. Eastward

Also there's legit a game called TURNIP BOY COMMITS TAX EVASION! Get fucked, Yoshi, you cowardly green shit. This here Turnip Boy is Turnip Man enough to admit it in his game's title.

P. S. Here's a cool one that wasn't in this video:

 

[Equanimity]

Thank you for sharing this, will give it a watch later tonight.

 

[panama chief]

this is right up my alley. thanks for posting OP

Mighty Goose please release soon!!!

Edit: Lunark too please. i love some Flashback

 

[Kenai]

I've had Eastward on my Steam wishlist for awhile, can't wait!

 

[Nightfall]

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That is looking really really good. Like the gimmick with the rope. Looks like a fun mechanic.
Seems like Steam only for now? Hope it'll eventually release on more platforms. I'd be interested.

 

[Sander VF]

That is looking really really good. Like the gimmick with the rope. Looks like a fun mechanic.
Seems like Steam only for now? Hope it'll eventually release on more platforms. I'd be interested.

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As far as I know, the developer has partnered with Tribute Games (who made Panzer Paladin) for them to port the game to more platforms.

Or so I have read elsewhere on ERA.

 

[Aurica]

Oooh, Gestalt looks really nice. I imagine it feels quite good to control.

 

[Sander VF]

No Place For Bravery looks like it may scratch that Hyper Light Drifter itch.

Oooh, Gestalt looks really nice. I imagine it feels quite good to control.

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Indeed it does. Probably the Metroidvania I'm most curious about, besides the obvious pick that is HK: Silksong.

 

[Deleted member 3017]

That is looking really really good. Like the gimmick with the rope. Looks like a fun mechanic.
Seems like Steam only for now? Hope it'll eventually release on more platforms. I'd be interested.

Click to shrink...

As far as I know, the developer has partnered with Tribute Games (who made Panzer Paladin) for them to port the game to more platforms.

Or so I have read elsewhere on ERA.

Click to shrink...

Update 27: Steel Assault x Tribute Games · Steel Assault

Hey everyone! As you remember, I mentioned near the beginning of October that we had found a publisher for Steel Assault. Now I can finally reveal who they are: Tribute Games! They are a Western studio based in Montreal, founded by ex-Ubisoft devs, and for the past decade they've specialized...

www.kickstarter.com

"Hey everyone! As you remember, I mentioned near the beginning of October that we had found a publisher for Steel Assault. Now I can finally reveal who they are: Tribute Games! They are a Western studio based in Montreal, founded by ex-Ubisoft devs, and for the past decade they've specialized mostly in pixel-art-based sidescrollers. Their latest title, the Famicom-imitation Panzer Paladin, came out earlier this year (more on which soon). Now they are on board helping us with porting, QA, localization, streamer outreach, community management, and even some small parts of the design process."

 

[Nightfall]

Update 27: Steel Assault x Tribute Games · Steel Assault

Hey everyone! As you remember, I mentioned near the beginning of October that we had found a publisher for Steel Assault. Now I can finally reveal who they are: Tribute Games! They are a Western studio based in Montreal, founded by ex-Ubisoft devs, and for the past decade they've specialized...

www.kickstarter.com

"Hey everyone! As you remember, I mentioned near the beginning of October that we had found a publisher for Steel Assault. Now I can finally reveal who they are: Tribute Games! They are a Western studio based in Montreal, founded by ex-Ubisoft devs, and for the past decade they've specialized mostly in pixel-art-based sidescrollers. Their latest title, the Famicom-imitation Panzer Paladin, came out earlier this year (more on which soon). Now they are on board helping us with porting, QA, localization, streamer outreach, community management, and even some small parts of the design process."

Click to shrink...

Oh cool! Thank you so much, that's really great to hear. Definitely on my list now.

 

[retroman]

This thread is relevant to my interests.

Steel Assault looks amazing!

 

[Bushido]

Sports Story robbed. Will watch the video later tonight, but Backbone, Narita Boy and Gestalt are already on my radar.

 

[Roarer]

Very nice list! Some of these are already on my radar, and others were new discoveries for me. Really love the look of Backbone, Chinatown Detective Agency and Narita Boy.

 

[Sander VF]

Also here's a similar vid from Clemmy Games. Some overlap, but has lots of titles not in GIG's list!

 

[werezompire]

Do all of these games actually have 2021 release dates or is it just a list of upcoming 2D indie games? Like for example, Radio the Universe's initial estimated release date on their Kickstarter was about 7 years ago so I'm a bit skeptical until I actually see a specific release date.

 

[Qwark]

This is my first time hearing about Turnip Boy. Lmao, that game looks incredible!

 

[Comrade Grogu]

Some interesting and gorgeous games in there. I'm personally really interested in Eastward, Gestalt: Steam & Cinder, Bushiden, Kaze and the Wild Masks ... among many other interesting-looking games like Toodee and Topdee or Backbone.

Get Indie Gaming is a handy resource in finding some cool indie games that are coming up. Not sure Cloud Jumper is "pixel art", since that looks like a 3D game with a pixelated aesthetic (like A Short Hike), but whatever, it looks cool.

The list:

Spoiler

25. Garden Story
24. Overloop
23. Hell is Others
22. No Place for Bravery
21. Toodee and Topdee
20. Kaze and the Wild Masks
19. Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
18. Bushiden
17. Backbone
16. Lunark
15. Death Trash
14. Jack Move
13. Radio the Universe
12. Gestalt: Steam & Cinder
11. Cleo - A Pirate's Tale
10. Smelter
9. Chinatown Detective Agency
8. Chained Echoes
7. Eldest Souls
6. Flynn: Son of Crimson
5. Nykra
4. Mighty Goose
3. Narita Boy
2. Cloud Jumper
1. Eastward

Also there's legit a game called TURNIP BOY COMMITS TAX EVASION! Get fucked, Yoshi, you cowardly green shit. This here Turnip Boy is Turnip Man enough to admit it in his game's title.

P. S. Here's a cool one that wasn't in this video:

Click to shrink...

I'll watch this later.

Bookmarked.

 

[Deleted member 3017]

I think UFO 50 is the most exciting 2D / pixel art game on the horizon.

UFO 50

UFO 50 is a collection of 50 single and multiplayer games from the creators of Spelunky, Downwell, Time Barons, Skorpulac, and Madhouse.

50games.fun

No release window though. PC for now, but they want to bring it to consoles as well.

 

[Sander VF]

Do all of these games actually have 2021 release dates or is it just a list of upcoming 2D indie games? Like for example, Radio the Universe's initial estimated release date on their Kickstarter was about 7 years ago so I'm a bit skeptical until I actually see a specific release date.

Click to shrink...

I'm genuinely not quite sure.

 

[DominicanGlory]

A lotta those games look hype af. Thanks op

 

[Sander VF]

I think UFO 50 is the most exciting 2D / pixel art game on the horizon.

UFO 50

UFO 50 is a collection of 50 single and multiplayer games from the creators of Spelunky, Downwell, Time Barons, Skorpulac, and Madhouse.

50games.fun

No release window though. PC for now, but they want to bring it to consoles as well.

Click to shrink...

Gotta say, "Action 52, but GOOD" is a helluva pitch.

 

[JoelStinty]

Get Indie gaming is a great YouTube channel. Just been through a lot of their older videos just looking for recommendations and adding games to my switch wish list. Guys over there are costing me a lot of money, can't beat their enthusiasm for indie games. (Shout out to beat em ups too for his eshop compilations)

 

[StereoVSN]

- Chinatown Detective Agency
- Gestalt: Steam & Cinder
- Chained Echos
- Jack Move
- No Place for Bravery

These look good for me. Not sure how much time I'll have for these games, but got them on my Steam Wishlist.

 

[werezompire]

I'm genuinely not quite sure.

Click to shrink...

Just went through the video and looked at a few mentioned games on Steam. One said 2022, another 2021, one said "Winter", and another said "Coming Soon." So yeah, these aren't 2021 games, they're just upcoming indie games. Expect a lot of these to not come out anytime soon since indie games are notorious for taking forever.

 

[KDR_11k]

There's also some really damn pretty 2D but not pixel art games coming up, like High Fleet:

I think UFO 50 is the most exciting 2D / pixel art game on the horizon.

UFO 50

UFO 50 is a collection of 50 single and multiplayer games from the creators of Spelunky, Downwell, Time Barons, Skorpulac, and Madhouse.

50games.fun

No release window though. PC for now, but they want to bring it to consoles as well.

Click to shrink...

Notice how it says "2018" on there? I'm not getting my hopes up on that ever coming out.

 

[Deleted member 3017]

Notice how it says "2018" on there? I'm not getting my hopes up on that ever coming out.

Click to shrink...

From the site:

"We were originally planning on releasing UFO 50 on PC (on Steam) in 2018, but we've switched to a "When It's Done" status (game development is hard to predict)! We would love to bring the collection to consoles, as well. Stay tuned for more announcements!"
......

It's coming out. It's in the latest Edge magazine. Developers are frequently posting videos on Twitter / Twitch showcasing its progress. It's just taking a long time to make, because it's ambitious and indie teams usually aren't very good at predicting release timing. Spelunky 2 took many years to finish (Derek Yu is part of this game's team), yet it still launched and was a great game.

 

[Sander VF]

There's also some really damn pretty 2D but not pixel art games coming up, like High Fleet:

Notice how it says "2018" on there? I'm not getting my hopes up on that ever coming out.

Click to shrink...

This looks sick AF



and...


MICROPROSE IS STILL AROUND?!

 

[StereoVSN]

Oh, forgot "Jack Move". Looks quite good.

 

[Qwark]

Just went through the video and looked at a few mentioned games on Steam. One said 2022, another 2021, one said "Winter", and another said "Coming Soon." So yeah, these aren't 2021 games, they're just upcoming indie games. Expect a lot of these to not come out anytime soon since indie games are notorious for taking forever.

Click to shrink...

Do you remember which ones said 2022? I can't access steam on my computer.

 

[StereoVSN]

Forgot Eastward. Looks amazing.

 

[werezompire]

Do you remember which ones said 2022? I can't access steam on my computer.

Click to shrink...

I only looked at a handful, but Chained Echoes said 2022. There was a demo a while back but it looks like they delisted it. It seemed promising from what I played (it was mostly just a demo of exploration and combat).

 

[ArjanN]

P. S. Here's a cool one that wasn't in this video:

Click to shrink...

Steel Assault should be getting a demo tomorrow when the Steam's February Game Festival starts, Narita Boy as well I think plus about 500 other games. (several of the ones in this video as well I think)

 

[Lord Azrael]

Jesus some of those game title pronunciations lol

Some great looking stuff in there, but Cloud Jumper isn't pixel art at all. It's clearly 3D models. Being low res doesn't make it pixel art

EDIT: Ah I see OP addressed the Cloud Jumper point

 

[anaa]

Steel Assault should be getting a demo tomorrow when the Steam's February Game Festival starts, Narita Boy as well I think plus about 500 other games. (several of the ones in this video as well I think)

Click to shrink...

the Journey of this game from original showing on KS to the final look/end result is nothing short of astonishing. I can't believe it's actually finally near releasing. I remember lots of gloom and doom about the churn and graphics reworks, but I gotta Say where they ended up looks really impressive. Still not convinced about the scan line filter, though.

also can someone explain why in the video the guy seems really amped up on narita boy.. is it just me not seeing the appeal or does it not look all that great?

 

[Comrade Grogu]

Looking for isometric RPGs to play...

 

[Desi]

I wonder if that noir like SRPG ever came out? Remember a vid of a gunfight in a warehouse.

edit: think i found it. Pixel Noir, looks to still be in Early Access

 

[Comrade Grogu]

Also here's a similar vid from Clemmy Games. Some overlap, but has lots of titles not in GIG's list!

Click to shrink...

This is good!

 

[Sanctuary]

This is good!

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Been impatiently waiting for Gesalt. Bushiden and Chained Echos looks promising too.

 

[SJUG]

Love the look of Mighty Goose

 

[KDR_11k]

MICROPROSE IS STILL AROUND?!

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It's a former Bohemia dev who bought the name and rights to a bunch of games.

 

[Sander VF]

also can someone explain why in the video the guy seems really amped up on narita boy.. is it just me not seeing the appeal or does it not look all that great?

Click to shrink...

Narita Boy has been a hotly anticipated indie since before this forum was a thing, as far as I can tell.

 

[anaa]

Narita Boy has been a hotly anticipated indie since before this forum was a thing, as far as I can tell.

Click to shrink...

I just don't get it? To me, the trailer circa 2017 on their website doesn't actually show much in the way of gameplay, just scripted animations; And the footage shown here, while it does LOOK like actual gameplay it doesn't look too interesting (also looks pretty different from the 2017 trailer). Simple looking corridors, the platforming itself kinda looks a bit janky/amateurish. if it does end up being 'One of the highest selling games of the rundown' ill Definitely be surprised. I guess I'll keep an open mind until it's in peoples hands.. just trying to understand the hype for it.

 

[Comrade Grogu]

Narita Boy has been a hotly anticipated indie since before this forum was a thing, as far as I can tell.

Click to shrink...

I can believe it because Death Trash is on there and we don't even really know when it's coming out.

 

[vgp]

Get Indie gaming is a great YouTube channel. Just been through a lot of their older videos just looking for recommendations and adding games to my switch wish list. Guys over there are costing me a lot of money, can't beat their enthusiasm for indie games. (Shout out to beat em ups too for his eshop compilations)

Click to shrink...

Totally agreed. Best indie channel according to me.

 

[Comrade Grogu]

Love the look of Mighty Goose

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I actually don't; the character design for me is off-putting.

 

[Bushido]

The new Narita Boy trailer looks hot:

 

[Winnie]

The new Narita Boy trailer looks hot:

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Launching in Spring on PS4, Switch, One y PC. Also included on Xbox Gamepass for Console and PC.

Narita Boy launches this spring for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC

Team17 will publish Studio Koba-developed side-scrolling action adventure game Narita Boy for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam this spring, the companies announced. It will also be…

www.gematsu.com

Amazing one of my most anticipated games!

 

[Comrade Grogu]

The new Narita Boy trailer looks hot:

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Is this your project?

 

[Bushido]

Is this your project?

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LOL, that'd be awesome, but no. When I do shameless self-promotion I'll explicitly mention it ;)

 

[dubc]

Chained Echoes had a demo up a couple months ago. [edit, just noticed on steam it has a 2022 release date listed]

Era thread:

Steam: free playable demo for Chained Echoes, jaw-dropping game inspired by SNES era RPGs

Have you ever dreamt that the SNES era of JRPGs went on and they evolved to be progressively ever more beautiful? Have you ever dreamt that someone, eventually, made the ultimate JRPG in a world that mixes magic and mecha? Dream no more, friends; that game has been worked on for years, and it...

www.resetera.com

Ark Heiral any plans for another demo?