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Why don't we have a "low-poly PS1 inspired" games craze as we have pixel-art SNES/MD/NES?
- Thread starter newtonlod
- Start date
Hey! Paratopic is my game! I really want to do a lot more tinygames with a ton of random people in the future. This is a great aesthetic for it, imo.
Also, your screen looks amazing. Can't wait to see where you take it.
Thanks! Yeah, it's an adventure game I suppose? Short story maybe? Walking sim? Hard to say, still early, but it's where my evenings are going :)
We do see those game styles still, like Yooka-Laylee. We don't see those visual styles because they had the charm of a half deflated pool toy.
Personally I love the old PS1 era style. Jittery precision issues aside I feel the crisp unfiltered textures hold up better than the filtered Vaseline blur of N64 titles from that era. PS1 wasn't close to being my first console but I do enjoy the look.
Well done titles were basically a mixture of good pixel art mapped onto polygons that could then receive broad washes of colored lighting. Stuff like Metal Gear Solid, Vagrant Story, and Mega Man Legends all hold up artistically. Look at texture flats from those games and you'll see high quality pixel art.
Then there's stuff that nobody has really emulated much since then like Breath of Fire IV, where the backgrounds were basically beautifully done pixel art mapped onto polygons so you could rotate the camera. More artistry and top notch pixel art went into those background textures than exists in most SNES and Genesis titles. The problem is doing it well takes the skills of a decent 3D modeler, good pixel artists to paint textures, and someone with a good eye for stylized lighting to bring it all together. Indies tend to go for the simpler pixel art styles as a means to sidestep the need for larger or more experienced art teams.
If an indie dev is going to commit to doing 3D, at this point it's more likely that they go for flat/gradient mapped polygons without having to worry about doing high quality pixel art textures on top of that. Stuff more in line with Wind Waker or Necropolis.
Well done titles were basically a mixture of good pixel art mapped onto polygons that could then receive broad washes of colored lighting. Stuff like Metal Gear Solid, Vagrant Story, and Mega Man Legends all hold up artistically. Look at texture flats from those games and you'll see high quality pixel art.
Then there's stuff that nobody has really emulated much since then like Breath of Fire IV, where the backgrounds were basically beautifully done pixel art mapped onto polygons so you could rotate the camera. More artistry and top notch pixel art went into those background textures than exists in most SNES and Genesis titles. The problem is doing it well takes the skills of a decent 3D modeler, good pixel artists to paint textures, and someone with a good eye for stylized lighting to bring it all together. Indies tend to go for the simpler pixel art styles as a means to sidestep the need for larger or more experienced art teams.
If an indie dev is going to commit to doing 3D, at this point it's more likely that they go for flat/gradient mapped polygons without having to worry about doing high quality pixel art textures on top of that. Stuff more in line with Wind Waker or Necropolis.
The MUSIC in this trailer really takes me back to those old playstation demo discs that used to come in magazines
Game aside, That music feels like a take back as the poster above me said.
Wow that's gorgeous!!Personally I love the old PS1 era style. Jittery precision issues aside I feel the crisp unfiltered textures hold up better than the filtered Vaseline blur of N64 titles from that era. PS1 wasn't close to being my first console but I do enjoy the look.
Well done titles were basically a mixture of good pixel art mapped onto polygons that could then receive broad washes of colored lighting. Stuff like Metal Gear Solid, Vagrant Story, and Mega Man Legends all hold up artistically. Look at texture flats from those games and you'll see high quality pixel art.
Then there's stuff that nobody has really emulated much since then like Breath of Fire IV, where the backgrounds were basically beautifully done pixel art mapped onto polygons so you could rotate the camera. More artistry and top notch pixel art went into those background textures than exists in most SNES and Genesis titles. The problem is doing it well takes the skills of a decent 3D modeler, good pixel artists to paint textures, and someone with a good eye for stylized lighting to bring it all together. Indies tend to go for the simpler pixel art styles as a means to sidestep the need for larger or more experienced art teams.
cool. reminds me of a game I saw on twitter that's also low-poly and Clock Tower-inspired. need to try to find it
I personally adore low poly stuff, but I can totally understand why most people think it's ugly.
I used to be against the 32-bit look, but now I'm all for it.
Personally, at this point, I'd much rather play a game with a rarely-seen graphical style / fidelity than one that tries to be a 'good looking' game and misses the mark by a lot.
The low-fi look also works real well for current VR (what with its extreme graphical demands), and I find low-fi environments (especially stuff with simple light mapping) can be some of the most immersive visuals to me (not sure why - maybe just less details for my eyes to reject as 'not real').
At this point I play my 32-bit era games on emulation with texture warping, point sampling, and destructive CRT simulation. I crave that now.
Personally, at this point, I'd much rather play a game with a rarely-seen graphical style / fidelity than one that tries to be a 'good looking' game and misses the mark by a lot.
The low-fi look also works real well for current VR (what with its extreme graphical demands), and I find low-fi environments (especially stuff with simple light mapping) can be some of the most immersive visuals to me (not sure why - maybe just less details for my eyes to reject as 'not real').
At this point I play my 32-bit era games on emulation with texture warping, point sampling, and destructive CRT simulation. I crave that now.
I would love to see more games looking like Threads of Fate, that game is gorgeous and so charming.
http://www.mobygames.com/game/playstation/threads-of-fate/screenshots
http://www.mobygames.com/game/playstation/threads-of-fate/screenshots
Because most games in that style are hideous. Who would want to buy a game that purposefully looks like shit?
It's a completely different process and retro-inspired sprite work is more viable for a lot of small-time indie developers.
I love low-poly stuff in HD.
If I were Square Enix the FF7 remake would just be new HD pre-rendered backgrounds as close to the originals as possible with a new, more faithful localization.
I love low-poly stuff in HD.
If I were Square Enix the FF7 remake would just be new HD pre-rendered backgrounds as close to the originals as possible with a new, more faithful localization.
Pls post all good art here https://www.resetera.com/threads/your-favorite-low-poly-model.19950/
Anti-low poly shitposters with bad taste still posting "cuz its ugly lmao" after this many posts please disregard.
Anti-low poly shitposters with bad taste still posting "cuz its ugly lmao" after this many posts please disregard.
Low poly and PS1 inspired are two different things, low poly can definitely look great, but something like that Lara Croft in that thread with low res textures doesn't look good to me.
Correct. Just want nicer art posted in a single location...
I was curious about this the other day. Is there any video or article out there detailing the techniques used back in the day?
To me these games are able to achieve things with their "ugly" art style. While Resident Evil 7 is sharp as hell, there's something about those PS1/PS2 survival horror games and what they were able to achieve. The blocky art style enhanced the feeling of mystery, confusion. "Is that an enemy? What is that in the distance?"
Just like films Blair Witch and Begotten (below) gain a lot by using more primitive film stocks. The colors are muddy, the lighting isn't great, but the overall palette can be unsettling because everything isn't clear and vivid. The film Begotten has an incredible look and the atmosphere of horror and mystery would be ruined by IMAX cameras.
Just like films Blair Witch and Begotten (below) gain a lot by using more primitive film stocks. The colors are muddy, the lighting isn't great, but the overall palette can be unsettling because everything isn't clear and vivid. The film Begotten has an incredible look and the atmosphere of horror and mystery would be ruined by IMAX cameras.
I don't know about culture at large, but I recently have absolutely been bitten by a nostalgia for early 3D. I've been playing a lot of PS1 games and I find the low poly graininess absolutely charming.
It happened exactly the same way as with 2d sprites too. In its era I was always yearning for better graphics. By the end of its era I was absolutely sick of its look. For a decade afterwards I found it unplayable and impossible to look at. But then after 15-20 years I started to find the style not only acceptable, but appealing.
I'd definitely be down for some retro revivals of that style.
It happened exactly the same way as with 2d sprites too. In its era I was always yearning for better graphics. By the end of its era I was absolutely sick of its look. For a decade afterwards I found it unplayable and impossible to look at. But then after 15-20 years I started to find the style not only acceptable, but appealing.
I'd definitely be down for some retro revivals of that style.
all the texture warping, pixelization and low poly back then were due to technical limitation...which have been resolved from a software and hardware perspective...
so replicating those 'effects' in the current environment will need some real efforts than drawing a few 8bit pixels.
It's not different that those 'CRT effect' that many emulators were trying to emulate but only few managed to get it right. CRT effect doesn't mean just just applying scanline on every alternating frame on every alternate line of pixel, it's more nuance than that.
Same for the 'PS1' effect.
so replicating those 'effects' in the current environment will need some real efforts than drawing a few 8bit pixels.
It's not different that those 'CRT effect' that many emulators were trying to emulate but only few managed to get it right. CRT effect doesn't mean just just applying scanline on every alternating frame on every alternate line of pixel, it's more nuance than that.
Same for the 'PS1' effect.
These do look great.As people have already mentioned, I think retaining the general limitations of lower polygon count and lower resolution unfiltered textures but enhancing the visuals with something closer to a "beefed up" PS1 is what most people are talking about here and would like to see more of.
Which is basically something like NDS level graphics rendered in a much higher resolution (shamelessly posting Krammy's wonderful gifs):
The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road
Solatorobo: Red the Hunter
Phantasy Star 0
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Nanostray 2
Avalon Code
That old full screen uprez DS thread was pretty great at showing what the games could look like outside of the DS and its screen.
Yeah, I like how both of their first two titles look.
Yeah, I love the look of these and have/backed most of them. :)I'm actually fine with it. At least we're getting PS2-esque games coming out from indies and small devs, which is a better scenario.
Legend of Mana
Lost Sphear
Earthlock: Festival of Magic
Legrand Legacy
For the King
Light Fairytale
Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark
Always glad to see updates on Light Fairytale and that it's still being developed. I absolutely love the look of it and backed it during it's sadly unsuccessful Kickstarter.
Also, cool, I'd never seen Fell Seal and For the King before. Both look great, especially Fell Seal, that looks beautiful, which I'm also glad to learn will apparently end up on PS4 too as one of the updates mentioned they got a publisher. Thanks!
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Aloy from HZD → https://sketchfab.com/models/9b64eac561fa4fbfb7e2f485a6f03f6c (link to 3D Model)
it's like Vagrant Story meets Bravely Default
Wow. That looks amazing and cute as hell.
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Everyone is posting ridiculously good 'low poly' artwork in support of the playstation style. Most playstation games aren't that. I think low poly art CAN look good, but what we had 25 years ago typically didn't on the hardware. When it does look good, it's still a bizarre blocky approximation of art that's most remarkable for looking like blocks.
2D pixel art generally ages better because it's just low resolution hand drawn art. If you're going to directly compare playstation 3d graphics to 2D sprites, they're probably more comparable to stuff that came before the Genesis and SNES, mabe even NES, where the sprites were less like low res drawings and more like several blocks stacked on top of each other.
2D pixel art generally ages better because it's just low resolution hand drawn art. If you're going to directly compare playstation 3d graphics to 2D sprites, they're probably more comparable to stuff that came before the Genesis and SNES, mabe even NES, where the sprites were less like low res drawings and more like several blocks stacked on top of each other.
One thing I appreciate about some indie games in this style is that they're not only intentionally going low-poly, but also low-res. A lot of these games simply do not look the same in 1080p, which tends to not reveal any additional detail or even reveal flaws. This is of course most acute in actual old games where the art assets were actually designed for lower resolutions, but I feel like some recent indie games just miss the mark on the retro look by running in full HD. I wish more of them had a low-res upscale option like Devil Daggers.
On the subject of whether that era actually looked good, I gotta admit right now it feels like the majority of PS1-era games in fact do not hold up visually today, but a relative handful of them do manage to maintain a certain attractive aesthetic, and it's those games that indie developers have started to emulate today.
On the subject of whether that era actually looked good, I gotta admit right now it feels like the majority of PS1-era games in fact do not hold up visually today, but a relative handful of them do manage to maintain a certain attractive aesthetic, and it's those games that indie developers have started to emulate today.
well the thread is about "low poly, PS1-inspired" games, so adhering to the hard limitations of the systems isn't the point. nor is it for a lot of the other retro-inspired pixel art games. they appeal to nostalgia, in that they resemble what we remember they look like. gives artists freedom to not do all those things low-poly 3D detractors bring up. "but warping! but pixelated textures" and all that shit, when current artists don't have to worry about that stuff
I don't get the complaints. As long as it's 60 fps, and you take slight liberties with it, then it has a potential to look great. Like I played Resident Evil 3 a couple of years ago, and I enjoyed every minute of that. Which surprised me because that's 30 fps game.
Yes, how did we ever play and enjoy games below 60fps. The mind boggles.
Helltown, Back in 1995, and Paratopic seem to me like they might be part of a larger trend of games at least partially inspired by dark PS1-era adventure games.
The most famous inspiration is probably Silent Hill 1, which has an atmosphere and art direction that holds up today. I'm not sure whether the low-poly graphics don't hurt SH1's look or in fact enhance that game's nostalgic feel. In any case, SH1 was probably one of the first major 3D console games to nail the whole Twin Peaks, small-town American feel. Clock Tower 1 and 2 might have also contributed to this trend. Lesser-known examples that never came out in English are Mizzurna Falls -- seen as a kind of ideal Twin Peaks-ish narrative adventure game, and Aconcagua.
This trend has reached a point where I even found out someone did a music album or something themed after a fake PS1 adventure game.
The most famous inspiration is probably Silent Hill 1, which has an atmosphere and art direction that holds up today. I'm not sure whether the low-poly graphics don't hurt SH1's look or in fact enhance that game's nostalgic feel. In any case, SH1 was probably one of the first major 3D console games to nail the whole Twin Peaks, small-town American feel. Clock Tower 1 and 2 might have also contributed to this trend. Lesser-known examples that never came out in English are Mizzurna Falls -- seen as a kind of ideal Twin Peaks-ish narrative adventure game, and Aconcagua.
This trend has reached a point where I even found out someone did a music album or something themed after a fake PS1 adventure game.
I think we'll see more of these kind of games pop up here and there. Should be a relatively "easy" (I know it's not easy, but relative to making a more advanced model, it might be) way to make assets and creates a distinct look that more and more people are feeling nostalgia for (me included). I've been wanting to get into making something like that myself, but time is precious, sadly. One day.
Making good looking 2D assets is still less resource intensive than generating meh-decent 3D models. I think a lot of it comes down to simple return on investment in most cases although there are exceptions.
Off the top of my head, Grow Home and Grow Up are good examples and also that Metal Gear homage Never Stop Sneakin'.
Off the top of my head, Grow Home and Grow Up are good examples and also that Metal Gear homage Never Stop Sneakin'.
Yeah, I do think we'll start getting some more of these since a lot of people are getting even more nostalgic for it.
Who knows if it'll get made, since it's probably pretty early, but here's one in an updated version of that style being worked on that I remember seeing from SweetSark's great big work-in-progress indie games thread:
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Updated tweets
https://twitter.com/stephcask/status/1029864570201034752
I feel like there have been indie games coming out lately that try to mimic the low-poly aesthetic (which is one that I seriously love, btw). It'll probably never be as popular as that whole (dying?) "pixel/8-bit" craze. I'm so tired of that look.