The indie game market is a platform for artistic experiments and unique visuals. While major studios often adopt conservative approaches to art, indie developers seek bold and innovative methods of visual expression.
Let’s break down the most popular indie game art styles.
Pixel Art
Pixel art is one of the most popular styles found in indie games. Dating back to the early days of video games, this art style evokes nostalgia for the era of 8-bit and 16-bit consoles. Modern games with pixel art such as Stardew Valley, Celeste, and Undertale are shining examples of how this art style can serve not only to highlight retro aesthetics but also as a means of creative expression.
Undertale. Source
Pixel art is based on the use of pixels as the main component of images. Although it’s characterized by simplified shapes and a limited color palette, pixel art can sometimes also be more detailed.
Let’s take a look at a few examples of games with pixel art:
1. Terraria — pixel art is used to create an enormous open world with sandbox elements.
Terraria. Source
2. Dead Cells — its dynamic and detailed animation makes this game’s art a feast for the eyes.
Dead Cells. Source
3. Katana ZERO — stylish pixel art with a cinematic core.
Katana ZERO. Source
Why developers choose pixel art:
- Lowered costs and development time Creating pixel art often requires fewer resources than high-poly 3D art, making it a popular style among indie developers with limited budgets.
- Technical restrictions For small teams, optimizing graphics for weak devices is a priority. Opting for a pixel art style is a great way of achieving this.
- A focus on gameplay and narrative A simplified art style lets people concentrate on other aspects of the game.
- Nostalgia This art style evokes positive associations in players who grew up playing on classic consoles.
Hand-drawn art
Hand-drawn art in indie games makes us think of paintings or illustrations. Games such as Cuphead, Hollow Knight, and Ori and the Blind Forest show us how hand-drawn art styles can transform gameplay into a genuine artistic experience.
Graphical elements in this style look as though they were painted in acrylic or oil, drawn with a pencil, or otherwise hand-crafted. Aside from this, artists use complex textures, strokes, and layers that strengthen the depth and aesthetic of the visuals.
Examples of indie games with hand-drawn art:
1. Child of Light — watercolor backgrounds and soft lines make players feel as though they’ve stepped into a fairytale land.
Child of Light. Source
2. Ori and the Blind Forest — artistic backgrounds employ light and shadows creating depth and magical effect.
Ori and The Blind Forest. Source
3. Gris — this title uses watercolor effects and a minimalistic style, emphasizing the emotionality and drama of the plot.
Gris. Source
Why indie developers choose hand-drawn art:
- To stand out from the competition Thanks to their offbeat style, hand-drawn games tend to attract players’ attention right away.
- Emotional connection with players Their “handmade” look lends this style a feeling of warmth and uniqueness, which helps players fully experience the plot and atmosphere.
- Longevity Hand-drawn styles rarely look dated to players, since they’re based on realistic art instead of technological trends.
- Budget control While hand-drawn art may be difficult to pull off, using this style saves on creating high-poly models and complex 3D animations.
Vector Art
Clean, sharp, and scalable, vector art stands out to players. In indie games, this style is often used to create minimalistic yet super stylish visuals.
Vectors are comprised of mathematical curves and shapes as opposed to pixels. This approach provides crisp, smooth, images that don’t lose any quality when scaled.
This style often uses flat design and a limited color palette to create a pared-back, modern style.
Examples of indie games with vector art:
1. Thomas Was Alone — simple yet striking art created using basic shapes and colors.
Thomas Was Alone. Source
2. Reigns — with its card-based interface and minimalistic art, this game doesn’t stray from the vector style.
Reigns. Source
Why developers choose vector art:
- Simple production It’s relatively simple to get the hang of creating vector images, plus they can be made more quickly — especially for small studios.
- Platform flexibility Due to its scalability, vector art is perfect for games launched for players on an array of devices (PC, mobile, console).
- Genre spanning This style works just as well for casual, strategy, or puzzle games.
Low-poly 3D art
Low-poly 3D art is trending among indie developers. This style is defined by the use of models with low quantities of polygons (simple geometric shapes). It first appeared due to the technical restrictions of early 3D games, but in modern indie development it has become a deliberate design choice.
Games such as Firewatch, Monument Valley, and Untitled Goose Game demonstrate that a visually pleasing and stylish world can be created with a limited number of polygons.
Firewatch is actually not fully low-poly, but some details are made using this particular style, such as elements of the landscape in the distance. Source
Examples of indie games with low-poly art:
1. Superflight — minimalistic 3D worlds in which geometry is the key design element.
Superflight. Source
2. Astroneer — stylized depictions of the cosmos are combined with simple shapes and vibrant colors.
Astroneer. Source
3. Islanders — a minimalistic city-building game with low-poly islands and constructions.
Islanders. Source
Why indie developers choose low-poly art:
- Cost-effective production Compared to high-poly art with texturing, it takes less time and fewer resources to create low-poly models.
- Retro nostalgia Games with low-poly art harks back to the early 3D games from the days of the PlayStation 1 and Nintendo 64.
- Optimization Low-poly art works well for players using devices with limited performance, including mobile phones.
Anime art
Anime art in indie games is often reminiscent of cartoons or comics. This style takes its inspiration from the aesthetics of animated movies. It’s characterized by its use of vibrant colors and fluid movements. This style can combine both 2D and 3D art — the spotlight is on the details and expressiveness of the characters and their surroundings.
Indie projects such as Night in the Woods and Spiritfarer use anime art styles to create emotional narratives adding depth to the gameplay.
Night in the Woods looks like a cartoon. Source
Examples of indie games with anime art:
1. Cuphead — complete with old-school film effects, each frame was drawn manually in the style of 1930s cartoons.
Cuphead. Source
2. Battle Chef Brigade — this cartoon art style uses a vibrant color palette and emphasizes the expressively animated characters.
Battle Chef Brigade. Source
3. Unruly Heroes — with its vibrant world and characters, this game is stylized on modern animation with an emphasis on action.
Unruly Heroes. Source
Why developers choose anime art:
- Expressive characters Anime art helps creating characters that players are sure to remember. This style is often inspired by cult animations such as those made by Disney, Ghibli, or Cartoon Network.
- Technological flexibility Animations can be created with 2D illustrations as well as 3D technologies, which allows developers to adapt the style to their game’s budget.
Voxel art
Reminiscent of 3D pixels, voxel art has seen a rise in popularity thanks to games like Minecraft and Crossy Road.
Minecraft — you might assume that such a popular and ubiquitous game was made by a major studio. However, the game was actually made by indie developer Markus Persson from the studio Mojang AB. Source
This style relies on voxels — cubes that act like 3D pixels — to create items and surroundings. Voxel art brings to mind LEGO bricks. Voxels are a callback to early experiments in 3D graphics, but when used creatively, they seem fresh and modern to players.
- Modularity: Voxels are very easy to manipulate, making this style perfect for a game with procedural generation or construction mechanics.
- Scope for details: This art ranges from large, simple cubes to complex and detailed objects comprising numerous small voxels.
Examples of indie games with voxel art aside from Minecraft:
1. Cube World — an adventure game with RPG elements, set in a vibrant voxel world.
Cube World. Source
2. Trove — an MMORPG with procedurally-generated voxel locations.
Trove. Source
Why indie developers choose voxel art:
- Simple production It’s easier to create voxel objects than high-poly models, which is an important consideration for small indie teams.
- Modularity. Voxels are very easy to manipulate, making this style perfect for a game with procedural generation or construction mechanics.
- Resource optimization Voxel art can easily be adapted for weak devices.
- A focus on interacting with the world Voxel art styles are often used for games in which destruction, construction, or exploration play a key role.
Multimedia art
Multimedia art incorporates a mix of different techniques and styles. Games like Braid and Inside combine anime, hand-drawn, and 3D art to craft a unique visual narrative experience.
In Braid, each world differs from the last. Backgrounds often resemble Impressionist paintings, and the character and the elements with which he interacts — stairs, blocks, etc. — have a cartoonish style. Source
Multimedia art combines different visual methods and techniques, but may also include photography, video recordings, collages, 3D models, and other multimedia elements. This approach allows artists to create experimental aesthetics, highlighting the unique experience provided by each game.
Examples of indie games with multimedia art:
1. Kentucky Route Zero — the blend of minimalistic animation, abstract shapes, and theatrical lighting builds a surreal atmosphere.
Kentucky Route Zero. Source
2. Her Story — the focal point is the real-life video recordings that are combined with the game’s interfaces and text elements.
Her Story. Source
3. Gorogoa — hand-drawn collages and photographic details are organically combined in interactive puzzles.
Gorogoa. Source
4. Don’t Starve — this game uses a papery texture and hand-drawn elements combined with puppet-like animation.
Don’t Starve. Source
Why developers choose multimedia art:
- An experimental approach The appeal of this style lies in its unusual nature, which helps it stand out among other games.
- Widely available tools A lot of multimedia techniques (such as making collages or incorporating videos) can be achieved without breaking the bank, which is good news for indie teams.
- Flexibility Developers can use a variety of media to express ideas that can’t be conveyed by traditional visual styles.
How to pick a style for your game
The choice of art style for indie games informs not only the project’s visual identity and how it’s perceived by players, but also its budget. Below, we’ve put together the main factors worth bearing in mind when choosing an art style to make your project a success.
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Think about your project’s atmosphere and gameplay experience
Your chosen art style should fit organically with the game’s story, genre, and atmosphere.
- Pixel art is a natural fit for an indie game with a retro vibe.
- Hand-drawn art makes sense for fantastical, artistic projects that call for unique visuals.
- Vector art works well for minimalistic, abstract, or casual games.
- Low-poly art is perfect for atmospheric, adventure, or budget-conscious 3D projects.
- Anime art is a good fit for a game with vibrant characters and a comedic or emotional subtext.
- Voxel art is well worth considering for a game with an emphasis on building, destruction, or exploration.
- Multi-media art is a great choice for an experimental, narrative-driven, or surreal game.
It’s also important to keep in mind the type of game and its gameplay. For a puzzle game or casual project, vector or pixel art are good styles since they don’t distract players from the mechanics.
Hand-drawn or low-poly art is well-suited for an adventure game. For a game with procedural generation, consider a voxel or pixel art style to ensure these mechanics can be easily integrated.
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Define your target audience
- For children and families, opt for pixel, hand-drawn, or anime art, since these styles are easy to absorb and generally bring positive vibes.
- Retro fans are sure to appreciate pixel or voxel art styles with a nostalgic flair.
- Lovers of modern minimalistic experience appreciate vector and low-poly art.
- For experimental players and art buffs, go for hand-drawn or multimedia graphics to ensure a unique visual experience.
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Take a look at your team
If you have skilled artists on your team, consider hand-drawn or anime art. Conversely, for small teams with few artists, pixel, voxel, or vector art is the way to go. You can even make use of pre-made assets.
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Set your budget
Art style directly influences labor costs and resources for tools and professionals. The evaluations below are approximate, but they’ll help you navigate the variety of styles.
- Pixel, low-poly, and vector art are the most budget-friendly styles.
- Medium budget — voxel or hand-drawn art. These styles require more work, especially when it comes to details and animation.
- High budget — anime or multi-media art. They may require complex animations, video editing, or working with real materials.
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Decide on a platform
For mobile devices, opt for vector, pixel, or low-poly art to keep resource requirements low. If you plan on launching on PC and console, consider going with anime, hand-drawn, or multimedia art to help unlock your game’s visual potential. For a browser game, embrace vector or pixel art for speedy loading times.
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Start working on your game with prototyping
Prototyping is the key to unlocking your style. Create a few different test visuals and check how they look in-game. Make sure your chosen style adds depth to the gameplay experience and fits the game’s mood instead of working against it.
In conclusion
Art styles in indie games are about far more than just aesthetics — they’re powerful tools for communicating with your players. Each style carries its own unique emotional message that allows indie developers to create incredibly vibrant and memorable virtual worlds.
What matters most when settling on a style is the authenticity and consistency of your creative vision. This is what sets apart the truly outstanding indie games (we mentioned several of them in this article), making them not just entertainment, but true art.