The "Pixel Graphics" are annoying.

[MikeFulton]

The pixel graphics in this game are mainly just kind of annoying and detract from the whole experience. I feel like i'm playing an 8-bit game on a 13" TV.

I haven't gotten that far into it yet, but really, how far do you have to get to wish the graphics were more detailed and sharper?

[コトラ]

I don't understand why the graphics bother people so much. I can understand it if it's pixel graphics for the sake of selling the game solely through the "nostalgia" factor when the pixel art itself has literally zero personality to it, which a lot of shovelware does, but in a precision platformer pixel graphics work for the game's advantage as this makes the hitboxes very clear.
The only things I don't like about the pixel art here (and specifically just the pixel art) are most of the character sprites (especially Granny's, as her hair looks completely different from her portrait).

[NBOX21]

Play this if a challenging 2D platformer with modern graphics is what you're looking for:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/846870/YookaLaylee_and_the_Impossible_Lair/
BTW there's nothing wrong with a game like this having simplistic pixelated graphics. So long as it's nice to look at, has an appealing art direction and the game is fun, why should it matter if it's pixelated or not? Certainly, this style of graphics isn't for everyone, but then again, no game is.

Also, there's a secret level you can find that makes the game look even more retro than the rest of the game already does. The PICO-8 in many ways feels like a throwback to the Commodore 64 of all things.

[Mezlux]

The pixel graphics are kinda, like, baked deeply into the game engine. I don't know how the devs could even switch the graphics without rewriting 90% of the game. Plus I don't get how the pixel graphics are "bad" when the game does some insanely fluid procedural animations using them. There's some insane attention to detail, complex effects, and so many things that I feel make the graphics well beyond much other pixel games. While I do see how big displays could make the game a little cumbersome, I don't think that edge case completely ruins the visuals since the game's graphical design is outstanding compared to other games.

[MikeFulton]

Originally posted by コトラ:

.... but in a precision platformer pixel graphics work for the game's advantage as this makes the hit boxes very clear.

For this to be a real thing, the ability to move the player's toon around on screen would have to be constrained in the same way, and it's not. The background is snapped to positions that line up with the graphics style, but the player is not, as far as I can tell.

My main complaint is that the pixels seem even bigger than the typical pixel graphics game.

[コトラ]

Pixel-perfect games are a rarity. I know Recursed is like that, as is Umihara Kawase, but the latter is a port of the SNES original, so it doesn't count!

I wish more games were like this, but it creates some impracticality with resolutions (as in, you cannot please everyone). What Recursed does is allow you to stretch the graphics or use a Super Game Boy-like border with fullscreen on.

[Duckboycool]

Originally posted by mfulton:

For this to be a real thing, the ability to move the player's toon around on screen would have to be constrained in the same way, and it's not. The background is snapped to positions that line up with the graphics style, but the player is not, as far as I can tell.

Madeline's position is pixel-aligned, and the ability to line yourself up on a specific pixel is often used for precise setups. The game does have subpixels (as is the case for a lot of pixel-position based platformers), but they don't matter for most things.

[Lyn]

Well the game is based off of a pico 8 game of the same name so it only makes sense to have pixel graphics

[ChekinNooget]

imo i like it; the developers just decided to use pixel art as their art design, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. it just seems like pixel art isn't your preferred style which is valid

[MikeFulton]

Originally posted by ChekinNooget:

imo i like it; the developers just decided to use pixel art as their art design, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. it just seems like pixel art isn't your preferred style which is valid

I don't dislike pixel graphics in general, but I think they're getting to be a bit overused. They were once the exception but these days they seem more like the rule.

[コトラ]

It is both cheaper to produce while taking up less space. See Final Fantasy XVI having a size of over 150GB. I don't want to give up over 10% of my HDD to play one game.
Because pixel graphics are a pretty big limitation, it can bring out creativity. It's really fun working with limitations, something game developers today no longer know.
But as I said before a lot of games that use pixel art don't use it in a smart way. It's done simply for the sake of being done.

See the Second Generation of Pokémon, for example: because the Game Boy Color sprites could only have four colors each, Pokémon sprites are made of white, black and two more colors, most often highly contrasting colors that did not go well together (like orange and blue for Charizard; they were almost always the two most defining colors of a Pokémon), and yet the developers somehow made them work and look good (there are still some odd ones like Chansey and Ursaring). Something interesting is that the white in the Pokémon sprites actually occupies up an entire square area around the sprite (every sprite is a block that's either 40x40,48x48 or 56x56); those are not "background pixels" (it's why the Pokédex also has a white "background" around the Pokémon).

Compare the original Final Fantasy IV/V/VI sprites to their Pixel Remaster counterparts: the Pixel Remaster versions feature a large amount of colors per sprite, much more than what is actually needed to properly convey everything each sprite needs, and the various shades of each color feel like they do not contrast enough with each other. The end result is a product that looks like it was done in pixel art simply to evoke nostalgia from people in an attempt to sell more (and because it's cheaper to produce, as stated above).

Saying they were "once the exception" isn't exactly true; as game technology evolved, of course developers would want their own chance at making games using the new technology to attract more customers. Games such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night or Valkyrie Profile instead opted against this. SotN in particular wasn't praised for its graphics back then, because the pixel art was stated to be "outdated". We all know how that went and how that's considered to be one of the best games of all time today, and part of that success is that the pixel art is beautiful and timeless.

[Unseen]

Love pixel graphics, buy games just cause they got pixels, retro and nostalgic, very fun. Who cares if someone doesn't like pixel graphics?

Doom is still one of the most popular shooters around.

[Blabbering donkey scroller]

I wanna say womp womp so bad

[VBro96]

OP is an idiot fishing for clown awards. If someone didn't want to play a pixel game, they would not have spent money to do so. Poor impulse control. Skill issue.

[TheAwesomeZero]

It's called an artstyle OP, look it up

[Moonlight]

I honestly don't see this game as a non-pixel game