#Cuphead art style series

Another example is Yacht Club Games' Shovel Knight (2014), which draws influence from games such as Capcom's Megaman and Konami's Castlevania series, explicitly presenting itself as a game that looks like it could have been released on an early Nintendo console. series, while laying a much darker theme over the simplistic style. Team Meat's 2009 Super Meat Boy draws heavily from earlier platformers such as the Super Mario Bros. This is especially evident with the 'indies' that take inspiration from the 8-bit and 16-bit era of games. These choices make a game less expensive and time consuming to produce but also allow the games to draw audiences via nostalgia. While these blockbuster games dominate the gaming landscape, independent game studios have tended to look to earlier media forms for stylistic and gameplay influences. These games also combine rich three-dimensional environments with a balanced cinematic and gameplay-rich experience.

#Cuphead art style series

It has been released in an era where interactive entertainment is getting close to perfecting photo-realism heralded by studios such as Naughty Dog with games like the Uncharted series (2007–17) and The Last of Us (2013), which are lauded for the quality of their facial animation. Studio MDHR's 2017 video game Cuphead is an ambitious endeavour. It is instead being controlled by the player, revelling in the titular character's mayhem. Although these visuals may seem oddly familiar or elicit a sense of déjà vu, there is one key difference: nothing appearing on the screen is pre-determined. With so much going on, the scene feels like it comes from one of those bargain-basement VHS compilations of old cartoons that have lapsed into the public domain.

The word 'Wallop!' strobes across the screen and the action begins. Waves crash in the background and foreground, adding to the intensity of the shot. The boat that Brineybeard is standing on has a grimace and even a barrel suspended from the sky is expressing anger. The other objects in the frame are sporting facial features, giving them life. The character is sporting a determined stance to face off against Captain Brineybeard, the jolly, laughing yet imposing sailor to the right. Intricate, striking, and jaw-droppingly beautiful, the Banner Saga is a must-play for fans of the fantasy genre and video game connoisseurs.In a slightly unfocused scene, Cuphead pulls himself up by his belt loops, ready for a fight. Settling for a traditional style, the game’s art direction is deeply inspired by Eyvind Earle’s work from Disney’s classic Sleeping Beauty. The game’s design and art are like something out of a fairy tale and give off a sense of wonder, particularly during cutscenes when player’s convoys encounter the various Godstones. The game is set in a dying fantasy world inspired by Norse mythology where players must lead their convoy to safer pastures away from the horrors pursuing them.įeaturing turn-based tactical combat and branching narratives, the game is incredible to behold and is likely to immediately immerse players into the world and story. Whilst many games can be considered breathtaking, the Banner Saga Trilogy does so in a unique way that has captivated the gaming community.