10 Games With The Most UNIQUE Visual Styles

“Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door” (2004)

Venture back with me to the good old year of 2004, a time when the Nintendo GameCube was shining brightly with its unique and quirky games that Nintendo is known for. Enter Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, a highly anticipated game that was, of course, the follow-up to the OG Paper Mario on the Nintendo 64. The hype surrounding The Thousand-Year Door was huge. Now, if we want to discuss unique visual styles, especially back in the early 2000s, then this game is a no-brainer. Where the OG Paper Mario conceived the papercraft idea, The Thousand-Year Door ensured it blossomed all throughout its lengthy RPG adventure starring Mario and pals. Yes, the 2024 remake also looks incredibly amazing and many can’t wait to dive into the adventure, but it’s the 2004 game that really showcased the art style and why Nintendo were (and still are) the masters of charm and whimsy. On a side note, for similar experiences, be sure to also check out the yarn-infused Wii game Kirby’s Epic Yarn and the perfectly stitched-together, craft-centric goodness of Yoshi’s Crafted World.

“Journey” (2012)

From barren sunburnt deserts to snow-ravaged mountain peaks to dark and derelict ancient structures, Journey offers up a sheer smorgasbord of artistic beauty around every single corner. Journey is one of those classic indie games that has managed to break out of the niche and into the mainstream zeitgeist, even well over a decade after its initial release. Journey is truly a game about discovery and friendship, especially in places where you might least expect to have connections. It’s a meditative experience that’s all about being in the moment as you explore the aforementioned places taking in the scenery with your enigmatic protagonist. Journey is the epitome of video game art both in terms of its gorgeous art style and its organic world-building storytelling. If you happen to be looking for a unique visual style in a game that can help you unwind after a long day then Journey is made just for you. It’s truly a transcendent game.

“Chicory: A Colorful Tale” (2021)

Have you ever wanted to play a video game version of a coloring book? That may seem like an oddly specific question; however, that’s just what you get with the delightful vibrant and utterly joyous indie game, Chicory: A Colorful Tale. Sort of coming across as a 2D top-down version of something like Okami (more on that game later), complete with paintbrush and all, Chicory is a game all about bringing color and happiness back to a land devoid of these things. Taking place in and around Picnic Province, it’s up to Chicory, and of course you the player, to use the magic Brush to sweep swathes of bright and playful colors in order to restore life and prosperity to the folks in this land. The story here is filled with emotional moments, ones that tug at your heartstrings more than once throughout its runtime. For this game, it’s really about how the puzzle adventure gameplay and the paint intertwine with the storytelling; to great success I might add. While there are myriad indie games that are bright, cheery, and colorful, it’s Chicory: A Colorful Tale that stands out as a beacon with its coloring book aesthetic and cartoony whimsy.

“Disco Elysium: The Final Cut” (2019)

Disco Elysium has rightfully earned a ton of acclaim for its engrossing gameplay, top-tier character writing and dialogue, and superb world-building. However, just as excellent is the game’s stunning visual style. Opting for 3D character models on what can only be described as a dark watercolor painting canvas, the isometric perspective here provides a finely tuned juxtaposition of varying art styles. There’s a grim and gritty nature to this game’s visual style which very much lines up with its narrative all about a city’s fallout from a past revolution, an intriguing murder mystery, and elements of realism and materialism permeating the game’s lovingly crafted world. Eschewing traditional RPG combat and battles, Disco Elyisum seeks to offer a more cerebral investigative experience. It’s a bold move for a game to take in an industry that loves bombastic action; but, in the case of this game, it succeeds with aplomb. Come for the unique art style and stay for the story and gameplay.

“Limbo” (2010)

2010’s fan-favorite, masterclass indie game Limbo is beloved not just because of its simple yet consistently engaging puzzle platforming gameplay and thought-provoking, subtle narrative but also because of the gravitational pull of its stark and bold monochromatic visual style. Developer Playdead took a big bet with this art style but fans immediately took to this game’s aesthetic since it was unlike most other game projects at the time, at least on consoles. While Playdead iterated and upgraded this art style (and also its gameplay) for its equally excellent follow-up game Inside, it’s Limbo that set the standard. While a very short game that can easily be wrapped up in under two hours, Limbo starts strong and doesn’t overstay its welcome. Focusing on a young boy exploring a purgatory-esque landscape full of deadly danger, he must work to survive and figure out what happened to his sister. It’s dark, somber, and moody all throughout with a perfect art style for this type of experience.

“Manifold Garden” (2019)

So, what do you get when you meld the highly creative yet incredibly esoteric and confounding works of artist M.C. Escher with a challenging puzzle game? Well, if you’ve been following along this list so far, you of course get the likes of Manifold Garden. Watching this game in motion is truly mesmerizing, almost coming across as a surreal version of something like Portal 2 or The Witness. The contrast of colors with gameplay elements such as cubes and water with the mind-bending backdrops is almost meditative. There’s this serene sense to this game that lulls you in with its visual style but keeps you hooked and immersed with its simple yet sublime puzzle gameplay loop. Do yourself a favor and check out Manifold Garden if you seek something extra artistic and unique in the puzzle genre.

“Okami” (2006)

Developer Clover Studio truly knocked it out of the park with 2006’s Okami. Talk about a robust action-adventure game with a downright exemplary art style. The watercolor-esque cel-shading makes this entire adventure look and play like a painting. You, of course, step into the fluffy paws of Amateratsu. It’s up to our wolf pal to utilize the power of the Celestial Brush to restore order to this mystical and ethereal world. The way Okami blends real-time action-adventure gameplay, platforming, and puzzles with the Celestial Brush canvas is the stuff of dreams when it comes to gameplay. The Japanese folklore backdrop of Okami ensures the highly colorful and effective watercolor ink wash style comes through at all times. This is one of those games that will continue to be discussed for years to come.

“Return of the Obra Dinn” (2018)

Every once in a while, a game comes around that features an art style so different from anything you’ve ever seen that you can’t help but take notice. Such is the case with 2018’s Return of the Obra Dinn, a highly unique first-person detective/mystery puzzle game with a visual style interestingly named dither-punk. Sort of acting like a 1-bit monochromatic presentation, the dither-punk name comes from a blend of dithering patterns that make up various shades of gray, all within the confines of a unique rendering technique. It’s rare to see a game like this, hence why Return of the Obra Dinn stands out. This art style feels right at home within the game’s early 19th-century narrative and setting, centering around you, the central character, working for an insurance company. You have the powerful ability to see past events as if they are happening right in front of you. Through this ethereal power, it’s up to you to solve the mysteries aboard the Obra Dinn all while enjoying its stunning dither-punk aesthetic.

“Harold Halibut” (2024)

This game might just have one of the most captivating art styles around. Fully hand-made and created, Harold Halibut is a claymation, stop-motion adventure game that oozes with charm. Very clearly crafted with the utmost love, care, and attention to detail, Harold Halibut is easily one of the most unique and enticing visual styles around, a game that showcases why games truly are a magical and complex art form. For those unaware, Harold Halibut is an emotionally-charged, narrative-driven experience all centering around a visually stunning sci-fi aquatic alien world where humans have evacuated Earth in order to (hopefully) find a new home. As a lab assistant, it’s up to Harold and his friends to explore the massive ship known as the Fedora (a name that I very much tip my hat to) in order to solve puzzles, meet new alien locales, and potentially find a way out of their situation. This is one of those games that will stick in your heart and mind long after you experience it, both from its friendship-defining story and, of course, its utterly appealing claymation, stop-motion visual style.

“Cuphead” (2017)

Welcome one and all! Yes, here we are; we arrive at Cuphead. One part incredibly enticing 1930s-esque cartoon aesthetic and art style and another part soul-destroying, punishingly-hard boss rush platforming, bullet hell goodness. Gotta love it! There’s simply no denying how darn amazing the old-school vintage cartoon visual style is here in Cuphead. It’s what piqued the interest of tons of players when it was first teased, before we truly knew how hard the game would be. Cuphead might just be the cream of the crop when it comes to unique visual styles. If you want to talk about pain-staking efforts when it comes to hand-created visuals then, once again, look no further than this game. It’s a masterclass in visual creativity, gameplay prowess, and technical advancement, especially for this medium. Now, if only I could just beat the darn game…

So, do you agree with our picks for this list? Be sure to let us know down in the comments section which games you think have the most unique and creative visual styles. Thank you for watching. If you enjoyed this video and want more from us then don’t forget to subscribe to MojoPlays for even more gaming goodness every single day.