The visual style of a video game is crucial in setting it apart from others, with elements such as color palettes, character designs, and level design catering to the target audience. While there is no right way to create a game’s look, several tips can help bring the vision to life, including taking inspiration from existing games and real-life locations, and emphasizing the game’s unique selling points. Examples of games with a unique visual style include The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Cuphead, and Minecraft. A unique art style can make a game stand out from the crowd and create a memorable and immersive experience.

Creating a Unique Visual Style for Your Game: Tips and Inspiration

The visual style of your video game is one of the key elements that sets it apart from others. Your game’s art style will be what truly immerses players into your world, enticing them to play on. There is no single “correct” way to create your game’s look, as it should be a reflection of your story, characters, and gameplay. However, there are several tips and inspiration that can help you bring your vision to life.

Tip 1: Know Your Target Audience

The first step in creating a unique visual style for your game is knowing your target audience. You should know who your game is for before you can even begin to make aesthetic decisions about what your game will look like. Everything from color palettes, character designs, and level design should be catered towards your audience. If your audience is young children, perhaps bright and vibrant colors will be appropriate. However, if your game is geared towards older audiences, darker and more mature themes may work better.

Tip 2: Take Inspiration from Other Games and Real Life

The second tip to creating a unique visual style for your game is taking inspiration from other games and real life. While it is important to make your game stand out, it can be helpful to look at what existing games in your genre are doing well. Analyzing what works and what doesn’t work will give you ideas on what to avoid and what to build on.

Additionally, taking inspiration from real life can give your game a unique aesthetic all of its own. This could include the architecture of historical landmarks, the natural beauty of a specific location, or even the textures and colors of different materials like wood or rock.

Tip 3: Emphasize Your Game’s Unique Selling Points

The third tip to creating a unique visual style for your game is emphasizing your game’s unique selling points. Whether it is a specific gameplay mechanic or a unique character design, highlighting what sets your game apart from others can give it a unique look and feel. For example, if your game is centered around magic or the supernatural, incorporating fantastical elements into your world and character designs can help highlight your unique selling point.

Inspiration: Games with Unique Visual Styles

There are plenty of games out there that have become famous for their unique and instantly recognizable visual style. Here are a few games to draw inspiration from as you develop your game’s aesthetic.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the most successful games of all time, and its art style is a large part of why. The game features a cel-shaded look that emphasizes bright colors and bold outlines, giving the game a distinctive anime-inspired aesthetic.

Cuphead

Cuphead is another game with a unique art style that has helped make it one of the most popular indie games in recent years. Cuphead’s art style is heavily inspired by 1930s cartoons, with hand-drawn animations and vibrant colors that make it feel like you’re playing through a vintage cartoon.

Minecraft

Minecraft is a game that is instantly recognizable thanks to its “blocky” aesthetic. The game is intentionally low-res, with large pixels that give it a distinctive look and feel. Despite its simplicity, Minecraft’s art style is a perfect match for its gameplay, which is centered around exploration and creation.

Conclusion

Creating a unique visual style for your game can be a daunting task, but it is one of the most important aspects of game design. By knowing your audience, taking inspiration from other games and real life, and emphasizing your game’s unique selling points, you can create a visual style that is both memorable and immersive. By looking at games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Cuphead, and Minecraft for inspiration, you can see just how powerful a unique art style can be in making your game stand out from the crowd.