Top 10 Video Games with Unique Art Direction

When they want to be, video games can be the most beautiful form of art out there. And these video games certainly want to be. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for Top 10 Unique Art Direction in Video Games.

For this Top 10, we’re looking at the more artistic games that employ a unique graphical style effectively to make themselves standout, instead of just trying to look the “most realistic”. Not only do these games look good, but often the art style directly influences the gameplay. Since Cel-Shaded games aren’t exactly unique these days, Those games are ruled out. We’re really looking for the most unique diamonds in the rough.

We’re starting off with an oldie, but boy has it aged into some strange work of art. This is the perfect instance of a game that set itself apart with its beautiful art direction – remember, this was 1991. The story of ‘boy messes with science, gets sent to another dimension, has to fight off hordes of aliens who want to dissect him’ isn’t exactly earth-shattering for a video game, but the game’s minimalistic, flat-color animations made up of simple polygons gives it a unique feel that’s – dare I say it? – out of this world.

It’s right there in the title: Paper Mario is the beautiful result of everyone’s favourite plumber being flattened into a piece of paper. In this spin-off RPG series, players get to travel through the Mushroom Kingdom like they’ve never seen it before: made entirely out of paper. It’s a wild aesthetic choice that leads to a whole host of fun visual gags, and sometimes Mario’s paper form even helps him save the day – like when he has to turn into a paper airplane or a paper sailboat. What won’t Nintendo think of?

Easily one of the most beautiful games on the Super Nintendo, Yoshi’s Island reimagines the world as a magical art project come to life. The gorgeous levels look like they were drawn with chalk & crayons, the colours are vivid, and everything’s always buzzing with life. This art direction truly captures the innocence of the game: what could be more fitting for a game about a tiny baby Mario on a quest to save his baby brother Luigi?

If you’ve ever wanted to run around one of Hayao Miyazaki’s famous anime films, this is your chance. Or at least the closest thing to it. When Studio Ghibli and Level-5 Studios teamed up to make an RPG of epic proportions, gamers everywhere shed tears of joy at the work of art the two studios concocted. Ni no Kuni does a phenomenal job of capturing the style of Studio Ghibli’s films, with fluid animation and an attention to detail that movie buffs have come to love – and now we’ve got that in game form. To whoever came up with this blessed union: thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

A unexpected gem from the last generation, Journey is all about evoking emotion. Designed to make the player feel “small” amidst a world of wonder, this indie-developed critical darling takes players on a – you guessed it – journey through a beautifully rendered minimalistic desert. It might appear desolate at first, but what is there is lovingly rendered: from the mesmerizing sand to the fluttering cape of the player to the intricate and mysterious ruins littered around. It’s truly a game that has to be experienced to be appreciated, so grab your cloak and set off on a journey of your own.

Claymation is sort of a lost art these days, due to its time consuming process and niche appeal. But that didn’t stop Earthworm Jim creator Doug TenNapel from creating the elaborate world with over 3 tonnes of clay. This quirky point-and-click adventure was rendered entirely out of clay and stop motion technology, giving it a look that’s completely unique. Or at least, it was until recently: 2015 saw the release of Armikrog, a spiritual successor coming out nearly two decades later that shares its whimsical style and is ready to capture the hearts of a whole new generation of gamers.

Get your confetti ready for this Playstation treasure from the minds that brought us LittleBigPlanet. If you’ve played one of these games, you know just how beautiful and innovative these designers are with their worlds. This time, you play as either Iota or Atoi in a mesmerizing landscape inspired by papercraft. With solid gameplay that’s anything but paper-thin, this imagination-powered adventure is one you won’t be able to tear yourself away from.

No, we’re not talking about bending backwards and dancing under a pole – this is a totally different kind of Limbo. This 2D sidescroller presents itself in entirely black and white tones, and you’re given the task of guiding a little nameless boy through an eerie black and white forest. The art, which masterfully plays with shadows and silhouettes, is as unsettling as it is beautiful. It’s minimalism at its finest… and possibly its creepiest.

On a brighter note – literally – Kirby continues to be one of the most colourful platforming games around, and this time we’ve got an adventure that has some texture to it. If the title didn’t spoil it for you, everything in this game from the enemies to the levels to the little pink ball himself is rendered out of yarn. It’s so full of charming visual gags and imaginative levels that Nintendo decided to pull out the yarn bowl again for 2015’s Yoshi’s Wooly World.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are some honorable mentions:

“Machinarium” (2009)

“Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP” (2011)

“Donkey Kong Country” series (1994-)

“LittleBigPlanet” (2008)

“Proteus” (2013)

If you’d ever looked at an MC Escher painting and thought “Wow, that would make a great video game level”… you’d probably be called crazy. That is, until 2014, when the indie studio Ustwo had that very same idea, and release. one of the most unique-looking games ever: Monument Valley. It’s a minimalistic, geometric, totally enchanting puzzle game that has players finding their way through cleverly designed optical illusions in a beautiful isometric world. Its style is minimalistic, atmospheric, and artistic all at once, and is integral to the game’s mind-boggling puzzle-solving. And yes, you may have seen Frank Underwood playing it. It’s just that good.

Do you agree with our list? Did we miss any museum-worthy games? For more mind-blowing Top 10s posted daily, subscribe to WatchMojo.com.