7. Prince of Persia reboot
Stupid looking prince aside, a refreshing graphical style
The original Prince of Persia made use of impressive rotoscope animations to stand out from the crowd, so it came as a surprise that the Sand of Time trilogy didn’t adopt a particularly unique visual style. The 2008 PoP rebot set the record straight, visually speaking at least. The hand-holding gameplay style infuriated many of the hardcore Prince following, but the visual style was a bold and engaging move that managed to elevate the game to heights that its repetitive gameplay couldn’t match.
6. XIII
That's not a knife. This is a knife
Based on a mildly obscure Belgian comic book series, XIII did a good job of bringing comic book action to life. This is a European comic we’re talking about though, so get the image of a goofy superhero out of your head. XIII was much more gritty than that, with assassinations, amnesia and a lot of guns. It made for a surreal style of game, and the use of tap phrases on screen to alert you to enemy positions helped the visual style affect the game’s stealth action gameplay in intriguing ways. An unsung classic at its best.
5. Mirror’s Edge
The mono colour palette made for an oppresive setting
The 1984-esque big brother state is a world seldom touched upon in gaming. Even when it is, it isn’t often it gets the same graphical polish as a game like Mirror’s Edge. Though the game received strong criticism for its combat sections, the use of colour contrasts created an engaging and informative visual style. The first person viewpoint helped further immerse the player, and it was the defining feature of Mirror’s Edge platforming gameplay. A creative game, if not an especially fun one.
4. Ico
Ico, along with Shadow of the Colossus, are the two games that are often played as trump cards in the games as art debate. With the iconic minimalist and naturalist style, it’s easy to see why this is the case. Though Shadow of the Colossus is considered the more popular title, Ico remains my personal favourite. As one of the first titles to effectively incorporate bloom lighting, Ico was a technical marvel at the time. Its well structured castle backdrop also paved the way for a puzzle design that felt like it worked with the game’s setting rather than against it. It’s one of the most beautiful games ever, so it is well deserving of a mention here.
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