2D art, 2D game art styles, Art, Game Art styles, Cel Shading, Vector art

Introduction

2D games don’t fall short of 3D games when it comes to artistic expression and create an engaging experience. They are not bound by the need to match the “real world” compared to 3D games, therefore they allow more room for artistic flexibility and offer easier cross-platform game deployment and development. Early arcade and console games relied heavily on 2D art as they were more affordable and less resource-intensive. Due to their unique gameplay with a touch of nostalgia, they continue to remain popular among both gamers and developers worldwide. But the question is, which style will resonate with your idea? Since there are many 2D game art styles, making a choice may sometimes feel challenging. Each style, such as the handcrafted Ori and the Blind Forest or the minimalistic Monument Valley, tells a story in a unique way. To help you make an informed decision, this blog explores the different 2D game art and the uniqueness they bring to the table.

2D Art Styles in Games

The role of game art and game design in game development is to work together to create a tasteful blend of creativity and functionality. The design dictates gameplay mechanics and structure, while art breathes life into the world, shaping its mood, atmosphere, and emotional depth. Dive in and discover how you can make an informed decision while choosing a 2D art style for your game –

1. Pixel Art

Pixels are like the LEGO of game visuals. Originating from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, pixel art embraces low-resolution designs, and expressive animations on a grid-based structure. Each pixel is placed carefully which gives them a handcrafted charm. Despite its simple design, pixel art can evoke all the emotions in the spectrum, such as the beautiful landscapes in Celeste, the quirky characters of Undertake or the relaxing rustic charm of Stardew Valley.

Celeste, developed by Maddy Makes Games

2. Vector Art

Consider Vector Art as the remastered version of 2D game styles, characterized by clean lines, crisp colours and cartoon-like aesthetics. They are ideal for developing hyper-casual games like Luxor Evolved or the expressive characters of Angry Birds. Vector art is created using scalable vector graphics (SVGs), which deliver smooth lines and vibrant colours that don’t pixelate even when enlarged infinitely.

Angry Birds, developed by Rovio Entertainment

3. Monochromatic Art

Monochromatic art is an excellent example of how a design from a limited colour palette like black, white, and grey can create games packed with mood and emotions. Instead of relying on vibrant colours for variations, this style creates high-contrast visuals from a single colour or a limited palette that are minimalistic yet highly expressive. Take the examples of the haunting shadows of Limbo, the crime mystery of Aviary Attorney, or the noir charm of the Obra Dinn. Popular among storytellers, monochromatic art proves that lack of colour is not a limitation but rather a bold choice.

Limbo, developed by Playdead and Double Eleven

4. Cut-Out & Puppet Animation Art

Cut-out and puppet animation art is like breathing life into a flipbook. These designs imitate the look of paper snippets and move using segmented parts and rigging. This gives them the unique character of a paper doll with simple joint-based motion. Popular games in this style include Don’t Starve with its gothic eeriness, Paper Mario with its paper-cartoon aesthetics or Cuphead with its 1930s-style rubber hose animation.

Paper Mario, developed by Intelligent Systems

5. Flat & Minimalist Art

Flat and minimalist art strips down the visuals to the very essentials while still sparkling with expressions. Popular among binge gamers, this art style uses basic shapes, flat colours and no texture to create flat, usually solid-toned shapes for a sleek, modern look. Since there are no gradients or shading, the visuals appear more pronounced with a full bloom. Popular games in this style include Alto’s Adventure or Pikuniku. This style proves that a few well-placed shapes can also allow the creative potential of developers to shine.

Pikuniku, developed by Sectordub

6. Low-Poly 2D Art

Bringing a tasteful blend of Minecraft and Origami, low-poly 2D art features bold, blocky and beautifully simple 2D shapes. They adapt 3D low-poly visuals into 2D space, which includes polygons, flat shading and minimal details for creating visuals. They commonly feature bold colours and unique patterns to create simple or intricate designs, like the enchanting landscapes of Alto’s Odyssey or the nostalgic appeal of Diorama Dungeoncrawl. Popular among indie games and mobile titles, low-poly 2D game art embraces the simplicity of 2D game art styles to create immersive and visually stunning worlds without the need for hyper-realism.

Alto’s Odyssey, developed by Team Alto

7. Geometric Art

Popular among mobile and education games, the geometric art style relies on shapes, like squares for cities, triangles for mountains and circles for the moon. Using geometric shapes as its building blocks, this style crafts sleek and abstract visuals that feel both artistic and futuristic. This style weaves simplicity with elegance, such as the dreamlike architecture of Monument Valley, the hypnotic effect of Super Hexagon or the fun-packed challenges of Geometry Dash.

Geometry Dash, developed by Robert Topala

8. Hand-Painted Art

Hand-painted games, as the name suggests, bring hand-painted worlds and characters to life. Unlike flat designs, this approach mimics traditional artwork, blending colours to create rich, story-book-like worlds. They are first hand-drawn in any style, ranging from realistic to abstract, thus offering great artistic freedom to pick any art form that complements the story. This style is popular for adventurous games, RPGs, indie titles or any game for artistic expression. Popular examples include the ethereal beauty of Ori and the Blind Forest or the melancholic beauty of Hollow Knight.

Hollow Knight, developed by Team Cherry

9. Doodle Art

This 2D game art style features notebook doodles with wobbly lines, uneven shapes and a raw, hand-drawn feel, embracing a playful, childlike creativity. Compared to traditional hand-drawn art, this style is more abstract and leans into sketchbook aesthetics, usually involving black-and-white or simple colours. Popular examples include the stick-like characters of West of Loathing or the insanely addictive Doodle Jump.

Doodle Jump, developed by Lima Sky

10. Cel-Shaded Art

Inspired by cartoon-like aesthetics, Cel-Shading involves the use of bold outlines, flat shading and vibrant colours to make every frame look straight out of a comic book. Think of the ink-washed aesthetics of Ōkami, the anime visuals of Genshin Impact, or the crude humour and cartoonish visual style of Borderlands. The uniqueness of this style is that it makes 3D elements look like 2D, making its position controversial in the list of 2D game art styles. This style is popular in action, RPG or adventure games.

Genshin Impact, developed by Shanghai Miha Touring Film Technology Co., Ltd.

Choosing the Right 2D Art Style for Your Game

With vibrant colours, whimsical designs and unique shapes, 2D game art styles offer limitless possibilities to express artistic and storytelling skills. More than just aesthetics, it brings the world of cartoons to life. In short, the factors you should consider to make a choice include:

• • Target audience

• • Genre or theme

• • Technical constraints

• • Budget constraints

• • Market trends

For instance, pixel art is well-suited for retro games, while vector art can be used for developing a game with clean aesthetics. From all the styles discussed in this blog, pick the one that meets your aesthetic and gameplay vision. A word of advice – it is always wise to experiment a little with different styles to find the right one!

Why Choose Xpress Gaming for 2D Game Development?

With 17+ years of experience and 125+ gaming projects in our portfolio, Xpress Gaming offers holistic services from concept to deployment. Our expertise includes scalable backend solutions and real-time analytics, to enhance gameplay experiences. We use versatile engines like Unity to create engaging 2D games, ensuring cross-platform compatibility and high performance. Got a game idea? Reach out to us and let your idea shine to a broad audience with our team of experts!