Whether or not video games are a work of art is debatable among people. However, there’s no denying that every new title these days requires time, a lot of polishing, money, and hard-working developers. Plus, creating a game means putting a lot of effort into the art style and design to make the visuals stand out. Some games do this by creating something new, while others rely on established techniques from the past.
One such visual style is: Technicolor, which was once a color process for movies and included a special camera that shot using three black-and-white films. Although, in today’s digital age, Technicolor is more or less an art style. Here are a few games that use it.
10 Little Orpheus
Little Orpheus is one of the newest titles to use technicolor’s visual flair. It is an action-adventure game that focuses on storytelling rather than platforming. In terms of game, Little Orpheus is a side-scrolling title with an indie vibe.
It’s also one of developer The Chinese Room’s unique games, as they’ve done first-person adventures before, such as the Amnesia series and Everyone has gone to the Rapture. Little Orpheus is bright, colorful, artistic and just a beautiful looking title that deserves a play for its visual style alone.
9 Max Payne 3
Rockstar Games may not release new games often, but most of their highly anticipated titles are fun to play. One such game is Max Payne 3, which came years after the second game to conclude the trilogy. At first glance, this 2012 third-person shooter game is a noir-style action game.
However, it also has an essence of retro-style technicolor look, which makes it stand out from most other similar games. To play Max Payne 3 feels more or less like watching an old movie, with all its lens flares, artificial vibrancy and amazing cinematography.
8 Elliot
Elliot is an excellent precision platformer from developer Plain and Game. It is a 2020 title with a cute art style, but quite a challenging gameplay system that requires a lot of skill and timing. The game’s intro text on the Steam store states that it is a “colorful 2D platformer inspired by 16-bit classics”.
In addition, it says that the game can be lively and cartoonish, but players should not think of it as an easy game. According to Elliot’s description, it’s a “technicolor hell” for anyone who dares to step in for casual fun.
7 ULTRA WORLD EXODUS
ULTRA WORLD EXODUS is the perfect title for players who want to experience the Technicolor vibe for free. This bright and colorful game is an exploration title in which players visit an “abstract landscape of bleeding technicolor wonder, armed with a camera, curiosity and freedom.” In the core, ULTRA WORLD EXODUS is a walking simulator. However, the huge vistas and self-paced gameplay design make it a great free-to-play game.
Even popular magazine PCGamer claims, “Ultraworld is a surreal and beautiful first-person exploration adventure.” Even though the game is a 2014 title, it’s still worth playing for many reasons, including the visual style.
6 Kraken Academy!!
Squatting Academy is one of the most popular new games on the list that boasts of its colorful art style, dark humor and 8-bit retro look. It is a 2021 title with adventure style gameplay where players can explore, make friends, help ghosts and save the world from its ultimate doom.
The description of the game states that: Squatting Academy is “a technicolor fever dream that can only be described as “technically a school” for legal reasons.
5 Fractal: don’t make flowers war
Fractal: don’t make flowers war may look simple from the screenshots, but it’s much more challenging than anyone expects. It is a casual puzzle game that came out next in 2011 Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. However, its indie nature kept it from reaching the heights it should have reached otherwise.
According to the Steam store description, Fractal: don’t make flowers war is all about running “through a pulsating technicolor dreamscape” while expanding your consciousness. At such a low price, fractal is one of the unique technicolor games on the list.
4 PANORAMIC
PANORAMIC is one of the most memorable games on the list for several good reasons. First, it is an indie title with a very curated single player experience from two developers. Second, it is an experimental game where players experience an atmospheric adventure not available anywhere else. PANORAMIC comes with 15 unique environments, “meditative to explosive technicolor frenzy”, and dynamic interactive music from award-winning musician David Kanaga.
The game boasts 18-dimensional analog controls and nominal system requirements, such as 2 GB of RAM, a built-in graphics card, and only 1 GB of hard drive space.
3 Glitchhikers: the space in between
Glitchhikers: the space in between is a philosophical indie adventure game released in 2022. It is one of the most stylized and atmospheric games on the list and has quite an impressive gameplay style that is quite common in other titles.
The game’s Steam description states that it is a “surreal journey through the spaces between places”, where players travel around midnight and find themselves in various locations such as an abandoned airport lounge, an empty park, an overnight train and more. Glitchhikers: the space in between is a paid game with a “Positive” score on Steam. However, it is one of the games that deserves more attention.
2 RetroShooti
RetroShooti is an early access title that first came out in 2021. It is an old-fashioned shoot-em-up game about mindless action in a world full of aliens and cosmic beings. In the core, RetroShooti is a side-scroller that emphasizes on giving a classic gaming experience to the players with a ridiculous art direction.
Even the game’s developer team claims RetroShooti is all about an “insane scrolling highway of oncoming traffic, space debris and technicolor madness” where players must help “Shooti”, a friend and hero in the form of a spaceship.
1 In the pause between the ringing
In the pause between the ringing and other Studio Oleomingus titles are some of the best examples of technicolor games on Steam. While their games are not technical masterpieces or action-based funhouses, they are a memorable experience in terms of art direction and visual style.
In the pause between the ringing is their second main game on Steam, a free-to-play indie game based on a story written by Mir Umar Hassan in July 1958. From design to aesthetic, this is worth experiencing for its casual nature and $0 price tag.
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