Not all players want photorealistic graphics. Sometimes, it's satisfying to pick up a game that has a distinctive, stripped-back style. These types of games can become iconic in terms of visuals, instantly identifiable at a glance in some cases. Plenty of the games below use their visual style to become incredibly distinctive
Here are just a handful of the best games with stripped-back visuals. From satisfying arcade-style games that are fun to pick up and play in a quiet moment, to deeply moving experiences with rich worlds to explore, there's something here for every player.
6 Swordship (2022)
A super sleek, super fast 'dodge-em-up', Swordship is a minimalistic game that players won't be able to put down. Set in a dystopian future, humans live underwater, and goods are delivered to neighboring areas via containers. Commandeering a ship, it's the player's job to grab these containers and deliver them safely to those expelled from the cities. Of course, it's not that simple: players also have to dodge security bots, and they're not afraid to go in guns blazing.
It's a frantic game where split-second decisions matter. Failing to swerve out of the way can bump players right back to the beginning. The more points a player can get, the better equipped they'll be to deal with the more difficult levels later in the game. It's a fun game to pick up and play, and the visuals are super cool.
5 Superhot (2016)
Superhot is an FPS with a twist. Time only moves when the player moves, which allows for longer thinking time. It's like moving in slow motion. Stylish, minimalistic slow motion, of course. It's a challenging game with distinctive red, white, and black visuals, and while it looks like a traditional FPS, it's more like a puzzle game. It's all about thinking: react too fast, and it can all fall apart.
Superhot is the kind of game that, when players get it right, is super satisfying. There's something joyfully Matrix-ish about being able to take out several enemies before they've even had a chance to blink. If players complete the main game, they will unlock the challenge levels, which get fiendishly difficult. So if they can't get enough of Superhot's low-key style, there's plenty of content to enjoy.
4 Journey (2012)
Over a decade old, Journey is a stunning game and is considered a modern classic. Exploring a desert, the player slowly makes their way to a mountain that looms in the distance. Along the way, they may encounter other players, similarly exploring the landscape.
Having won several Game of the Year awards, Journey has a moving story, but it's the gorgeous visuals and incredible soundtrack that sets it apart. It feels like stepping into another world; one that is as mysterious as it is beautiful. It's absolutely worth picking up if players haven't encountered it already.
3 Limbo (2010)
Instantly identifiable due to the gloomy, haunting visuals, Limbo is a beautiful puzzle platformer. Players control a boy who has no idea who he is or where he's going; they quickly realize that the environment is teeming with dark surprises. Escaping is the goal, but getting out will be a hell of a journey. (It also involves one of the most terrifying spiders in gaming, so be prepared for that.)
Limbo isn't an easy game by any means. Figuring out how to escape an area invariably involves dying (again and again). Still, it's worth sticking with it for the emotional and impactful ending. With beautiful black-and-white visuals and monsters rendered as terrifying silhouettes, Limbo can get under the player's skin, and is the kind of game that lingers for a long time afterward.
2 The Unfinished Swan (2012)
Another gorgeous minimalistic game, The Unfinished Swan tells the story of an orphaned boy with only one thing linking him to his recently deceased mother: a painting of a swan. However, when he wakes one morning to find the swan has gone, he gets sucked into a strange painterly world to find it.
The Unfinished Swan is surreal. Players can throw paint, slowly building their way out of a series of puzzles while witnessing a beautiful story as it gradually unfolds. It's a stunning game with a stripped-back color palette and, like some of the other games on this list, a beautiful score that begs to be listened to using headphones. It's a great game if players want to shut out the world for a little while.
1 Mini Metro (2015)
Now for something a little different. Mini Metro is a tricky little puzzle game in which players must build a rail network to connect a series of cities. Passengers, represented as small shapes on the map, must be successfully delivered to a station with the matching shape. This becomes more complicated to manage as the game progresses. With four game modes (Normal, Extreme, Endless, and Creative), there's plenty of content to enjoy.
Mini Metro is a satisfying game to pick up and play on mobile. There's something really enjoyable about the minimalistic style. With maps based on real cities, it also has colorblind and night modes available, which is particularly helpful for some players.