Summary
When it comes to a game being fun, flashy, and beautiful,no developer can pull it off quite like Nintendo. A lot of the time, Nintendo will make a massive effort to ensure their games look as visually captivating as possible, even for some of their grittier titles likeMetroidandFire Emblem, they all still have a very sleek and stylish visual presentation that makes them stand out from other games in the industry. However, now and again, Nintendo will go the extra mile when designing the look of a game bycompletely changing the art stylein some pretty unique ways.
Sometimes, this can be an enhancement to the colors and general aesthetic, but there are others where Nintendo has leaned on some very unique inspirations to change the way a game looks and feels completely. With that being said, these are the Nintendo games that became incredibly memorable and recognizable thanks to their wonderful and unique art styles.
While all theSuper Smash Brosgames have a fairlycartoon-like art styleto suit the multitude of characters that they include in their rosters,Brawldid things a little bit differently, instead having a much more realistic and dark aesthetic. Why this decision was made by Sakurai and the team is unknown, but it definitely went a long way in making the game feel unique, and also perfectly matches the dark and intense tone that the game was going for with itsSubscape Emissary story mode.
This realistic art style also made a lot of the characters extremely detailed, such as Link for example, whose green tunic now has multiple patterns and decorations covering it as opposed to just being squeaky clean, and Mario’s iconic overalls, which look like they’ve been stitched together. While the series has since moved past this style and returned to its more cartoonish roots, being able to see these beloved Nintendo characters in a much more grounded setting is still a fascinating sight for any fan.
When the firstSplatoongame was announced inlate 2014, it not only made a massive impression for its unique take on the third-person shooter genre but also its incredibly vibrant and lively art style. Rather than sticking to a certain color palette like a lot of games do,Splatoonbroke the mold by integrating every color imaginable in its trailers, artwork, and the game itself, which is as bright and beautiful as one can come to expect from a game based around firing ink at other players.
Nintendo also created an entirely new cast of unique-looking characters for the game who are vaguely reminiscent of the chibi art style, but are also quite a bit different in their facial features and hairstyles, which are often made to look like squid tentacles.Splatoonalready stands out for its amazing and innovative gameplay, but the art direction helped to take the game to a whole new level of mainstream popularity.
Aftera countless number of 2DSuper Mario Brosgames, Nintendo decided to ditch the art style that they had been relying on for these previous titles and opted to give Mario and his pals an entirely new coat of paint for the latest game,Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Not only is everything much brighter, but there’s also just a lot more expression injected intoMario Wondercompared to the older games, with Mario having many more facial reactions that pop up throughout a stage, and the same applies to his allies and enemies as well.
There also seems to have been a lot of comic inspiration when developingSuper Mario Wondertoo, with huge flashy stickers and words being splashed across the screen whenever Mario grabs a power-up or defeats an enemy. While the game already looks fantastic, Nintendo let their imagination run wild with the Wonder Flower, which completely changes the environment into an entirely different style, making them an incredibly fun gimmick to play around with.
The cel-shaded art style ofWind Wakerwasnot received very well when the game was first shown, with a lot of people feeling as though it looked a bit too “childish” for a series that was otherwise quite serious and even dark at times. However, as time has gone on, a lot of people look back more fondly on the ambitious art direction of this game, and in hindsight, it was an amazing choice from Nintendo since it works so well with the setting.
As Link travels across the waters, the glistening blue sea, lush green islands, and puffy white clouds all look astonishing, and “Toon Link” himself even looks fantastic thanks to the color variation in his costume. Cel-shading also enabled Nintendo to use real-time lighting effects in the game, which also helped in adding an extra layer of immersion to the overall experience. Nintendo would eventually come to integrate the cel-shaded art style intoBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomlater down the line, and it’s no wonder why, considering how jaw-droppingWind Wakerlooked from a visual standpoint.
Yoshi has always been acute and endlessly charming character, but the game where this shines more than any other isYoshi’s Woolly World, where everyone’s favorite green dinosaur, and every stage in the game, is made to look like they’re all made completely out of wool and cloth. While it’s a fascinating direction to go with, the woolly art style also adds a strange sense of realism to the game thanks to how dazzling the graphics are, making it seem as though Yoshi and the world around him had just come magically to life after being stitched together a few moments before.
This incredibly unique art style is effortlessly cute and charming, and just never gets old to look at, especially since there’s so much variation with each of the six worlds all feeling very distinct and different, while still being just as memorable as ever.Yoshi’s Woolly Worldmay not have done anything out of the ordinary in terms of gameplay, but when it comes to art style, there are barely any games that can compare to it.
Not only doesKirby’s Epic Yarn’s craft-based art style look downright stunning, and perfect for a character as fun and playful as Kirby, but it feeds into the core gameplay itself. As players move through the levels that all look like they’ve been made with a random assortment of fabrics, yarns, and extra decorations, they will beable to use Kirby’s new whip ability to interact with the materials around him.
The game also enjoys playing around with its design, which makes it all the more fun and charming. Whether it’s a giant teddy bear raising its hand after Kirby re-stitches its foot back together, or even blocks turning to string after being destroyed, it’s clear that Nintendo had an absolute blast seeing how creative they could get with this unique art direction, and it shines through in the game itself, which is as fun to play as it is to look at.
