Why go 8-bit low-res?

Artist's Statement | Why do low-res 8-bit in 2021? 

Creative limitation helps us explore thematically rich, story-driven games. 

Less is more. With low-res, people's imaginations fill in the detail. They project their own emotions onto the few pixels that make up a character’s face. We're miles away from the uncanny valley.

I take the same minimalist approach to storytelling. What are the bare essentials needed to reveal character motivation and plot? How can I hoist as much as possible onto the player’s imagination? How can I use simple game mechanics--including something basic as movement--to transport emotion and meaning?

Why does Christopher Nolan focus on practical special effects and shoot with film? Why does he fight to preserve celluloid when the world has gone digital? Maybe the same reason a community of people still create games for a console nearing 30 years old. It is something more than nostalgia. There are qualities unique to the technology of its time. The new does not need to push out the old.

The '90s came and went. We moved on to 4k, 3d and VR but there are spaces of possibility we did not fully explore when the Gameboy was in its heyday. It's worth going back in time to see if we can do more with less.

PLAY THE GAME (browser version with sound)

READ MORE: How to make NPC's feel alive