Summary
While there’s a case to be made for darker games with gloomier visuals and more serious tones, it seems that, more often than not, AAA studios have been less concerned as of late with producing light-hearted, bright, and colorful games.
While it’s true that games likeRatchet & Clank: Rift Apartoccasionally get shot out of the AAA cannon, there’s an awful lot of focus on dark and gritty games with often desaturated tones that are purely focused on photo-realism. However, this has left a gap in the market for indie games to explore, with developers creating all ranges of nostalgic and original titles bursting with color and charm, all of which should help to brighten up the day.
This wonderfully retro 3D platformer features some charming, low-res visuals and bright, colorful environments. The game’s environments are largely grid-based, but the simplicity of the geometry helps the levels remain easy to read and keeps the platforming from getting too frustrating.
InFrogun, players take on the role of Renata as she ventures through ruins, collecting various goodies and zipping around with the titular “frogun,” which acts as a form of grappling hook, as she searches for her lost parents. The game’s distinct areas also help to keep the game visually interesting throughout.
This massively popular indie game is a cozy experience that puts players in charge of a small ranch on an exotic alien planet known as the “Far, Far Range,” wrangling a variety of cute and colorful slimes and keeping them content with the correct food and good habitats.
Slime Rancheris an extremely low-stakes title with a simple but addictive gameplay loop that has players exploring a small but detailed open world as they look for new slimes and types of food to bring back to their ranch. AlthoughSlime Ranchercurrently has a sequel in Early Access, the first title is arguably a more surefire bet, with plenty of content to explore right out of the gate.
This colorful 3D platformer has players hopping around five large and detailed worlds that all feel distinct, tasking players with completing a variety of unique missions and exploring each nook and cranny with a diverse set of movement options.
A Hat In Time, as its title suggests, also features progression in the form of different hats, allowing players to gain access to new abilities through different hats, and upgrading them with badges that can be collected throughout the world. For fans of 3D platformers,A Hat In Timeis the best bet when it comes to bright and colorful indie games.
This low-poly,Zelda-inspired isometric action game features a massive focus on exploration and challenging combat, with a visual style that leans on flat color and simple texture work.TUNIClooks fantastic and is packed with style despite its simplistic graphics.
It’s fitting thatTUNIClooks so wonderful, because its gameplay loop, in essence, is about experiencing wonder - exploring the world, discovering new areas, and taking in the scenery. However,TUNIC’sdeceptively simple combat system can be reminiscent of Soulslikes, primarily for its challenging encounters and boss fights, as well as its use of stamina and dodge rolling.
This swashbuckling action-adventure game features a brisk but well-crafted narrative campaign full ofsword-fighting actionand beautifully bright environments brimming with cartoon style. Gameplay-wise,En Garde!is all about getting the player to use the environment to their advantage to fight off multiple enemies at once in encounters that would otherwise be unfair.
En Garde!featuresa parry systemthat is paramount to its combat, and players will need to master this to succeed, especially during some of the more challenging encounters.En Garde!features some tongue-in-cheek humor and an overall tone that doesn’t take itself too seriously, which matches perfectly with its colorful aesthetic, and although the game is short, the arena mode is the perfect way for players to test their skills after beating the game.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunkis essentially a spiritual successor toJet Set Radio, taking heavy inspiration from the skating/action game that wasreleased back in 2000. Like inJet Set Radio,Bomb Rush Cyberfunkhas players skating around, collecting items, performing tricks, engaging in light combat, and spraying graffiti about the place.
The game’s bright, vivid, and colorful visual style takes obvious inspiration fromJet Set Radio, as well. The thick outlines, simple details and animations, and creative, colorful costumes and visual effects make skating aroundBomb Rush Cyberfunk’sworld a joy.
Thisopen-world sandbox gamefeatures wonderfully simplistic and appropriately wobbly characters with an abundance of wacky simulated physics and a fun world to explore that’s packed with things to do either alone or in the game’s online co-op.
Wobbly Lifetasks players with wandering the colorful island, completing jobs and missions alike to unlock new items and earn money to purchase costumes, cars, and houses.Wobbly Lifeis a decidedly silly game and doesn’t take itself seriously at all, making ita great game to enjoy with friends.
This wonderfully colorful and tactile strategy puzzle game takes inspiration from tile-laying tabletop games likeCarcassonneand brings it to video game format with bright and colorful visuals in hexagonal, tile-based environments littered with well-crafted props and hand-painted textures.
Dorfromantikis a simplistic experience with a minimalist approach to design, focusing almost entirely on tile-laying and pushing for a high score. Despite this simple gameplay loop,Dorfromantikis both strategic and engaging, and building out quaint villages in the game’s colorful landscapes never gets old.
Inspired by the likes of classic adventuregames likeThe Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker,Lil Gator Gameis a low-stakes adventure that’s full of charm and heart, brimming with bright flat colors, well-written characters, and satisfying movement controls, all held together by an emotional and heartwarming narrative.
Lil Gator Game’slack of challengeand stakes won’t be for everyone, but its bright and colorful world remains a visual treat throughout its short runtime, and the game’s movement controls make the environments a joy to maneuver around.
