Best Art Design
The Best Art Design category is designed to catch the games that get missed when evaluating visuals from a purely technical perspective. Sure, they might be extremely technically competent or have a boatload of cool technology used in them, but this category focuses on shape, structure, movement, and style. Candidates can be anything from a few simple pixels to the triple-est of A games, and the beauty (heh) is that they all have a great shot at winning. With games of all shapes and sizes, 2019 has a ton of strong candidates for Best Art Design. Will something with the best style win? Or maybe something that is technically sound? Without further ado, here are the games with the Best Art Design of 2019, as per COGconnected.
10. Black Future 88
Set in a dystopian synth-punk future with loads of neon and pixel graphics, Black Future 88 already has style going for it. However, where the game shines is how it combines its gameplay with its graphics. With its frenetic, fast-paced gameplay set in the beautifully crafted world, covered with bullets, explosions, and neon, Black Future 99 exuded a strong sense of movement and style.
9. A Plague Tale: Innocence
At first glance, A Plague Tale: Innocence appeared to be a generic single-player, linear, narrative driven adventure title. While it does live up to those descriptors, the game manages to set itself apart through its use of mood setting and playing up to its narrative. Set in a rat infested, 1348 France facing invasion by the English, players attempt to navigate the historical setting with a supernatural element. In particular, the swarms of rats are a particularly strong element of the title, and is perhaps its most memorable art-related aspect.
8. Outer Wilds
Not to be confused with The Outer Worlds, Outer Wilds is a space exploration sim with puzzles. In Outer Wilds, exploration of various planets is a major part of the game, but is enhanced with a solid storytelling element behind it as you navigate the solar system. While the game’s graphics are relatively simple, its interesting design choices and how the game takes full advantage of its style deserves recognition.