Help identifying this art style

[Blorgon]

I'm absolutely head over heels for this art style. Here's a list of games in this style coming soon (click for screenshots):

• The Witness
• Journey
• Inside
• Abzu
• Rime

Edit: I removed No Man's Sky for discussion's sake because—while certainly close—it doesn't quite fit the style in the examples above.

[Vacsol]

cel shaded/painted?

[Blorgon]

cel shaded/painted?

 

At first, I was thinking cel shading too, but it looks... different. The only cel shading I'm really familiar with is Borderlands, so unless there's different types of cel shading, I don't think that's quite it:

 

[Vacsol]

At first, I was thinking cel shading too, but it looks... different. The only cel shading I'm really familiar with is Borderlands, so unless there's different types of cel shading, I don't think that's quite it:

 

Cel shading is borderlands isn't "real" cel shading, it's just outlined edges and defined shadows.

 

[Guest]

Looks like watercolour to me.

[Blorgon]

Looks like watercolour to me.

 

Nah, this is watercolor (one of my favorite games, though):

 

[threadysparrow]

all of these games have a different art style. Art styles don't have a name for the most part. Art styles that have names are usually named for the artist that created them, the time period they were created in, the type of paint used, and/or the theme of the piece of art.

[Blorgon]

all of these games have a different art style. Art styles don't have a name for the most part. Art styles that have names are usually named for the artist that created them, the time period they were created in, the type of paint used, and/or the theme of the piece of art.

 

Well, The Witness, Journey, Abzu, and Rime all definitely share a specific motif. As for No Man's Sky, it sort of loosely fits in with the general theme we're talking about here (which we can say is definitely not done in a cartoon style, nor a realistic graphical style). As for Child of Light, I only put that up because somebody mentioned watercolor, because it definitely doesn't fit into the style I'm talking about—even though it's essentially a non-cartoon, painted style.

 

And to be fair, we're talking about game art style, which is completely different (I'll admit, maybe it's a bit of a misnomer—graphical style would probably be better suited) from physical art styles like Matisse or something. As for art styles not having a name, I respectfully disagree; impressionism is just one of many distinguishable styles, and further, is not directly attributed to any single painter.

[threadysparrow]

Well, The Witness, Journey, Abzu, and Rime all definitely share a specific motif. As for No Man's Sky, it sort of loosely fits in with the general theme we're talking about here (which we can say is definitely not done in a cartoon style, nor a realistic graphical style). As for Child of Light, I only put that up because somebody mentioned watercolor, because it definitely doesn't fit into the style I'm talking about—even though it's essentially a non-cartoon, painted style.

 

And to be fair, we're talking about game art style, which is completely different (I'll admit, maybe it's a bit of a misnomer—graphical style would probably be better suited) from physical art styles like Matisse or something. As for art styles not having a name, I respectfully disagree; impressionism is just one of many distinguishable styles, and further, is not directly attributed to any single painter.

my point is that it's impossible to categorize these art styles based on their similarities to each other. And impressionism is about the theme of the art so my point still stands. I took art history as an elective. That's what we learned.