After more than a decade, the iconic Monkey Island adventure series is finally returning with a sixth entry titled Return to Monkey Island, which is scheduled to release on Sept. 19. This new installment, which takes place immediately after Monkey Island 2 but also acknowledges the events of the other sequels, utilizes a unique hand-drawn art-style that breathes some new life into this long-running series.
Instead of trying to make their games as photorealistic as possible, some modern titles have created vibrant, immersive and colorful worlds using art-styles that either are or appear hand-drawn. According to Metacritic, certain games are especially excellent examples of this.
Machinarium (2009) - 88
Developed by the Czech indie studio Amanita Design, who has created other well-received titles such as Happy Game and the Samorost series, Machinarium is a 2009 point-and-click adventure that was originally released as a Flash game. Taking place in a post-apocalyptic steampunk world populated only by robots, the game follows one of these robots, Josef, as he tries to rescue his girlfriend, Berta, and stop the Black Cap Brotherhood.
Besides a few tutorials at the start, the entire game is conveyed through visuals rather than written or spoken words. As Josef solves puzzles and helps other robots in the titular city, the player will be immersed in a beautifully detailed world.
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights (2021) - 88
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights, which follows an amnesiac woman named Lily. After waking up in a ruined sanctuary, she's greeted by the spirit of a knight who reveals to her that the entire kingdom of Land's End has been cursed by an endless rainfall that turns every living thing into creatures known as "Blighted."
As the last surviving White Priestess, Lily has the ability to purify blighted creatures and then summon the purified spirits to fight for her. Using these powers, Lily must travel across the land to discover the source of the rain. Along with enjoyable in-depth gameplay, the game is filled with fluid animations and breathtakingly somber visuals.
Cuphead (2017) - 88
Based on cartoons from the 1930s, specifically the "rubber hose" and surrealist style of Fleischer Studios, Cuphead is a 2017 run-and-gun where up to two players control Cuphead or his brother, Mugman, as they progress through levels, gain abilities, and fight bosses. After losing a bet with the Devil, the two brothers must collect the souls of other individuals in order to pay off their debts.
Instead of simply having the aesthetics of '30s cartoons, the developers tried to fully recreate the styles of the era by using traditional hand-drawn cel animation and watercolor backgrounds. Combined with the jazz soundtrack and old film filter, Cuphead truly feels like it was created during that time period.
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (2022) - 89
Recently released on Aug. 25, I Was a Teenage Exocolonist is a visual novel deck-building RPG that follows a customizable protagonist who gains the ability to see past lives and potential futures. Stardew Valley, this solar punk game has the player start a new life in a small community, but this new life is with the colony on the alien planet Vertumna IV.
While experiencing their teenage years, the player will develop their skills, uncover mysteries, and possibly even romance someone. All of these choices result in various cards that can be used during battles. To help bring this vibrant world to life, the game uses gorgeous storybook-eque visuals.
Hollow Knight (2017) - 90
One of the most iconic and Hollow Knight, which follows a nameless insectoid warrior known as the Knight. After the Knight arrives in the small town of Dirtmouth, he discovers the ruins of Hollownest, which used to be a thriving kingdom before "The Infection" corrupted everything.
To stop this supernatural disease, the Knight must find and kill the three Dreamers so he can open the door that leads to the sourse of The Infection and defeat it. Both this game and its sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, have stunningly detailed environments and adorably designed characters.
Gorogoa (2017) - 91
Released towards the end of 2017, Gorogoa is a relaxing award-winning puzzle game about a boy who meets a divine beast. Similarly to Machinarium, this story isn't told through any dialogue or written words, but instead through the visuals and gameplay.
Using a two-by-two grid, players solve puzzles by manipulating the s within the grid, which includes moving them, overlapping them, clicking on things them, and zooming in and out. From start to finish, the game showcases gorgeously detailed storybook-esque images that easily convey a thought-provoking narative.
Broken Sword: Director's Cut (2010) - 91
Originally released in 1996, Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars is an award-winning point-and-click adventure game and the first entry in the Broken Sword series. The game follows a young American man named George Stobbart who teams up with French photo-journalist Nicole "Nico" Collard to solve a series of murders that are tied to an ongoing conflict between the Order of Assassins and the Templars.
Years later, the game received an enhanced remake titled Broken Sword: Director's Cut, which adds a new campaign where the player can control Nico. Both versions feature a unique hand-drawn art-style that helped distinguish the games from other point-and-click titles, but the added sections in the Director's Cut do contrast harshly with the original art.
Hades (2020) - 93
Although all of the games from the indie studio Supergiant Games, which includes Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre, have had breathtakingly beautiful art, the best example of this is definitely in their latest title: the award-winning Hades. In this action roguelike dungeon crawler, the protagonist Zagreus, who is the son of Hades, discovers that his mother is actually Persephone and decides to fight his way through the Underworld to the surface to meet her.
Besides the well-designed in-game environments and monsters, which all contain little details that help them shine, each of the character designs and portraits are memorable and gorgeous. Simply from a character's design, the player can learn so much about their personality.
Raiders of the North Sea (2019) - 94
Raiders of the North Sea is a 2019 worker-placement game and a digital adaptation of the original 2015 award-winning board game of the same name. In this turn-based strategy tabletop game, the player controls a clan of Vikings as they sail to new lands so they can raid those areas and bring back treasures to the Chieftain, and the clan with the most points wins.
To do this, the player must place and remove workers from a small village on the board, who will allow the player to gain the crew and provisions necessary to accomplish raids. Along with the simple but engaging gameplay, this digital version has a simple art-style that gives enough character to the game without taking the focus away from the game itself.
Meteorfall: Journey (2018) - 95
Inspired by Dominion and Dream Quest, Meteorfall: Journey is a deck-building roguelike for mobile devices and the first entry in the Meteorfall series. As one of several unique heroes, the player must travel across the world, fight enemies, beat several bosses, find the Nukropolis, slay the Uberlich, and stop the titular meteor from destroying the world.
With six different heroes to choose from, seven bosses to defeat, over 150 cards to collect, and many unique events to encounter, Meteorfall: Journey is already an engaging gameplay experience on its own. But, the game also has a cartoonish art-style that helps draw players into this wacky science fantasy world even more.
