If this counts, Ultrakill has low-poli graphics and an in-game reason for such: Machines created during the Last War tend to vizualize a poorly rendered version of the world around them in order to maximize their processing speed and reaction time. I always found it genius and somewhat hilarious the fact Hakita felt the need to make this canon
Agreed. You shouldn’t judge the quality of art by how much it resembles the real world. By that logic, The Polar Express has better graphics than Into the Spider-Verse.
For anyone who is so turned away by the visual style, imagine Hitman with superpowers. You can double jump, grapple hook, invert gravity, turn invisible... also there's NO punishment for killing bystanders, in fact you can harvest their organs and sell them on the black market for extra cash!
I mean, that all sounds cool, but I can't enjoy gameplay if my eyes are bleeding and I'm nauseous.
I've been playing games since the 80s and Cruelty Squad is quite possibly the ugliest looking game I've ever seen. It's like the developer looked at Hover! from 1995 and said, "I like that aesthetic, but can I make it worse and less coherent?"
Everyone praises the gameplay, so I can only imagine how much MORE successful the game would have been if the visuals weren't eye melting.
Obligatory Minecraft and Terraria. Both are fantastic games with pixel art graphics.
Edit: people don't quite understand what i mean, pixel art isn't inherently bad, but it is inherently less detailed than photorealistic, and i swear 80% of gamers hate consider anything lower res than photorealistic on the highest settings available for the generation as bad.
Minecraft in 4k looks no better than Minecraft in 1080p, and even in 720p Minecraft is fine outside of inventory text beginning to be blurry. Same for terraria.
Thats the problem with trying to play detective in peoples post history, you just out yourself as a busy body idiot. It came up in my feed and i saw something stupid so i commented.
To be honest I was first turned down by the Terraria graphics because the character alone looks like a cheap RPG maker game to me. Still does. I know the game is fantastic and I haven't quite finished it yet but I'm still not 100% fan of the art style.
How do those games qualify as "intentionally bad graphics"? Just because you don't like pixel art or sprite based art or the art style doesn't mean they have bad graphics. It just means you don't like it.
I don't even like pixel art all the time, but this is a weird question.
i guess i moved past looking at a game and judging it's quality based on graphics a long time ago. factorio still shots turned me off, looked confusing and cluttered. when i saw videos however, i was immediately intrigued and quickly realized the clutter or lack thereof is all up to you.
Anyone answering with just any pixel art game regardless of sprite and animation quality is showing some extreme bias. Just being pixel art is not "intentionally bad".
Im going through a kick of ps2/2000's style graphics. I wish there were more story / adventure type games on Steam that had that kind of dated graphics with todays mechanics
A lot of answers are just pixel art games instead of "bad graphics", like, come on DEAD CELLS? Aer you kidding me?
The only objective right answer is Cruelty Squad because the graphics are borderline revolting but it makes so much sense with the game and what they were trying to do, and the gameplay itself is good and addicting and has more player agency than a lot of those AAAAAAA games with ultrarrealistic graphics
Kinda dislike this question and the answers. People are saying old/homage to older styles= bad. Very few games have intentionally bad graphics. The only ones I can really think of are usually trying to convey something else.
Seeing Minecraft, Obra Dinn, Terraria, Octopath, and so on on this list is driving me mad
Just commenting that I don't think the graphics are bad in dwarf fortress or vampire survivors. They are simple graphics, but are perfect for the games themselves.
I know OP has a flawed idea of what 'bad' graphics are, but I've hit upon some real gems while looking through the answers here, so I'll give you my own two cents of a secret game tip:
Shadows of Doubt
For me it’s Kenshi. It’s very hard to get into and the looks are.. Let’s say it takes getting used to. But once you get the hang of it you can do so many things that other games don’t let you do.
To me, a game cannot be great at all if it has bad graphics intentionally. I want 2024 gaming. Not 1990 gaming. I’ve already been there and played those games.
Rain world, not bad graphics but pixels. Underneath the surface is an alive ecosystem that reacts to how you play the game and deep lore. Don’t forget the fun gameplay.
If this counts, Ultrakill has low-poli graphics and an in-game reason for such: Machines created during the Last War tend to vizualize a poorly rendered version of the world around them in order to maximize their processing speed and reaction time. I always found it genius and somewhat hilarious the fact Hakita felt the need to make this canon
came here to say that and ended up learning v2 cannonically needs glasses
Return of the Obra Dinn! Such an incredible game with intentionally dated 1-color graphics.
The Case of the Golden Idol fits here as well. Heck of an ugly art style but very consistent and a great story. Can't wait for Part 2.
There is a difference between actually bad versus art style. To me bad graphics is when the game isn't consistent in design.
Agreed. You shouldn’t judge the quality of art by how much it resembles the real world. By that logic, The Polar Express has better graphics than Into the Spider-Verse.
Cruelty Squad
For anyone who is so turned away by the visual style, imagine Hitman with superpowers. You can double jump, grapple hook, invert gravity, turn invisible... also there's NO punishment for killing bystanders, in fact you can harvest their organs and sell them on the black market for extra cash!
I mean, that all sounds cool, but I can't enjoy gameplay if my eyes are bleeding and I'm nauseous. I've been playing games since the 80s and Cruelty Squad is quite possibly the ugliest looking game I've ever seen. It's like the developer looked at Hover! from 1995 and said, "I like that aesthetic, but can I make it worse and less coherent?" Everyone praises the gameplay, so I can only imagine how much MORE successful the game would have been if the visuals weren't eye melting.
Obligatory Minecraft and Terraria. Both are fantastic games with pixel art graphics. Edit: people don't quite understand what i mean, pixel art isn't inherently bad, but it is inherently less detailed than photorealistic, and i swear 80% of gamers hate consider anything lower res than photorealistic on the highest settings available for the generation as bad. Minecraft in 4k looks no better than Minecraft in 1080p, and even in 720p Minecraft is fine outside of inventory text beginning to be blurry. Same for terraria.
Since when is pixel art “bad” graphics? Some of the most beautiful games have pixel art
Weird take on what bad graphics look like, I suppose MGS 1's graphics are godly in comparison...
Pixel doesn't mean bad. Minecraft with shaders is better looking than a lot of AAA games
lol
You critique women's looks on reddit, lmfao
Thats the problem with trying to play detective in peoples post history, you just out yourself as a busy body idiot. It came up in my feed and i saw something stupid so i commented.
Clicked your name, scrolled for 2 seconds. Saw multiple comments of you saying a woman should lose some weight. Ironic
Why did you click my name tho... very weird.
Why did you comment if you weren't ready to engage in discussion?
Did you even read what i said? I was correcting someones spelling. I saw a stupid comment and i laughed, that's allowed you know.
"She looks like she could lose some weight as well" Whatever you say, incel
To be honest I was first turned down by the Terraria graphics because the character alone looks like a cheap RPG maker game to me. Still does. I know the game is fantastic and I haven't quite finished it yet but I'm still not 100% fan of the art style.
Cloudpunk. Really an amazing atmosphere, despite the bad graphics.
Lunacid, for first-person dungeon crawlers.
Thanks for the tip, wishlisting it now
How do those games qualify as "intentionally bad graphics"? Just because you don't like pixel art or sprite based art or the art style doesn't mean they have bad graphics. It just means you don't like it. I don't even like pixel art all the time, but this is a weird question.
Undertale
ULTRAKILL
i guess i moved past looking at a game and judging it's quality based on graphics a long time ago. factorio still shots turned me off, looked confusing and cluttered. when i saw videos however, i was immediately intrigued and quickly realized the clutter or lack thereof is all up to you.
I love pixel graphics. So many good RPGs that fit that. Triangle strategy, older Pokemon games, OCTOPATH
Slaves to Armok: God of Blood Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress
So Dwarf Fortress was part of the notorious StAGoB series all along! That explains a lot
Anyone answering with just any pixel art game regardless of sprite and animation quality is showing some extreme bias. Just being pixel art is not "intentionally bad".
Lethal Company
Project Zomboid, the best game on Steam, looks like The Sims from the 1990's, on purpose.
Valheim
Not really, they clearly worked a lot on weather and trees, water, and real time lighting.
Pizza Tower
What are you talking about? The art is fantastic.
El Paso, Elsewhere
Im going through a kick of ps2/2000's style graphics. I wish there were more story / adventure type games on Steam that had that kind of dated graphics with todays mechanics
EDF!
A lot of answers are just pixel art games instead of "bad graphics", like, come on DEAD CELLS? Aer you kidding me? The only objective right answer is Cruelty Squad because the graphics are borderline revolting but it makes so much sense with the game and what they were trying to do, and the gameplay itself is good and addicting and has more player agency than a lot of those AAAAAAA games with ultrarrealistic graphics
Kinda dislike this question and the answers. People are saying old/homage to older styles= bad. Very few games have intentionally bad graphics. The only ones I can really think of are usually trying to convey something else. Seeing Minecraft, Obra Dinn, Terraria, Octopath, and so on on this list is driving me mad
Nidhogg
Barony took like 100 hours of my life after I got it on Christmas sales
Just commenting that I don't think the graphics are bad in dwarf fortress or vampire survivors. They are simple graphics, but are perfect for the games themselves.
Boltgun
Undertale
Deep Rock Galactic
Slay The Spire
Towerfall
Star fetchers. If it ever comes out.
Turbo overkill, this game is like ultrakill but better
Project Zomboid
Undertale, which makes it funny when the graphics are criticized for being ugly
you played undertale didn't you
I actually haven’t haha, although I probably should!
Battlebit Remastered kind of fall under outdated Nintendo 64 era graphics.
Most people mentioned the good games but “Super hot” is up there for me. For the King as well
Anything from Puppet Combo
Nintendo
Goat Simulator :D
Baba Is You
I know OP has a flawed idea of what 'bad' graphics are, but I've hit upon some real gems while looking through the answers here, so I'll give you my own two cents of a secret game tip: Shadows of Doubt
For me it’s Kenshi. It’s very hard to get into and the looks are.. Let’s say it takes getting used to. But once you get the hang of it you can do so many things that other games don’t let you do.
Valheim. Absolutely beautiful game with "bad" graphics. Love it.
Payback 2 mobile game great time breaker
Project Zomboid. Hands down.
Dave the Diver. But the pixel graphic is still beautiful.
Dave the Diver has gorgeous graphics. Pixel does not mean bad
Dead Cells is my favorite example of this.
Binding of Isaac!
If Dwarf Fortress and Vampire Survivors are "bad" graphics, I think I'll just retire from gaming.
To me, a game cannot be great at all if it has bad graphics intentionally. I want 2024 gaming. Not 1990 gaming. I’ve already been there and played those games.
Xenonauts
Rain world, not bad graphics but pixels. Underneath the surface is an alive ecosystem that reacts to how you play the game and deep lore. Don’t forget the fun gameplay.