Do “games” constitute a new category of art? This often-discussed question is still inconclusive; however, what we can say for sure is that some of the best games are undoubtedly closely related to art. When we enter these games, often created by independent developers, we are impressed by the ingenuity and whimsy of their creations.
1 The Painted World Gorogoa
Gorogoa is a unique puzzle game that features thousands of beautiful hand-drawn illustrations. The mechanics are unique: the game places the detailed illustrations in several frames, which the player can move or combine as he sees fit to solve the puzzle. The game is extremely simple, yet complex and interesting.
2 Paper Realm Tengami
Tengami comes from the Japanese word Tekami (letterhead), and the entire world of the game is made up of paper structures that resemble the pages of a letterhead, and players interact by pulling tabs and flipping pages to solve puzzles. The paper structure of the game is made of delicate washi paper, which creates an amazingly beautiful scene of the four seasons, yet full of light material sorrow like snow.
3 Nishan Shaman
Nishan Shaman is an amazing debut by six graduates about a female shaman named Nishan who recovers the souls of innocent children. The main format is a rhythm game in which the player takes on the role of Nishan as she travels through the three worlds and repels evil spirits by beating the shaman’s drum in her hands. The game features unique Chinese paper-cut artwork and mysterious original minority shaman music, in addition to a rich collection system that makes the game full of history.
4 “Eizen – Myriad Brushstrokes
Eizhen – Myriad Strokes of a Thousand Hills” is an independent puzzle game developed by NetEase, which tells the story of a monk who goes into the mountains with a young man he meets on the way to enlighten himself about the way of painting and to visit Mr. Myriad Strokes of a Thousand Hills, the sage of painting, to enter his realm of painting. The work restores the mood and effect of the traditional Chinese painting treasure – Wang Ximeng’s “Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains”, and the story combines ancient mythology and folklore; when the player enters it, it is as if he is in a scroll of wonderful literati paintings.
5 “WhiteNight
Pale Night is an adventure puzzle game with contrasting black and white graphics and a strong style. Players need to collect various evidence to help the main character escape from the old mansion and keep looking for light sources to save him from the horror of the darkness and survive. As a suspenseful horror survival game, the “light source” setting and the use of black-and-white light and shadow give the game a rip-roaring thrill and excitement. In addition, the “memory fragment” like messy cutscenes also make the amnesiac protagonist’s search for memory full of brain-burning thrill.
6 Fatal Frame FRAMED
FRAMED’s puzzle mechanics are highly creative: the game features a series of squares, each of which is a separate animation, and the player must use their imagination to organize them in a specific order to form a unique narrative that will help the spy protagonist complete his mission. The game format is closely related to the film “montage”, the storytelling is also quite Hitchcock and Quentin’s directorial style.
7 DEVICE 6
DEVICE 6 is the ultimate word game, but the graphic layout and sound design are anything but simple. The player’s goal is to escape from an unknown island by solving a series of puzzles for the main character Anna. The developer’s brilliant graphic design allows the game to build a complete spatial puzzle experience with only large sections of text and illustrations.
8 Manifold Garden
This unspeakable exploration game was developed by Chicago artist William Chyr. After earning a bachelor’s degree in physics and economics from the University of Chicago, the artist worked for several years as a sculptor and installation artist before unexpectedly turning to game development. Manifold Garden is an exploration game set in a seemingly endless number of buildings floating in space. Players need to land loose parts on the edges of buildings, coax them into designated locations, and make aerial courtyards that include flowing water and trees.
The space of this work is made up of mirror images of the same structure, which has a topological meaning. In addition, the artist has slowly incorporated more thoughts on architecture into the development, and the work has been influenced by the works of many architectural masters.
9 “Eastward, the Land of the Wind
The Land of the Wind” is an adventure game developed by Shanghai-based Pixpil Studio, which tells the story of Shan, the land of the wind, and the post-apocalyptic adventures of John, the town’s uncle. The game is in 2D pixel style, but it has been called textbook pixel graphics by players due to its breathtakingly rich details and realistic effects in various lighting conditions.
The creators call it “a love letter to pixel games”, taking players back to the fantasy world of the 1990s cartoons, where they can fully experience the tears and laughter of the journey.
10 Monument Valley
Monument Valley is one of the most acclaimed titles in indie gaming, loved by gamers for its beautiful optical illusion art and simple, touching storytelling. Players explore the illusion of sight, discover hidden paths, and dodge mysterious crows to help the silent princess Ada get out of the monument maze. Each palace-temple-like unique monument forms the puzzle itself, allowing players to enter this quiet and stunning art world as they play.
Of course, art doesn’t make a game good or bad, so it’s important to combine art and game mechanics in a way that creates a unique playability and artistic enjoyment for the player.
These artistic indie games are full of creative ideas from the developers, but they also hide the unknown hardships of independent development; but it’s all about dreams. That’s why we can wander in the dream worlds built by these works, reap the joy and touch, and feel grateful.
