In contrast to the pursuit of photorealism, current video games are embracing a deliberately retro aesthetic reminiscent of the first PlayStation titles released 30 years ago, appealing to the nostalgic sentiments of fans. The journey of Bryan Singh, who has worked on blockbusters like The Last of Us (2013) and Uncharted 4 (2016), reflects this trend. After the pandemic, he ventured into independent development with his wife, Crista Castro, to create Fear the Spotlight, an adventure and horror production that pays homage to the early Resident Evil and Silent Hill games from PlayStation 1.
"The graphics weren’t very realistic, but that’s what made them so effective: you had to imagine certain details yourself, which made things even scarier," he shares. This "retro look" is both a matter of aesthetic choice and practical decision, allowing his wife to handle the graphics independently. Since the mid-2000s, the independent scene has often favored pixel art with a very pixelated aesthetic reminiscent of the Super Nintendo era, before evolving into the simplistic 3D of the PlayStation era.
Today, dozens of shooting, horror, and platform games adopting this retro look are available on the PC gaming platform Steam, and are increasingly making their way to consoles. Hugo Terra, co-creator of the YouTube channel "Game Next Door," notes that there has long been skepticism towards graphics from that era. However, the resurgence of this "ugly 3D" may seem surprising as it recalls a challenging period in gaming history. With the advent of 3D on the PlayStation 1, a technological revolution occurred, leading to sometimes clumsy games with simple graphics and hard-to-manage characters. Modern developers, benefiting from 30 years of experience, can avoid these pitfalls, while new genres continue to emerge.
