5 Most Artistically Beautiful Games Ever Made

Video games are a form of entertainment, but they’re also works of art, and that’s often lost on people. Gamers can be taken in by impressive graphics and immersive sound, impressed at their console or PC’s capabilities, but few seem to truly appreciate that games are an art form, and some are true, visual works of art. We wanted to highlight five that truly fit this description, as they’re genuinely aesthetically beautiful. Game designers often put a lot of energy into visual appeal, so there are plenty to choose from. Still, it’s rare for a game to truly cross over into a level of artistry like these five, which are arranged in no particular order.

1) Journey

Journey is a 2012 adventure game released for the PlayStation 3 that’s unlike anything else in the genre. In Journey, the player controls a cloaked figure in a desert. They travel towards a mountain and come into contact with other players making the same journey, assisting one another along the way. There’s no communication outside of a musical chime that transforms cloth from its dull look into a beautiful red. This gives the player a sense of grand scale and wonder amidst a beautiful tableau of desert imagery. It’s a true work of art in both its visuals and gameplay, making Journey something every gamer should experience for themselves.

2) Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a platformer released in 2020 across various systems and has since been re-released on several more. The game is a sequel to 2015’s Ori and the Blind Forest, which is another gorgeous title, but the sequel steps it up significantly. This is because the first game’s 2D visuals are improved with 3D models and multilayered backgrounds in Ori and the Will of the Wisps. These combine into an amazing tapestry of color that establishes a truly immersive, breathtaking game world, setting Ori and the Will of the Wisps apart from your run-of-the-mill platformer.

3) Gris

Few games are as stunning as Gris, a platformer released in 2018 on numerous systems. The game begins with the titular girl waking up in the palm of a massive statue’s hand, which crumbles, dropping her onto the colorless world below. Everything about Gris is a spectacle for the eyes and ears, and the graphics and music combine to reveal a world that weaves together relatively flat 2D imagery with 3D graphics and a pale watercolor palette that’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s the kind of game that will have you sitting there in wonder, pausing now and again to take it all in, as Gris is a true work of art.

4) Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

In 2017, Ninja Theory released Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice on PlayStation 4 and PC, with subsequent releases on other systems over the following years. The game is set in a dark fantasy world heavily inspired by Celtic culture and Norse mythology, and it all comes together in one of the most incredible works of art, which just so happens to be an amazing video game as well. What’s so striking about Hellblade is that it’s an independent game with the grandiose scale of a AAA title, and the devs poured their heart and soul into it, producing one of the most visually immersive and outright sensational games of the 21st century.

5) Ōkami

Ōkami is a 2006 action-adventure game published by Capcom, and it’s one of the most visually impressive games on the PlayStation 2. Its look was inspired by Japanese folk tales and simu-e ink brush painting, rendered in cel-shaded graphics, offering a colorful, yet unique animation style that’s exclusive to the game. While Ōkami is a fantastic title that received universal acclaim and is widely considered one of the PS2’s greatest, it’s also remembered for its brilliant art direction and style. It never spawned a direct sequel, though one was announced and likely won’t arrive for a long time, which is a shame, as gamers have been waiting decades.

What game do you think is the most artistically beautiful that you’ve played? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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