Summary
- Monochrome art styles create eerie atmospheres that enhance gameplay.
- Words are integral in Cryptmaster: use them to face obstacles and enemies.
- Indie titles like Slay The Princess and World of Horror thrive with monochrome art styles.
The monochrome art style is an art form where the artist uses one or a few colors to create their piece. Monochrome usually means the piece is kept in black and white. Though, occasionally, a piece may simply choose a different color to slightly spice things up.
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This can then be put on different mediums, including games, where various art styles are explored, including the monochrome art style, which has been seen in a variety of indie titles that have only been made more unique through using this popular style. These are by far the best indie titles that have hooked players with their monochrome art style.
8 Cryptmaster
Words Are Power In This Dungeon Crawler
Cryptmaster
Monochrome art styles allow indie developers to create an eerie atmosphere just through using only one or as few colors as possible. In Cryptmaster, the monochrome art style enhances the already eerie visuals of the various monsters the player will face while they explore deeper in this dungeon crawler.
Although the art style may be distracting, players should remember their words in Cryptmaster, as typing or speaking them is the solution to facing various obstacles within the dungeon so that they may eventually regain their memories, and defeat the enemies within.
7 Blanc
Hand-Drawn Art For An Emotional Story
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
- Released: 2023-02-14
- Developer: Casus Ludi
- Genre: Adventure
An emotional cooperative tale between a fawn and a wolf cub trapped in the snow is only made better through the hand-drawn art in the monochrome style that makes up the world of this adventure. Blanc is an indie game that deserves far more attention than it has gotten.
The entire world of Blanc was first drawn on paper before being transformed into 3D to create an adorable multiplayer title where the player controls adorable baby animals. With each animal in Blanc having its own strengths, the player will be forced to lean on each other's help to make their way through the storm in an unlikely friendship.
6 Limbo
Explore Limbo Through Silhouettes
Limbo
As the land between life and death, Limbo is a classic indie puzzle platformer that continues to be a great option for those that are looking for games with a one-color palette. The entire world of Limbo is a silhouette, where the details of what creates the platforms the player uses are never revealed.
However, there are many scenarios within Limbo where the horror elements of the title are revealed, such as the player being stalked by the silhouette of a large spider or the bodies that lack the bright eyes of the boy the player controls.
5 World Of Horror
An Art Style That Matches The Aesthetic Of Junji Ito And H.P. Lovecraft
World of Horror
World of Horror is an RPG horror experience created by indie developers Panstasz that uses the monochrome art style to match the vibes of horror manga artist Junji Ito while also creating a world that rivals H.P. Lovecraft.
Junji Ito is famous for creating the art for the manga series Uzumaki, which uses horrific imagery in a monochromatic art style to frighten its readers. This influence can be seen when encountering various scares in World of Horror as players navigate a mad world that they must attempt to survive in through turn-based combat.
4 TOEM
The Thrill Of Photography Even In Monochrome
TOEM
- Released
- September 17, 2021
- Developer(s)
- Something We Made
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Puzzle
Stepping away from indie horror experiences, the world of photography is commonly seen as something filled with color, though TOEM manages to still create a photo-filled adventure while only using black and white. TOEM is also considered quite a relaxing title; its monochrome art style helps to create this cozy environment, and it avoids harsh colors through its minimalist palette.
Besides enjoying the hand-drawn art of the adventure game, players are also able to solve a variety of puzzles set for them by the interesting characters of TOEM, which can only be solved through snapping pictures of various things in this relaxing world.
3 West Of Loathing
Even Simple Stick Figures Can Show Great Comedy And Art Direction
West Of Loathing
For some titles, the gameplay and the storyline are far more important than the art style. West of Loathing is an RPG that uses a stickman art style and a black and white color palette to create a charming and hilarious adventure in the Wild West.
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Gamers are likely to encounter all sorts of trouble in this world, which feels as if it was doodled into the back of a notebook, with the player having to talk themselves out of an encounter with snake oilers and take part in a shootout against outlaws. West of Loathing has that and more. It features an incredibly colorful cast of characters to meet, even if there's no color to the game.
2 Return Of The Obra Dinn
A First-Person Mystery Adventure With Little Color
Return of the Obra Dinn
- Released
- October 18, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Lucas Pope
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
Return of the Obra Dinn is an interesting adventure title where players take on the role of an insurance investigator for the East India Company's London Office after the merchant vessel, Obra Dinn, finally arrives in the port after being missing for six months.
By exploring the entire ship that is eerily silent, only filled with the occasional skeletons of past crew members, it is up to the player through natural exploration and deduction to get to the bottom of what happened in Return of the Obra Dinn. Using a monochromatic art style, players are able to focus on investigating, and it cannot be denied that Return of the Obra Dinn also has an incredible style, as seen by the various 3D cutscenes within the title.
1 Slay The Princess
Slaying The Princess In A Grayscale World
Slay the Princess
Out of all the indie games that use a monochrome art style, it's no surprise to see one of the most recent horror visual novels, Slay The Princess, being one of the greatest for players to experience. At first, it may seem simple, as the player is tasked with killing the princess, but it's never that easy; gamers will find themselves trapped in a loop, making different choices to unlock the horrors of this monochromatic title.
While Slay the Princess may have elements of color on some occasions, this only adds to the effect caused by the monochromatic art style, as it causes the more gory moments of Slay the Princess to stand out. This includes the blood when the player is being attacked and the ominous red writing that appears during certain elements of the visual novel.
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