With how big the gaming industry has become and how significant of a hobby it is for many people, it can be easy to ignore just how much technical progress video games have made over the last few decades. In the space of around 40 years, adventure games have gone from Atari's aptly named Adventure to Red Dead Redemption 2, while space shooters have gone from Space Invaders to Star Wars: Squadrons.
The most immediately noticeable change in these games is, of course, the visuals. The constant improvement in visuals and realism continues to impress, and the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S look set to usher in a new age of graphical improvements.
However, in terms of impressive visuals, it's not always traditional realism that will wow someone. There have been numerous games released over the years with some incredibly unique visuals that will make players feel they're in for a special experience before they've even picked up the controller.
8 Cuphead
Cuphead is a run and gun game that was developed by Studio MDHR and first released in 2017. As will prove to be the case with every game on this list, Cuphead's visuals immediately captivated players, as it was very apparent just from the trailers how much work went into the art design and animation.
Cuphead's visuals take heavy inspiration from classic rubber hose-style animation that was popular in America during the early 90s.
7 Okami
Ōkami was developed by Clover Studio and was released by Capcom on the PlayStation 2 in 2006. Despite a very positive reception from critics, the game struggled to sell commercially. However, following a port to the Nintendo Wii and an HD version released on nearly every modern system throughout the 2010s, the game has finally received the commercial success that it long deserved.
Along with the game's Legend of Zelda-style adventure and unique gameplay, it was the art design that encouraged many people to finally give the critically-acclaimed title a try. Ōkami does a fantastic job of incorporating its art into its gameplay by letting players paint parts of the environment while also rewarding players for completing certain missions by restoring deteriorated areas to their former glory.
6 Limbo
Limbo is a puzzle-platformer that was released in 2010 and is today recognized as one of the pioneers of indie gaming. The game's visuals immediately give off an eerie sense of foreboding, as players try to solve puzzles and progress without having any real idea of who they are, where they are, or where they're going.
The minimalism in the game's visuals, gameplay, and story divided players upon release and still does today, with some calling the game a masterpiece and others branding it as dull. Either way, many gamers will immediately recognize Limbo from a single screenshot, which is a testament to how unique the game is.
5 Exo One
Exo One is one of the newer games on this list, having hit stores as recently as November 2021. Like Limbo, the game is initially ambiguous regarding telling players where they are, what they're trying to do, and in this case, why on earth they're controlling a shape-shifting ball.
The game takes players on a sci-fi journey through the sky, underwater, and even in space as they try to complete a range of beautifully designed levels. The most impressive part about Exo One is that, believe it or not, it was designed by just one person.
4 Journey
Journey was first released in 2012 initially as a PlayStation exclusive before making its way to PC and even iOS devices seven years later. Journey is another game on this list with similarities to Limbo, as it will only take 2-3 hours to complete and keeps its cards close to its chest regarding the story.
The only thing that is clear to players is that they are heading for the peak of a mountain. Most players won't even be aware that the fellow travelers that they meet along the way are real people online, something that the game doesn't reveal until the end. Another similarity between Journey and the aforementioned Limbo is that the gameplay massively divided players, though few could argue that the visual journey that the game takes players on was special at the time and still looks great today.
3 Patapon
Impressively, Patapon makes this list despite initially being a handled exclusive. Patapon was released exclusively on the PlayStation Portable before being remastered on the PlayStation 4 nearly ten years later. The game was co-developed by Pyramid and Japan Studio, the same duo that worked on LocoRoco, another visually excellent PlayStation Portable release.
Along with an impressively diverse range of environments, Patapon's visuals live long in most players' memory for how distinctive each character and enemy was.
2 Mirror's Edge
The 2008 trailer for Mirror's Edge remains one of the most impressive gaming trailers in history. Following the words "the following is all in-game footage" is gameplay of the protagonist running through the title's first level, followed by examples of a few gameplay and combat mechanics. The footage may not look too special today, but it blew people away in 2008, as the captivating use of color, immersive first-person perspective, and fluid character movements were like nothing seen up until that point.
The game didn't prove to be too ground-breaking from a gameplay perspective in the end, but its meticulous visual design that would guide players through levels in a seamless and easy-to-understand way is still thoroughly impressive today.
1 The Artful Escape
The Artful Escape is a platformer from development studio Beethoven & Dinosaur that, like Exo One, was released at the end of 2021. The game puts players in the shoes of Francis Vendetti, a rock music lover who is feeling the pressure of following in the footsteps of his uncle, a legendary folk singer.
The game lives up to its name by not only giving players some great musical moments but also by providing stunning visual art throughout the 4-hour adventure. The Artful Escape was well-received by both critics, exemplified by its 81 Xbox Series X/S Metascore.