PIXEL ART STYLES

As a visual language, Pixel Art has established different styles, each one with their particularities.

The styles were mostly based on the console generations and computer features, including graphic cards. The indie game industry has though defined different styles in a cultural and market way to promote themselves to their consumers and audience but also to organize the different arts in groups and facilitate communication and production.

The main features that define Pixel Art styles are the color palette, which includes both the color values and the color quantity, either per sprite or the palette; dimensions in pixels, for all graphic assets; and the frame quantity per animation. Other features are also important, like the number of layers per art and opacity.

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The Second Generation includes those consoles that existed before directly designed pixel art and whose assets, or arts, were done directly by programming or similar techniques. Yet, it had established an aesthetics of its own. It is well known in games like Atari 2600, CollecoVision, Odyssey or Intellivision.

>> #atari, #atari2600, #intellivision, #collecovision, #odyssey

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8-bit pixel art style is more easily associated with NES (Nintendo 8-bits) console and games even though the style is open to the looking of any other consoles and computers of that generation or period, which includes Sega Master System, Apple 2, or MSX. 

As a style, it relies on smaller dimensions or resolutions and a few sets of specific colors. 

>> #8bits, #nintendo, #sega, #nes, #nintendo8bits, #sms, #mastersystem, #segamastersytem, #msx, #apple2, #appleII

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16-bit pixel art style is inspired by consoles and computers that succeded the 8-bit generation, in the early to middle 90's. The 2 more well-known console references are SNES (Super Nintendo) and Sega Genesis (or Mega Drive).  Computer games of that generation, using SVGA palettes may be associated with this style.

The color range is broader, as well as the art dimensions and resolution. It leads to more colorful, rich, and detailed pixel art. Or carefully designed ones. It is the most widely known and used pixel art style.

>> #16bits, #nintendo, #sega, #snes, #genesis, #megadrive, #pcengine, #turbographx, #pcgames

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32-bit consoles were known to first introduce low-res 3d games, but have some samples too of even more detailed and colorful pixel art games. This style is associated with pixel art that is even more detailed, complex, and richer than original 16-bit art styles.

The consoles that had such pixel art-based games were Sega Saturn, Playstation One, 3DO, NeoGeo, and Arcades. Such styles may be seen on computers in later adventure, simulation, strategy, or RPG games.   

>> #32bits, #nintendo, #sega, #segasaturn, #3do, #nintendo64, #n64, #playstation, #psone.

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1-Bit art style is more easily associated with the looking of handhelds like GameBoy Classic, which was basically an 8-bit console with two colors (and subtones). But the style itself may expand to absorb other styles and aesthetics, creating more complex or unique graphic outcomes that are different from the original GameBoy Classic reference.

>> #1bits, #1bit, #nintendo, #gameboy, #virtuaboy, #handhelds, #playdate

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GameBoy Color art style is an 8-bit subgenre that is usually associated directly with Gameboy Color aesthetics and has a color limit of 4.  

>> #gameboy, #gameboycolor, #gameboyadvanced, #4bits, #4colors, #handheld, #gbc, #gba

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