I did a dive into "adult video games" recently. They divide along similar lines: visual novels w minimal "game" elements & active games w minimal story.
This topic describes the main point of friction whenever I write a game preview: what is the intention, the soul, of the game?
Gameplay mechanics are important and you want a satisfying gameplay loop. But art often determines the vibe and attitude of a game. And the excellence of a game emerges from how those pieces work together. Some games, like a walking sim or visual novel, can focus on art and atmosphere with very basic gameplay. Other games (the original Dwarf Fortress comes to mind), rely entirely on gameplay and might even struggle to add visual flair.
What I can say is the whole style vs substance debate about games has become moot. A good game plays well and is enhanced by its visuals, no matter how minimal they are. Just look at Chained Together Visually, it should be awful because it's basically all just bought assets. Yet, it works incredibly well.
Maybe we should call it aesthetic. If your art and gameplay work well together, you've nailed the aesthetic.
I did a dive into "adult video games" recently. They divide along similar lines: visual novels w minimal "game" elements & active games w minimal story.
This topic describes the main point of friction whenever I write a game preview: what is the intention, the soul, of the game?
Gameplay mechanics are important and you want a satisfying gameplay loop. But art often determines the vibe and attitude of a game. And the excellence of a game emerges from how those pieces work together. Some games, like a walking sim or visual novel, can focus on art and atmosphere with very basic gameplay. Other games (the original Dwarf Fortress comes to mind), rely entirely on gameplay and might even struggle to add visual flair.
What I can say is the whole style vs substance debate about games has become moot. A good game plays well and is enhanced by its visuals, no matter how minimal they are. Just look at Chained Together Visually, it should be awful because it's basically all just bought assets. Yet, it works incredibly well.
Maybe we should call it aesthetic. If your art and gameplay work well together, you've nailed the aesthetic.