Summary
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 iskept in black and white. Though, occasionally, a piece may simply choose a different color to slightly spice things up.
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 thebest indie titles that have hooked players with their monochrome art style.
Monochrome art styles allow indie developers tocreate an eerie atmospherejust through using only one or as few colors as possible. InCryptmaster, 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 inCryptmaster, 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.
7Blanc
Hand-Drawn Art For An Emotional Story
An emotional cooperative tale between a fawn and a wolf cub trapped in the snow is only made better throughthe hand-drawn artin the monochrome style that makes up the world of this adventure.Blancis an indie game that deserves far more attention than it has gotten.
The entire world ofBlancwas 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 inBlanchaving 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.
As the land between life and death,Limbois 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 ofLimbois a silhouette, where the details of what creates the platforms the player uses are never revealed.
However, there are many scenarios withinLimbowhere the horror elements of the title are revealed, such as the player beingstalked by the silhouette of a large spideror the bodies that lack the bright eyes of the boy the player controls.
World of Horroris 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 seriesUzumaki, which uses horrific imagery in a monochromatic art style to frighten its readers. This influence can be seen when encountering various scares inWorld of Horroras players navigate a mad world that they must attempt to survive in through turn-based combat.
Stepping away from indie horror experiences, the world of photography is commonly seen as something filled with color, thoughTOEMmanages to still create a photo-filled adventure while only using black and white.TOEMis 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 ofTOEM, which can only be solved through snapping pictures of various things in this relaxing world.
For some titles, the gameplay and the storyline are far more important than the art style.West of Loathingis an RPG that uses a stickman art style and a black and white color palette to create a charming and hilariousadventure in the Wild West.
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 Loathinghas that and more. It features an incredibly colorful cast of characters to meet, even if there’s no color to the game.
Return of the Obra Dinnis 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 occasionalskeletons of past crew members, it is up to the player through natural exploration and deduction to get to the bottom of what happened inReturn of the Obra Dinn.Using a monochromatic art style, players are able to focus on investigating, and it cannot be denied thatReturn of the Obra Dinnalso has an incredible style, as seen by the various 3D cutscenes within the title.
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.
WhileSlay the Princessmay have elements of color on some occasions, this only adds to the effect caused by the monochromatic art style, as it causesthe more gory momentsofSlay the Princessto 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.
