A few of our favorite things: Matt’s favorite Nintendo Switch game graphics

As a child of the ’80s and ’90s, I never knew a world without video games. I remember getting the original Nintendo with Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario 2 for Christmas when I was 4 or 5 years old. I am part of the generation that has seen basically every major gaming enhancement from its inception up through today.

Today, game developers have a nearly limitless number of tools at their disposal to make truly beautiful and unique-looking games.

Countless cartridges, consoles, disks, and digital downloads later, I’m still gaming. Here are some of the best-looking games I’m currently playing:

Stardew Valley

This farming simulator/role-playing game (RPG) is where I have spent more hours playing than any other game over the past couple of years. Its old-school pixel art style hides an incredibly robust game that lets you grow crops, raise animals, fish, mine, and slay monsters, all in the name of escaping the busy corporate life to make your fortune in the quaint, little village. The art style fits perfectly as an escape from the super high-definition gaming world and takes the player back to days of the original video game systems.

Hollow Knight

This platformer is like playing a game on a backdrop of gothic paintings. You guide your Knight through a variety of challenging puzzle-like levels as you work your way through the game. Besides having cute, hand-sketched looking character designs, the game’s levels are all dark and beautiful.

Son of a Witch

A combination of easy controls, a variety of gameplay styles and cute, cartoon-style graphics make this action rogue-like beat ’em up game one you can have fun playing for any amount of time. It’s a simple story where you are literally the son of a witch and you need to clear rooms of enemies, all while picking up weapons, food, boosts, and even pets along the way. No game is the same, because the rooms are generated randomly each time you play. The cartoon graphics look amazing on screen, and you just can’t wait to see what new characters wait behind each door.

Moonlighter

Like a mix between Stardew Valley andThe Legend of Zelda,Moonlighter brings old-school into the modern era of gaming. By day, you run a shop, selling the artifacts you obtain at night while fighting a variety of uniquely designed monsters in the themed dungeons on the outskirts of your dilapidated town that you are trying to revitalize. The game has a simple, cartoonish style that looks and feels something like a Legend of Zelda: The Next Generation. It’s not overly detailed, but it definitely feels like a more modern art style.

Honorable mention: Cuphead

While it’s not a game I play a lot, I couldn’t leave Cuphead off the list. It is completely hand-drawn like a 1930s cartoon. It’s an incredible feat of artistic and video game design. And, it’s adorable.

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