Video games wouldn’t be what they are today without the artistic direction and design that bring forth the story to life.
This is our winner for the Best Video Game Art Design of 2020.
Winner: Ghost of Tsushima
It’s evident in just about every frame of Ghost of Tsushima that the art team wanted this game to serve as a love letter to classic samurai movies, even if you don’t take into account the fact that they made this explicit with their optional, black-and-white “Kurosawa mode”.
Grass serenely waves in the breeze as two nearly motionless duelists square off in the moments before a lethal clash of steel. Distant mountaintops are ringed in a clinging, almost otherworldly mist. It’s easy to get distracted just looking at these rich, evocative scenes, forgetting all the open world objectives you’re meant to be pursuing. It’s premium screenshot fodder, and unsurprisingly produced some of the best ones we saw this year.
For more, check out our full Ghost of Tsushima review!
For the rest of our favorite video game art design in 2020, check out our nominees below.
Hades
Hades is more than satisfying gameplay and steaming hot gods. It’s a marathon through the underworld, filled to the brimstone with delightful eye candy. Hades loves to play with contrast. Animations are smooth and precise as distorted guitar riffs play in the background.
Environments are equal parts gritty and meticulously ornate with color palettes that feature splashes of bold color and deep muted tones. Even the Gods, with their very distinct styles, play around with the idea of soft and hard elements, wearing layers of draping fabric alongside polished metals and giant jewels that glow and glisten. These are the details that make the art design of Hades shine.
For more, check out our full Hades review!
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
With Will of the Wisps, Ori cemented itself as an innovative and gorgeous metroidvania franchise we can only hope we haven’t seen the last of. The sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest doesn’t feel like a departure so much as a dialing-in, and each of the simple changes made to the gameplay loop enriched the experience of flitting about as a glowing forest spirit and zapping baddies with energy beams. But the real star of the show is the mythic storytelling and, above all, absolutely stunning artwork on display.
Yes, combat is crisp, and yes, the platforming puzzles are impeccable designed, full of stimulating variety and varied tactics needed to persevere. But what keeps you entranced during an Ori playthrough is the deep, inviting world the developers have created with their truly unique and staggeringly pretty art. Navigating Ori’s labyrinthine world is like studying a living painting, and power-ups and collectibles become a perfect excuse to uncover more of the map, enounter another lovingly animated creature, or square off against a massive boss. Simply put, Ori is enchanting.
For more, check out our full Ori and the Will of the Wisps review!
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
I can post any screenshot of 13 Sentinels and immediately draw questions about what game (is it even a game?) the screenshot is from. This is usually the effect any Vanillaware game has thanks to its long tradition of using 2D-style animation to create its lush worlds and characters. With 13 Sentinels, Vanillaware has done two things: move away from the fantasy genre and into sci-fi, while upgrading to the modern console era.
When playing 13 Sentinels it becomes clear that this isn’t a coincidence. Vanillaware’s attention to visual and artistic detail shines when moving away from knights in armor to mechs and spaceships, and it’s all in glorious HD. What a time to be alive.
For more, check out our full 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim review!
The Last of Us Part II
The Last of Us Part II wouldn’t be nominated for this category if the extent of its post-apocalyptic visions ended at derelict buildings and busted up roads. Naugty Dog’s real coup isn’t designing a world where humanity is dying, but instead showing one where nature is winning.
While the story of The Last of Us is deeply personal and centers around a handful of characters, the world serves as a constant reminder that when humanity fades away, nature will return. Everywhere you look, under a beautiful blue miasma, The Last of Us Part II’s world doesn’t just depict a crumbling human world, but also a victorious natural one. Humanity is the plague, and nature isn’t just healing, it’s winning.
For more, check out our full The Last of Us Part II review!
Those are our picks for the Best Video Game Art Design of 2020 – let us know in the comments what’s on your list that didn’t make ours.
There are plenty of other awards beyond just the best art design! Check out all our platform, genre, and design award winners – and, of course, our pick for this year’s GotY – below!
IGN’s Game of the Year 2020
Best Games by Platform
Best Games by Genre
Game Development and Craft Awards
Be sure to check out all of our other Game of the Year award winners as well as our picks for the best movies, TV shows, comics, and anime of 2020!
