Which part of a game is more important to you? Are you all about engaging gameplay? Or maybe climbing the online leaderboards of a competitive game is your thing. But no matter which kind of gamer you are, we can all agree that a game’s visuals and art style play a huge role in attracting you to a game or repulsing you from it. Low poly game art refers to a style of 3D computer graphics where the 3D models are constructed using a relatively small number of polygons (usually triangles) compared to high-polygon models. These days there are AAA games with impressive graphics that seem more real than reality; however, if you are an indie developer, you probably don’t have the resources required to produce such high-fidelity visuals. But fear not! After reading this guide, you will know exactly what to do in order to dazzle your audience with the magic of effective low-poly game art!The truth is that you don’t need to spend a truckload of bucks on hiring an Avengers-level team of artists to make your games successful. In fact, did you know that the top 2 best-selling game franchises in the entire history of video games are “Mario” and “Tetris”? Other than those, many recent hits in the game industry were games with really simple graphics. Remember “Meat Boy”? Or “Floppy Bird”?In this guide, you will learn that while having impressive graphics is very important, that doesn’t mean you need photorealistic graphics and models with 999999 polygons to create a game that can hit the jackpot for you.
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FAQ
What is low-poly game art?
The style is characterized by the use of a small number of polygons in the creation of 3D models. The goal is to keep performance optimized while still having impressive graphics.
Is it easier to create low-poly game art?
Yes and no. It takes less time and resources to create low-poly game art, but if you don’t do it smartly and without observing its principles, your game’s visuals might push players away from your game.
When should I consider using low-poly game art?
There are no general rules here, but if you have a limited budget and want to get your game in the market as fast as possible low-poly game art is especially good for you. Also, it fits really well with artistic and highly stylized games.
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Author
Behnam is a game designer, a storyteller, and a pizza lover. He loves diving deep into a pile of text to find the right answers. A diehard Warhammer fan and a tireless eco-warrior. Beside designing games for the smartphone platform, Behnam has been passionately writing about everything related to the game industry for +5 years.
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