Very cool blog post from D-Pad Studio, the developers of the upcoming (and beautiful) Owl Boy on the recent trend of 8/16 bit pixel art aesthetic in games and the differences between the actual pixel art style, which was born out of necessity and hardware limitations, and the new stylistic “Hi-Bit” look.
While these games may be paying homage to the 16-bit era that started with the Super Nintendo (1990) and Sega Mega Drive (1988, a.k.a. Genesis), they’re working beyond the limitations of the tech in the 90s.
Some upcoming favourites: Rain World, The Last Night (awesome video below)
Source: D-Pad Studio – creators of Owlboy