Are Cartoony Games Dead?

[Heroine of Winds]

It seems like ever since the 7th generation, games that aren't dark & gritty end up being discontinued because more people want to see something that's more 'mature' for their age. There isn't a whole lot of cartoony lighthearted games in this day & age due to game companies not wanting to do anything with them anymore, and it's all because they're not dark & gritty.

I find it really sad because games that are cartoony got me into gaming back in the day. Now that they're close to not being around anymore, I'll probably end up stopping because dark & gritty games aren't for me. That's not what video game companies want anymore. Cartoony games are a thing of the past now.

 

[Spak]

It seems like ever since the 7th generation, games that aren't dark & gritty end up being discontinued because more people want to see something that's more 'mature' for their age. There isn't a whole lot of cartoony lighthearted games in this day & age due to game companies not wanting to do anything with them anymore, and it's all because they're not dark & gritty.

I find it really sad because games that are cartoony got me into gaming back in the day. Now that they're close to not being around anymore, I'll probably end up stopping because dark & gritty games aren't for me. That's not what video game companies want anymore. Cartoony games are a thing of the past now.

Not really. TF2 is cartoony, League of Legends is cartoony, and Wind Waker's HD remake were cartoony games that have come out in the last 5 years, Zack & Wiki (although that was a while ago) was cartoony on the Wii, all of the Narito games are pretty cartoony, and some Indie PC games are cartoony. They are still out there, but not as common as they were in Cel-shading's heyday in the PS2-GC-Xbox era.

 

[gmBottles]

A lot of indie games are made to be cartoony, since most indie titles nowadays are homages to classic gaming. But I don't think that that is the only reason. I think that the people into "dark, gritty" games tend to make dark, gritty games, and people who like cartoony games make cartoony games. There are different markets for different tastes, you just have to look for them.

 

[Minato]

Not really, no. Cartoon styled games are not dead. If anything, a lot of the focus is going back to it.

The stereotypical AAA Western game will probably go in the more gritty direction, but there's still plenty of variety.

 

[StarBot]

No.

Nintendo still make "cartoony games", yet look at reviews then look at the reviews of the "dark and gritty" games

 

[ThatNintendoDude]

I definitely wouldn't say their dead. Compared to the 90's and early 2000's, they've dropped off sure, but their not gone. That was considered the era of the "mascot platformer" (Mario, Crash Bandicoot, Sonic Adventure, Spyro...etc). The art style lent itself well to that genre. However, a lot of the "cartoon" texture or art style was a product of the technology, in my opinion.

Compare these two N64 games: Goldeneye 007 and Banjo-Kazooie. Both made by Rare, both for the N64, both came out within a few years of each other. Both are great games, but have drastically different art styles. I feel like Banjo's "cartoony" art style has helped the game to age much better than Goldeneye.

Maybe I'm totally off base with that, but oh well. I personally love games with great art direction. Look no further than Wind Waker and Wind Waker HD. Man, that game has aged well.

 

[finalark]

People have been saying this for years. No, cartoony games aren't dead. They're actually fairly abundant, it's just that the AAA industry is targeted at 18-30 year old men and all of their games are dark and gritty.

 

[JSG]

They're not necessarily dead; they're just under most people's radars these days. We still have Nintendo and some other IPs such as Little Big Planet and Sonic, but they're quite overshadowed by the more darker, cinematic games.

Though, recently, Indie games are thriving on cartoony styles. Games like Lovely Planet, Guacamelee, and the upcoming Cuphead still have that style, and are pretty good games.

 

[Duck SMASH!]

Clearly you haven't been on Steam lately.

 

[Yellowpikmin476]

And adding onto what most others have said, I think if pixelly graphics count(they very well may or may not, depending on your view) there's a lot of pixelly graphics games that are popular, like Terraria for example.

 

[Aninymouse]

Smash Bros. is a cartoony game. We are on a Smash Bros. website. I think that says something.

If you include "anime style" in the "cartoony" category, the evidence against its decline is even greater.