Art stylesRetroLimited palette
Limited dither
When there are too few colors for a gradient, a fixed dot pattern mixes two of them into a middle tone. The texture comes from the limit, and shadow has a pattern.
Traits
- Two to four colors are typical, and the dot pattern stays fixed instead of crawling every frame
- Important contours stay solid; dither handles only the midtones
- The direction of the dots can suggest rain, shadow, or material
- Text avoids dense dither or it turns fuzzy
Play that fits
It suits strange tales, demanding exploration, and old-fashioned spaces. Lamps and doors become extremely clear because of the limit.
Reference games
Make a coherent game art set
Suggested asset specification
- Character: solid key contours
- Scene: controlled dotted midtones
- UI: text/icons clear of dense patterns
Motion and feedback
Fix sampling rules and inspect pattern crawl or shimmer during camera/object movement.
Main production effort
Stable conversion across values and distances drives effort; one screenshot does not validate motion.
Start with this small scene
Use two to four colors, one light and three props to validate midtone separation.
Simplify for a smaller budget
Keep contours solid, dither midtones only and give text an independent solid field.
What to check
Can you distinguish dark surfaces from holes at actual scale, and does device scaling preserve patterns?
Related subdirections
These directions sit within their parent entry and do not increase the main style count.
Dithered 3D conversion
Stabilize edges and value conversion, then check pattern crawl during camera turns.
Return of the Obra Dinn ↗
Take the art specification
Includes localized visual rules, asset suggestions, scope and sources. This is a specification; assets still need production for your project.
Art specification v1 · Original editorial and examples · Reference-game assets not included
Prompt examples
One-bit dithered dungeon room, ordered checker shading, the lamp as the only solid white shape, crisp pixel edges, no smooth gray, no text
Four-color dithered coast, the sea in diagonal dots, the lighthouse as a solid silhouette, no smooth gradient
Common pitfall
Dither patterns should stay stable; random crawling noise obscures contours and tires the eye.
Observations and sources
Cases refer to public documentation. Developers and community wikis are credited separately; document review is not a claim of hands-on testing.
- Return of the Obra Dinn
Observe limited-color conversion from a 3D view, distinct from authoring flat pixel illustrations.
- WORLD OF HORROR
Observe limited-color imagery and manga-like composition without assuming the same pipeline as the other example.
Brief for the studio
Opens the AI studio with the brief below in the input. You can edit it. Nothing starts automatically.
Make a four-color dither exploration: light a lamp, the dithered shadow recedes, and a door appears. Keep the door and the person in solid color, and use the dot pattern only for midtones. Finding three doors ends the game.
Related entries
Pixel
Aligned color blocks and a small palette explain the character, the ground, and the danger. Clarity comes from silhouettes and a few keyframes, not from tiny brushwork.
Minimal geometry
Use circles, squares, lines, and a few colors. Every shape needs a job. Decoration that does not help a decision comes out.
Monochrome silhouette
Value and outline explain space before a few fog layers add distance. With very few colors, the character, usable edges and hazards must still be instantly distinct.
Covers are original AI-generated style illustrations. Game names reference publicly visible design choices and remain the property of their owners. This atlas does not supply screenshots or assets from those games. Prompts and combinations are original drafts for new games.