Shacknews Best Art Style of 2020 - Hades

Set apart from the fidelity of Best Graphics, Shacknews Best Art Style focuses in on the stylistic choices of a game and the way in which it conveys all things. 2020 was a year of absolutely gorgeous games, and it was a year of incredibly stylish games designed by great artists all around. That said, in finale of our intense debate, it was Supergiant Games’ Hades that won out for its all-around incredible art style.

There are a few ways to truly appreciate the absolute breadth of lovingly crafted art and style present in Hades. One is in the big flashy character art itself. Supergiant Games did an incredible job of crafting each Greek mythological figure, from the diminutive little Gorgon head Dusa up to the big man Hades himself, and everything in between. All characters in this game have striking portraits that perfectly deliver the hero, villain, and other figures from which they are based.

Then there’s the gameplay of Hades. This isn’t a visual novel. There’s action going on at every angle of Hades, and if you look closely at the characters portrayed even in the conversations, there are some animation in there as well. Whether it’s the big 2D portraits or their 3D avatars, every character in Hades has a gorgeous and vibrant design and life about them.

That’s not even taking into consideration the vastly different environments Hades has in its gallery of challenge. Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium… all of the arenas of Hades have their own incredibly striking and distinct visual nature to them, awash with an array of different color thematics that make them pop.

There are so many great stylistic games in 2020. Ghost of Tsushima was incredible in its blowing wind, grass, and portrayal of its Japanese island at war. Half-Life: Alyx was also breathtaking in its incredible and creepy designs. Ori and the Will of the Wisp and Paper Mario: The Origami’s art styles are incredibly memorable as well. Even so, we mostly agreed that Hades was top-to-bottom gorgeous whether still or in motion. This was nowhere near an easy vote in 2020, but we have to give credit where credit is due. Supergiant Games continues to know how to make a game’s visuals stand out like nearly no other.

Check out the other winners from The Shacknews Awards 2020 in our Year of the Games: 2020 article.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.