So many companies these days, AAA especially, are focused on creating games that are hyper-realistic or gritty. This often leaves the market wanting highly stylized works and games you can claim are cute. You’re probably going to run across more horror games with cute art styles than you would much else.
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The use of cute art styles to subvert expectations works well, and it helps to create a memorable experience. However, RPGs thrive when they can celebrate the cute and adorable. Whether you’re playing as a charming little animal or you’re playing something lovably stylized, cute RPGs are a great break from the hyper-realism of today’s industry.
10Night In The Woods
AlthoughNight in the Woodsis slightly macabre, there’s something about its art style that is so endearing. It’s heavily stylized and almost feels like little cardstock cutouts are running around town, unintentionally solving mysteries. It’s hard not to become enraptured by the lively characters as they flail around the screen.
With bounds of humor and a story of self-discovery, you’ll quickly find yourself falling in love. Just be careful if you don’t do great with psychological horror. As minimal as the horror is, it is still present throughout the game, especially toward the end.
9Little Misfortune
Little Misfortune is undoubtedly an adorable character. She interacts with the story and the narrator with picturesque innocence, simply thrilled to have an adventure. She makes funny comments as she wanders through town and slowly reveals more of the plot.
The story is dark, and the psychological horror lingers in the background before finally revealing itself at the end.It is, undeniably, a very cute horror game.
The art is stylized and memorable. The game utilizes visual effects exceedingly well, creating an enriching atmosphere. If that wasn’t enough for you, all you have to do is throw some glitter on it, just like Misfortune.
8Octopath Traveler 2
With more refined sprites than its predecessor, many would considerOctopath Traveler 2to be cute. You could certainly argue that some of the monsters and even the characters are cute.
On the whole, the story is about creating a better world and improving your situation, but whether that improvement is for yourself or others varies from character to character. The pixel art is hard to forget and fosters a sense of nostalgia. Even if you haven’t played the first game, you’re certain to be enraptured by its standalone sequel.
7Touhou Mystia’s Izakaya
No list of the cutest games would be complete without an anime-styled selection. Tohou Mystia’s Izakaya is a fan game based on the Project Tohou games. However, you don’t need to be interested in Project Tohou to enjoy this RPG.
It excels at being a stand-alone game with enjoyable music and fun restaurant simulator gameplay. The characters are endearing right off the bat, and the pixel art style is utilized brilliantly. If you take one look at this game, you’d find it hard to disagree with the term “cute.”
6Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom
Another anime-style game,Ni No Kuni, has often had its art style compared to Studio Ghibli films, and for good reason. The art style, both in cutscenes and in gameplay, is endearing and easy to look at. For some of you, it might even be nostalgic, adding an extra layer of enjoyment.
The game is an open-world JRPG, setting you on the path to reuniting the world. The music is enjoyable and the story is a hopeful one, and you’ll likely be hard-pressed to find another AAA game that presents itself with a similar stylized look nowadays.
5Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Chicory: A Colorful Talehas a simple but well-utilized style, and it’s similar to a coloring book before you add color to the world, using it to solve puzzles and make the world much brighter.
The game is filled with lovable friends and creatures of all kinds. This game’s adorable and simplistic style makes itgreat for kids and adults alike.
The delightful mechanics make it fun to play and encourage you to think before you splat color down everywhere. Just because graphics may be complicated doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re better. Chicory is the working proof of that concept.
4Cat Quest
Brightly colored and saturated, Cat Quest is a hack-n-slash RPG. You run around as a cat across a map, taking regular cat naps when you need to restore your health and finishing quests, building up your power so you can defeat the big bad cat, Drakoth.
The gameplay is simple but enjoyable, offering a good break from games that require more complex controls and strategies. Like many other animal-based games, it’s hard not to enjoy it, simply because you get to be a cat.
3Sun Haven
Sun Havenis another pixel art game you’d be hard-pressed to argue isn’t cute. The chibi-styled sprites that fill the game certainly help to push it into the territory of exceedingly adorable, and they offer a good contrast from the intricacies of the ancient dragons that can be found and interacted with throughout the game.
Although it is, technically, a farming simulator, RPG, the story of Sun Haven is simple. As the one chosen by Elios, the Sun Dragon, you are sent on a mission to bring hope to all three cities. By doing so, you can fight the darkness and protect your home.
2Stray
Although Stray is fairly realistic, and the environment itself shifts with the gritty environment of the city and the lush greenery of nature, it just works. Stray is adorable because you’re just a little cat running around with your backpack, and the whole game takes the trends of gritty hyper-realism in the gaming industry and turns it on its head.
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By presenting you with a gritty environment and an all-too-adorable protagonist, the game becomes cute and indulgent. It doesn’t matter if you like cats in real life or not because when you’re playing the little one, it’s hard not to love him.
1Spiritfarer
Spiritfarer is a wonderfully hand-drawn game. Those of you who sing their praises are completely justified because the game is an all-around lovely experience. The world is dripped with beauty, from the music to the character designs, to the gameplay. Calling the companions and spirits you meet along the way cute is an understatement.
It will leave you in tears and in awe at what the developers have managed to accomplish. There are many games you can get away without playing, but Spiritfarer is not one of them.It’s the perfect game to cozy up with and relax the day away with.
