More games are adopting the aesthetics of Tim Burton, creating a new genre
More games are adopting the aesthetics of Tim Burton, creating a new genre https://www.polygon.com/new-game-genre-burtonlikes/
A new game genre is forming, and it's one for the emo kids: the Burtonlikes.
There's a new game genre that's growing in popularity: Buttonlikes (not an official name)!
Writer Austin Manchester first noticed it in 2021.
That's when he bought "Lost in Random", a dice based game with a weird aesthetic (bug eyed & pale skinned folk) & stop motion clay animation.
That all seems central to this new genre.
It's said to be inspired by Laika films & Tim Burton movies.
The characters are mall goths from the mid 2000s that 'live' in a dark, weird & moribund atmosphere - much like the Adams Family, but in video game form.
Henry Selick's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (produced by Burton) & Selick's "Coraline" can be called the first Burtonlikes.
Now, follow that up with a rash of current game releases that clearly 'burrow' from Burton's filmography:
2024 saw the release of "Harold Halibut", a weird video game that takes place in a nice submersible spacecraft.
Then, we have the horror puzzles of "The Midnight Walk" (2025) that take place in short, gloomy chapters.
Fall, 2025 will see "Gloomy Eyes" which features the duo of a curious girl & her zombie, bouncing between two kids while inside of ghoulish dioramas.
Other possible Burtonlikes are -
"Bramble: The Mountain King"?
"The Little Nightmares"?
All of these are much more creepy but, aren't far away from the Burtonlike ideals.
More such games are expected to become popular, helping this subgenre to grow.
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PS: Otherwise, all of these games can be just as easily described as Cosy Horrors.
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