Aug 6, 2021
Stabby Bird by Cyangmou
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Stabby Bird by Cyangmou
Accursed County by Thomas Feichtmeir (@cyangmou)
I’ve been looking very forward to hear Thomas ‘Cyangmou’ Feichtmeir’s talk about pixel art. He’s given it at a few events around Europe recently and a recording is finally available from Games Gathering 2019 Kiev.
In the talk titled Pixel Art—The Art Movement of Restrictions, Cyangmou offers a broader definition of pixel art than what we mostly hear. He places importance on intention instead of technological limitations in the process, a welcome step away from purist restrictions such as limiting what kind of tools we can use to achieve the desired result (and what kind of results are allowed in the first place).
A lot of thought is given to dispelling the perception that nostalgia is the only or main reason for pursuing pixel art. Thomas breaks down a set of unique beliefs and values for pixel art in the 21st century (like intentionality and room for interpretation) that contrast the mindset of artists on old video games where the goal was often to work around the restrictions instead of with them. He makes a compelling case for pixel art as an art movement that evolved past its inspirational roots and will exist on its own into the future, without worrying it would die together with people that grew up in the 80s and 90s.
I find the presented philosophy both an accurate description of the feeling in the pixel art community today, as well as a useful mindset for working with the medium. Some will of course still choose pixel art for the warm feels in connection to their childhood, but it’s by no means a necessary reason behind the aesthetic. Pixel art today is bigger, broader, and it will continue to evolve, expand, and also mix with other media. In the end what matters is the feeling the art creates, not what label it’s filed under.
Top 5 Basic Tips For Pixel Art (by Cyangmou)
Additional pixel art tools, tutorials, games etc. can be found on the PixelArtus overview page
Dark Souls: Solaire
Dark Souls is owned by FromSoftware, Inc.
For more perler bead designs check out my Tumblr!
Sprite design based on Cyangmou’s GBA SOULS SQUAD.
Follow him for more pixel art on his DeviantArt or Twitter!
TOWER 57! IT! IS! DONE!
Yeah, Tower 57 is finally out. As a backer I’ve had the pleasure of playing it a couple times by now, first its alpha (or beta?) build, and now the final release one week early. I gotta say I still cry a bit that they took out the train level the alpha opened up with, but everything else makes up for it.
If you’ve missed the first three times I’ve talked about Tower 57 on the blog (not to mention it was the first games feature in Retronator Magazine), let me just say it’s a twin stick shooter (or WASD + mouse shooter) with gorgeous art by Thomas 'Cyangmou’ Feichtmeir. Marco ‘Benitosub’ Pappalardo did the coding part of the equation and over the last 2 years since the game was funded on Kickstarter, they’ve put together a 16-bit era masterpiece that makes Amiga and Neo Geo two very proud parents.
I’m not too deep into the game yet, but the thing is already oozing with content. The art speaks for itself, but the variety of characters, weapons, items, upgrades, and things to do in the world is just insane for a 2-person team. I even played darts in the game, for fuck’s sake it’s like GTA!!!
The trailer released a few weeks ago explains everything very well:
And if that wasn’t enough to drool over, we also got a special animated release trailer just now:
Tower 57, the game that keeps on giving.
You know what else? It’s only $10 (17% off right now). If you like action games, this is a no-brainer. Get it on Steam, GOG, or Humble (with Linux, Amiga, and consoles coming later).
Pretty much breathtaking backgrounds by legendary pixel artist Thomas ‘Cyangmou’ Feichtmeir for the game The Mummy Demastered.
If you just scrolled through, click the damned images to see them full size. It’s worth it.
Tower 57 | 16th Nov 2017 (PC)
“Tower 57 is a fast-paced neo-retro shooter where cooperation is as important as your ammo capacity. As a member of an extraordinary task force fight your way through a dieselpunk megatower and uncover its hidden secrets.“