7 Minimalist Games that Every Developer Should Take Inspiration From

Minimalism in games is more complicated than the artworks from the art movement that arose in the 19th century.  It not only focuses on the art but also with other concepts like the narrative and system design. Minimalism can either be a core concept or elements that are applied in a game when needed. To better understand minimalism, it is best to study and play the games that exhibited such concept.

Classic Minimalist Games

Most retro games appear minimalist due to their poor graphics, untextured objects, and limited colors but not all of them are to be considered as such. This is because, back in the day, there were limitations with the hardware. What qualifies as a minimalist game at that time is the simplicity of the art and the mechanics like in Pac-Man and Pong. 
 

Pac-Man: Easy to Play

This 1980’s classic by Namco is regarded as one of the most popular arcade games of all time. In a maze, the player controls Pac-Man and has to eat all the Pac-dots so he can move to the next stage. However, there are four enemies that roam the maze, which impede Pac-Man from eating all the dots. Pac-Man loses a life once the enemies touch him or he collides with them. When Pac-Man loses all lives, the game is over.

In terms of art and gameplay mechanics, Pac-Man is definitely a minimalist game. The design of the characters is simple. The gameplay mechanics are straightforward, making it very easy to play. Despite that, it’s one of the highly acclaimed classic games of today. A simple-to-play game is one of the elements of a minimalist game.
 

Minesweeper: Straightforward Design

Minesweeper does appear to be a minimalist game due to its straightforward design. However, for most people, the gameplay proves to be quite challenging. They just randomly click on the board without understanding that the numbers are clues to the hidden bombs or mines adjacent to the field. However, even experts of this game, commit slight mistakes.  Since there’s no save feature, it’s tough to complete a map, especially on hard mode.
 

Pong: Familiarity

Pong is one of the earliest video games that spearheaded the rise of many video games and consoles. The game features two in-game paddles that work as controls. Players use the paddles to hit the ball back and forth. Once the opponent fails to return the ball, the other player gets a point. The first player to reach 10 points wins the match. Since Pong is like a table tennis simulation, many users find it very familiar, which makes it easy to play. Familiarity is an aspect of minimalism that makes a game easy to understand and play.

Modern Minimalist Games

Today, most games aim to impress with intensive graphics, realistic elements, and extensive expositions. There’s nothing wrong with those kinds of games but they require not only a great deal of money but also time to make. Here are successful game titles that apply the “less is more” concept. Despite their minimalist design, they offer great fun to players.
 

Limbo: Consistent Color Palette

Limbo is one of the most successful minimalist games of late. It received a lot of praise from both players and reviewers for its aesthetic design and simplicity. Limbo is a 2D sidescroller whose art design and presentation are consistent throughout the game. It exhibits dark and grayscale tones from beginning to end. With that in mind, Limbo displays limited and consistent color palettes, which are characteristics of a minimalist game. It also features ambient sounds and a haunting environment which are presented throughout the game. Not to mention, its unique puzzles and elements are things developers can learn from this game.
 

Thomas Was Alone: Simple Shapes

Thomas Was Alone is another indie puzzle platformer that received many accolades and positive reviews. In this game, the player controls a few rectangular shapes throughout a platforming setting. Each shape has special abilities like being able to float on water and help other shapes reach higher platforms. With these unique abilities, the player should be able to overcome obstacles to direct the shapes to the exit. The shapes and color scheme in this game are simple, putting the players’ focus on the narrative and music which can create an emotional connection.
 

SUPERHOT: Timing and Strategy

SUPERHOT is one of the indie games that received many mentions and positive reviews from review sites last year. Basically, it is an FPS game where the time progresses only when you move. Aside from using weapons, the game allows players to manipulate time in which they can come up with the right timing and strategies to defeat the enemies. Timing and strategy are minimalist elements that offer a solution to puzzles and combat scenarios. These elements do not require players to rely on instructions or tutorials to understand the gameplay.
 

World of Goo: Learning Through Experimentation

This game applies real-life physics concepts to build structures using goo balls to complete a stage. There are various types of goo balls, each with different abilities. With that, the players learn how to make structures out of different goo balls by experimenting and combining their abilities. Learning to solve a problem through experimentation without having to rely on tutorials or guides is a minimalist game mechanic.

Wrapping Up

Budding and established developers can take inspiration from the mentioned game titles with their minimalist elements. For budding game developers, going for a minimalist game design is an ideal solution for a limited budget and tools. For established game developers, minimalism is the simplest path to follow since it provides the bare bones of a game.  Once a game has a minimal art, sound, and mechanics, developers can slowly integrate more elements to the game, while keeping the important aspects. 

No doubt, game development is complicated. Finding a solution to make a game as grand as other graphic-intensive games is a long and arduous process. But keep in mind that the right solution can sometimes be found in simple ideas.

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This post was written by Reymart Sarigumba from iPrice group.