ATLAS / IDEAS

Game design atlas

Find a mechanism, understand its tradeoffs and smallest useful scope, then build your game with a design card and sample project.

192 Mechanisms32 Mechanism domain48 Art styles12 Genre guides

Art styles My research shelf Rain Canopy Workshop · Try the complete prototype Pixel toolkit

A dark traveler crosses a broken bridge, with pale fog separating forest, falls and a tower.

Art styles

Monochrome silhouette

Value and outline explain space before a few fog layers add distance. With very few colors, the character, usable edges and hazards must still be instantly distinct.

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Separate characters and interactive ground by value so black forms do not merge
Distant layers tend to be lighter; depth comes from grouping rather than surface pattern
Hazards differ in shape as well as color
Lighting and fog support navigation while important landing edges stay visible

Reference gamesLIMBO · BADLAND: Game of the Year Edition

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Art styles

Watercolor

Pigment blooms on paper, edges keep some white, and the wash has depth. The mood can be soft, but paths, people, and danger need a darker stroke or a ring of paper.

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Important objects use a darker edge or a white gap, not a sealed ink line
One hue varies like a water stain, and pure black is rare
Paper grain stays light enough to leave motion readable
Interactive things keep one stable mark, such as a darker ring

Reference gamesGRIS · Dordogne

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A paper fox explores a river village built from layered cardstock and folded trees.

Art styles

Papercraft

The world is paper cut into layers. Depth comes from the stack, a narrow edge, and one hard shadow. Color can stay pure.

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Characters and scenery are separate sheets, so motion shows who is in front
Thickness is a narrow side, and the shadow is short and hard
Creases and uneven paper are welcome, but the scene should not become a photo
Tears and holes can be boundaries the player passes

Reference gamesTengami · Paper Mario: The Origami King

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Visible impasto brushstrokes describe an autumn lake, a warmly lit inn and mountains.

Art styles

Painterly brushwork

Visible brushwork, color masses and varied edges build the image. Portraits and layered scenes have distinct production needs, beyond one generic oil-painting label.

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Character: readable color masses and brush direction; Scene: separate depth layers; UI: quiet fields and concise icons
Move brushwork coherently with assets and check character/background contacts first.
Do marks support form and routes, and does the character survive a dense background when reduced?

Reference gamesDisco Elysium · The Master's Pupil

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A handmade clay snail, mushroom cottage and garden with tactile sculpted surfaces.

Art styles

Clay-like forms

Rounded masses, tool marks and tangible surfaces suggest modeled clay. Physical stop-motion and digital 3D can both achieve the look through different production routes.

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Character: clay masses with sparse tool marks; Scene: coherent handmade scale; UI: clear text and clay-like symbols
Choose continuous 3D motion or deliberate stop-motion holds; mixing them needs a clear rule.
Are tool marks/material scale consistent, and do details shimmer in motion?

Reference gamesArmikrog · Claybook

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Covers are original AI-generated style illustrations. Game names reference publicly visible design choices and remain the property of their owners. This atlas does not supply screenshots or assets from those games. Prompts and combinations are original drafts for new games.