Many video games released recently have always featured bombastic visuals and colorful graphics.
While most of them present very good art styles, none can ever surpass the spectacle of black and white video games. Some of the most renowned video games are rendered black and white.
I don't know, but there's just something about black and white video games that make them very unique. If you are curious to know which ones are the best, read on to see my top five.
- Limbo
- Inside
- AshenForest
- Darklings
- Darq
Limbo
Limbo is by far the most unsettling game that I have ever played. The visuals in this game have inspired many games such as Little Nightmares, among others. However, Limbo has a leg up on all of its competitors even though the game has been out for over a decade now.
Presented in black and white tones, the game takes pride in its eerie atmosphere alongside its grainy effects and ambient sounds. This 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer uses a physics system to great effect.
Throughout the entire game, the main character can run, jump, pull or push objects to help through different obstacles or move away from creatures that are out to devour him.
A Dark and Brooding World
Limbo follows the story of a boy who wakes up within a forest in Limbo as he searches for his sister. The game features a very dark and brooding world where I rarely get to meet human characters aside from the ones that are out to kill my character.
As the search for my character's sister draws to an end, the finale leaves me with an empty yet satisfying conclusion.
Limbo is a great achievement in style and art form. It is one of the most original forms of video games that will be played for decades. While there are many other black and white video games out there to choose from, I highly recommend that you start with the best.
Inside
Inside is a puzzle-platformer game from Playdead that was released in 2016 for different platforms including Windows PC, Xbox, PlayStation 4, and later on, Nintendo Switch in 2018.
The game follows a boy who lives in a post-apocalyptic world while solving environmental puzzles and avoiding getting killed or murdered. I also found out that the game is a direct successor to the previous title mentioned on this list - Limbo.
As a puzzle-platformer, Inside presents a monochromatic world where players get to solve puzzles using the environment differently. The boy can walk, run, swim, climb, and move objects to traverse through different obstacles or help solve puzzles and progress to another level.
Inside inspires some of the most unsettling feelings as you dodge deadly obstacles and menacing figures. In the end, Inside is a game that should be on your list as one of the best black and white video games of all time.
Exploring a Bleak Apocalyptic World
The world of Inside can be very brutal at times. I find myself playing the game with the character being mauled by dogs, torn to shreds, or shocked by an electrical field. Apart from the dynamic puzzles that stretch across different environments, Inside takes its time to unveil what is truly behind this sinister world.
The first few minutes of the game immediately tells me that this game is not for the faint-hearted. While the protagonist is a young boy, the story and the setting can be very terrifying to the player which adds a sense of ongoing dread. The bleak apocalyptic world is marred by shadows and fog that engulf almost the entire game.
The black and white graphics and the well-timed background music makes playing the game as fantastic as it is bone-chilling. It is best that you jump into the game without knowing anything at all and savor each second of it.
AshenForest
AshenForest is a straight-up action-platformer that takes place in a world where monsters are lurking in the forest. In this game, I get to purge the forest from the monsters that are causing the plague.
Unlike many other games in this list, AshenForest uses its monochromatic environment and turns it into a difficult mode for the player. This difficulty makes the game very challenging even though the mechanics are quite simple.
AshenForest is currently available for download on Steam for Windows PC.
Play These Heroes
AshenForest presents three different heroes to choose from. Each of them has its own strengths and distinct characteristics depending on the playstyle.
Agave uses heavily charged attacks that knock enemies off their feet. Lycoris is a magician that uses fire and mind control. She also transforms into a crow demon that knocks the enemy down.
Lastly, Nagne is a hunter that leaves enemies in pieces with his fast ranged attacks. Each of these heroes has a playstyle that any player can relate to.
Darklings
As the tagline says, darkness is coming and it did. Darklings is an amazing mobile game that features a black and white palette with occasional shades of gray. If you are looking for some of the most visually stunning mobile video games, then Darklings should be the one for you.
Darklings follow the story of Lum as he attempts to bring light back into the world to save it from creatures known as Darklings.
When it comes to visuals, I could not agree more that this is one of the most visually appealing mobile games that I have ever played. The shadowy mists and the pale moonlight that embrace the entire environment are a sight to behold.
It is a dark and foreboding atmospheric game that puts a lot of its highlights into the visual aspect of the game. As a fan of bleak games, I would surely rate Darklings as a must download for all mobile gamers.
Dark By Design
Darklings' theme is all about darkness however, the gameplay is also quite engaging. In the game, I get to play Lum and rid the world of darkness by drawing the symbols that appear on the enemy's head to possess them. Doing so will shift Lum into another creature and cause the enemy to shoot stars for me to collect.
The stars are then used to upgrade or gain even more bonuses. Gathering larger stars will also help extend more time in playing the game. Once the time runs out, a boss appears where it spits out Darklings for me to destroy while also taking out the boss afterward.
Darklings is an eerie well-executed game that is suited for mobile. A simple yet highly detailed graphic game that can be played for hours.
Darq
Dark, brooding, and otherworldly - these are just a few of the words that I could say to best describe this hidden gem. Darq is a foreboding monochromatic world where evil lurks everywhere and creativity is your way of surviving this cruel and sadistic world.
The game is an experience that horror fans like me will truly want to play and will revisit time and time. Darq's nightmarish premise is enough to send shivers down my spine. This black and white game follows the story of Lloyd who realizes that he is in a state of lucid dreaming.
Soon after, things quickly turn sideways when the dream becomes a nightmare and Lloyd has to survive the nightmare by bending the rules of physics and save the dream world that he is in.
What piqued my interest in Darq is its visuals. The dark and opaque nightmare landscape brings a sense of dread and fear to the player. Meanwhile, the outlandish creatures that lurk in every corner are some of the most terrifying that I've seen.
Gravity-Defying, Mind-Bending Madness
Darq features short puzzles for me to solve but what makes the game very interesting is the aesthetics and gameplay. There isn't much to say about the story as the game hands it out to the player in a very simple manner. What's more interesting is the way the game plays like a fever dream.
The short run time might not even be enough to satisfy your cravings for this out-of-this-world game. Each level has a unique environment, such as a moving train or a dilapidated theater, and each of them presents a puzzle to be solved to move on.
The dark ambiance, the notable sound design, and the overall visuals cut deep into the human psyche. This is why I love playing games like Darq. It is currently available for download on PC in Steam.
Conclusion
Many video games on this list might have a very morbid theme but it comes with the territory. Black and white games have always been noted for their art form and stylistic visuals.
Check out the highly recommended games above and realize what you have been missing all these years.
