MERCH!
Giant Bomb - a website about video games and the people that make them

Intriguing Minimalism

by ahoodedfigure

I don't know why, but white-on-black minimalism somehow does something to my brain. I can't get enough of it. Maybe it started when I saw the white halls of Bespin in Empire Strikes Back, only to find the corruption within. This theme was repeated in the Kamino sequences in Attack of the Clones; I love the Kamino scenes unapologetically.
 
This list may expand to include all minimalism over time, but what I mean is sort of the stark, high contrast or matte look that many people think is bleak or flat.  I love colorful games, but I always like the visual equivalent of a palate cleanser from time to time.  I don't think I mean minimal in all respects, which was easy to get in older games just through virtue of them not having much resources.; I sorta mean stark contrasts and muted whites and grays. 

Showing 1-7 of 7 items

Mirror's Edge

1. Mirror's Edge

The artificially whitewashed buildings made things have that pristine on the outside, messed up on the inside minimalism that I love, and the expansion pack with the surreal, multicolor floating places was even more interesting conceptually.

Portal

2. Portal

Just great. Everything is that white-on-black, at least for a while :)

P.N.03

3. P.N.03

I heard the game wasn't so hot, but the starkness of the design fires my imagination for some reason.

Phantasy Star

4. Phantasy Star

In the Ice Caves on Dezoris, you had white walls with a black floor and ceiling. It made the place feel disconnected from reality. I wouldn't say this really fits with the minimalist architecture thing I was trying to go for, but Jacki Jinx helped remind me that black-and-white still affects me even when in small doses.

Front Mission 4

5. Front Mission 4

While not black and white, there are tons of muted tones in the game to complement the tons of mechs. A very clean, if a bit antisceptic, look to things, especially with the buildings.

Mass Effect

6. Mass Effect

While there are all kinds of designs in this game, I was especially fond of the cleaner city and armor designs. There are a few pieces of white-on-black armor and equipment which hit that same note for me that others in this list do.

Vanquish

7. Vanquish

My, that is fetching armor.