City Scapes
Dark blue pixel backgrounds depicting cyberpunk urban environments. Focus on lighting contrast and atmospheric perspective using limited color palettes.
Style Guide
Norunds: 15 Years of Pixel Perfection
Celebrating a decade and a half of pushing boundaries in indie game development. From our first Dublin release to the latest pixel night experiments, explore the visual history of Norunds.
The Timeline Scroller
Navigate through our fifteen-year journey. Use the selector below to highlight specific milestones from our history, including the pivotal release of our first title in Dublin and the evolution of our signature "Pixel Night" visual style.
1
Year 1: Foundation Established. Norunds begins its journey in game development, focusing on retro aesthetics and modern mechanics.
Milestone Context
Each milestone represents a significant phase in our development cycle. The timeline tracks major releases, technology shifts, and our expansion into new visual territories.
Year Mapping
1-3: Startup Phase
4-7: First Major Release
8-11: Expansion & Style Refinement
12-15: Pixel Night & Beyond
Pixel Night Visual Examples
Our signature "Pixel Night" aesthetic combines stark contrasts with atmospheric depth. Below are examples from our internal style guides and recent projects.
Character Sprites
Black and white static poses designed for maximum clarity. Perfect for rapid prototyping and maintaining visual identity across different resolutions.
Assets
UI Elements
Sharp, retro interface bits for menus, health bars, and notifications. Designed to complement gameplay without cluttering the screen.
InterfaceNorunds Field Guide
Understanding the Norunds approach requires looking beyond surface aesthetics. Our methodology centers on three pillars: technical precision, visual consistency, and narrative integration. Every pixel serves a purpose in the broader game architecture.
When evaluating pixel art quality, we prioritize anti-aliasing strategy, palette discipline, and animation fluidity. These aren't just artistic choices—they're technical constraints that define player experience and system performance.
Key Decision Criteria
- • Palette Efficiency: Limited color sets force creativity and ensure consistency across different lighting conditions.
- • Animation Budget: Frame count directly impacts memory usage and visual smoothness—optimal range is 3-8 frames per cycle.
- • Scaling Strategy: Integer scaling preserves pixel integrity; fractional scaling introduces blur and degrades the aesthetic.
Myths vs. Facts
Myth: "Pixel art is easy and quick to produce."
Correction: Proper pixel art requires meticulous planning and can be more time-intensive than high-res art due to precision requirements.
Fact: "Limited palette increases visual impact."
Constrained color choices create stronger visual identity and help players distinguish game elements instantly.
Mini Glossary
- Pixel Night: Our signature dark, high-contrast visual style.
- Sprite: A 2D bitmap graphic that is integrated into a larger scene.
- Tileset: A collection of small images used to build larger game worlds.
Common Mistakes
- Using too many colors in a single asset
- Ignoring animation frame timing
- Applying blur or smoothing filters
- Inconsistent pixel density across assets
How It Works: The Norunds Method
1
Define & Constrain
Establish core gameplay mechanics and technical limitations. Determine resolution target, color palette size, and memory budget early in the process.
2
Choose & Validate
Select art style approach—pixel art, vector, or hybrid. Create test assets and validate against core gameplay loops for visual clarity and impact.
3
Apply & Refine
Build full asset pipeline with consistent naming and versioning. Iterate based on playtest feedback, focusing on readability and animation smoothness.
4
Review & Next
Final quality check across all platforms and screen sizes. Plan for expansion, DLC assets, and community modding support if applicable.
Visual Spotlight: Dublin 2018
40% reduction in asset size
60 FPS on mobile devices
100% custom palette control
Signals of Trust & Quality
Performance Benchmarks
Our asset pipeline consistently delivers sub-100ms load times on standard hardware. Stress testing with 500+ concurrent sprites shows maintained frame stability across mid-range devices.
- • Avg. load: 87ms
- • Frame stability: 99.2%
- • Memory footprint: 12MB baseline
Community Feedback
"The visual clarity in their latest release makes competitive play incredibly accessible. No visual noise, just pure gameplay."
— Alex M., Competitive Player
Quality Assurance
Every asset undergoes triple-review: technical validation, artistic consistency check, and gameplay integration testing. We maintain a public bug tracker for transparent issue resolution.
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Open Source Tools
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