Polygon has a new newsletter, and it is doing something strange: it is telling readers to add games to their Steam wishlists based on how pretty they look. The weekly roundup, called Wishlister, sends out picks on Tuesdays and posts them on Fridays, and this week’s edition is entirely about visual appeal. The six games on the list are not being praised for their gameplay, their story, or their mechanics. They are being praised for the way they look.
The newsletter asks a simple question: what gets a player to add a game to their wishlist? Sometimes it is a great elevator pitch, sometimes it is the pedigree of the developer, and sometimes it is just the art. This week, it is all about the art. Each of the six games has a distinctive visual style that caught the newsletter’s eye, from a hand-drawn 2D platformer that looks like a comic book to a clockwork adventure that calls back to the Game Boy era.
Vivarium: The Anime-Cozy Town
Vivarium is the first pick, and it is described as “gorgeous” enough to be hard to believe it is a real game. The small-town cozy game features hand-drawn art that makes it look exactly like anime. That is not a subtle comparison. The newsletter draws a direct line to Orbitals, a game from earlier this year that used a similar trick, but argues that Vivarium is in an even prettier package. The description evokes the naturalistic work of Hayao Miyazaki, which suggests a warm, detailed, hand-crafted look rather than a flat digital rendering.
The comparison to Orbitals is telling. Both games use hand-drawn art to create a world that feels hand-made, warm, and lived-in. Vivarium extends that idea into a town setting, which gives it a different emotional register than a space-bound adventure like Orbitals. The newsletter’s language suggests that the game’s art is the whole pitch: it is so beautiful that it is hard to even believe it is a real game.
Rebounder: The Comic Book Platformer
Rebounder comes from this year’s Tribeca Fest, where it was one of the promising games showcased. The 2D platformer looks exactly like a comic book, right down to its inky colors. The newsletter describes the game as a tense precision-based platformer built for Celeste fans, which suggests a game that demands careful timing and quick reactions. The visual style is the hook, but the gameplay is the substance.
The comic-book look is a specific choice. It is not a watercolor painterly style or a pixel-art recreation. It is inky, bold, and flat, the way a printed page might look. The game’s pedigree helps here too. Celeste fans are a discerning audience, and the newsletter is positioning Rebounder as a game that will satisfy them. The combination of a striking visual identity and a demanding genre makes it a game worth watching.
The Eternal Life of Goldman: The Subversive Side-Scroller
The Eternal Life of Goldman is a Metroidvania, and it is the kind of game that takes your breath away the first time you see it. Its first trailers promise a gorgeously animated adventure about an old man’s quest to take down a deity. Developer Weappy Studio promises a subversive side-scroller that is both challenging and approachable. That is a tall order, combining a complex genre with a light touch.
The promise of a subversive side-scroller is a notable detail. It suggests a game that is not taking itself too seriously, even as it tackles a heavy subject. The old man versus deity setup is a classic fantasy narrative, but the subversive angle hints at humor or irreverence. The game’s art is hand-drawn, which fits the genre’s emphasis on exploration and discovery. The combination of a compelling premise and a distinctive visual style makes it a game worth keeping an eye on.
Cybrlich and the Death Cult of Labor: The Adult-Swim Shooter
Cybrlich and the Death Cult of Labor caught the newsletter’s attention at this year’s Game Developers Conference, and not just for its title. This Doom-like first-person shooter features a wild art style that makes it look like an Adult Swim cartoon come to life. The newsletter also notes that it is a blast based on what they have demoed, full of blood, skeletons, and oversized blunts.
The Adult Swim comparison is a specific reference to the network’s animated shows, which often blend comedy with violence and surrealism. The game’s art style is described as wild, which suggests a chaotic, energetic look. The demo experience adds weight to the visual promise, suggesting that the game delivers on its chaotic energy in practice. The combination of a recognizable genre, a distinctive art style, and a memorable name makes it a game worth remembering.
Reason and Rhyme: The Angry Birds Puzzle
Reason and Rhyme is a two-player co-op puzzle game launching on Oct. 15. It has you solving puzzles together as a pair of angry birds, which is a specific premise. The game also features a very distinct art style inspired by the Nintendo 3DS’ Flipnote Studios app, and it looks terrific in motion. The Nintendo 3DS reference is a specific nod to the handheld’s creative drawing tools, which allowed users to make simple animations.
The angry birds premise is a clever hook. It is a familiar character set dressed up as puzzle-solvers, which gives the game a light-hearted tone. The Flipnote Studios inspiration adds a handmade, analog feel to the art. The game looks terrific in motion, which suggests that the animation holds up in action. The combination of a fun premise, a distinct art style, and a solid puzzle foundation makes it a game worth following.
Lelu: The Monochromatic Adventure
Lelu is an indie game about a clockwork toy on a quest for freedom. It sports a charming monochromatic look that calls back to the Game Boy era while still looking entirely distinct. The game is described as a bite-sized delight for fans of top-down adventure games. The black-and-white trend is currently in fashion, with Toem 2 being cited as an example of the style.
The Game Boy comparison is a specific reference to the console’s hardware, which had a limited color palette. The game’s art is monochromatic, which means it uses shades of gray and black to create its world. The entirely distinct qualifier suggests that Lelu is not simply copying the look of an old console. The clockwork toy protagonist is a specific character, giving the game a clear identity. The combination of a charming premise, a recognizable visual style, and a bite-sized format makes it a game worth checking out.
The Picks by Genre
The newsletter’s picks cover a wide range of genres and styles:
- Vivarium: a small-town cozy game with anime-inspired hand-drawn art
- Rebounder: a 2D platformer with a comic-book aesthetic
- The Eternal Life of Goldman: a hand-drawn Metroidvania about an old man’s quest to take down a deity
- Cybrlich and the Death Cult of Labor: a Doom-like first-person shooter with an Adult Swim cartoon art style
- Reason and Rhyme: a two-player co-op puzzle game featuring angry birds and a Nintendo 3DS Flipnote Studios art style
- Lelu: a top-down adventure about a clockwork toy with a monochromatic Game Boy-era look
The common thread is the visual appeal. Each game has a distinctive art style that makes it stand out.
The Newsletter’s Pitch
The newsletter’s argument is simple: these games are worth adding to your wishlist now because their art is worth seeing before they release. The picks are a curated list of upcoming Steam games worth adding to your wishlist, and the newsletter is the place to get it.
The newsletter is free to subscribe to, and it is available on the site. The picks are sent out weekly on Tuesdays and posted on Fridays. The newsletter is described as a “weekly cheat sheet to what you’ll eventually love to play,” which captures the spirit of the project. It is a way of saving games for later without committing to a purchase.
The newsletter is doing what a good curation should do: it is pointing readers toward games they might miss otherwise. The newsletter is making the case that a player’s time is valuable, and that the games worth playing are worth saving for later.
The newsletter’s picks are a reminder that games are often discovered through the eye before the mind understands them. A game’s art is often the first thing a player notices, and it can be the deciding factor in whether a game gets added to a wishlist. The newsletter is betting that a player who sees a game they like will remember it later.
“Sometimes, it’s a great elevator pitch that gets us curious about a game. Other times, it’s the pedigree of the developer behind it. And then there are times when it’s even simpler than that: Sometimes we’re just won over by cool art.”
The newsletter is making the case for the simpler option. Cool art is enough to win someone over, and the six picks are proof of that. Each game has a visual identity that sets it apart from the crowd.
The newsletter is doing something small but useful: it is giving players a reason to return to Steam and see what is coming next. The games on the list are all worth a look, and the newsletter is the place to find them. The picks are a curated list of upcoming Steam games worth adding to your wishlist, and the newsletter is the place to get it.
Source material: “6 Gorgeous Upcoming Steam Games To Wishlist Now,” Polygon.
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