Honestly, most games try way too hard to look "next-gen," but Until Then proves that 16-bit inspiration can feel more real than a 4K texture pack. It’s weird. You’re looking at chunky pixels and flat sprites, yet you somehow feel the humidity of a Philippine afternoon or the specific, awkward tension of a high school classroom. This isn't just "retro" for the sake of nostalgia.
The Until Then pixel art style is a masterclass in atmospheric storytelling. Developed by Polychroma Games, the visual identity of this indie darling relies on a deceptive amount of technical depth. It’s not just about drawing small squares. It’s about how those squares interact with lighting, depth of field, and a very specific cultural lens.
If you’ve played it, you know. Mark Borja’s world feels lived-in.
The Secret Sauce of Until Then Pixel Art
What most people get wrong about this game is thinking it’s a simple 2D side-scroller. It’s not. The developers used a technique that blends 2D pixel art with a 3D environment, creating a parallax effect that makes the world feel massive. You aren't just walking past a backdrop; you're moving through a layered space where the foreground and background shift at different speeds.
The lighting is the real hero here. Seriously.
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Most pixel art games use static shadows or very basic highlights. Until Then uses dynamic lighting engines that make the "Until Then pixel art" look almost cinematic. When a motorcycle zip pasts Mark, the light from the headlamp actually casts moving shadows across the pavement. It’s that contrast—the lo-fi aesthetic meeting hi-fi lighting—that creates a "dreamlike" quality. It feels like a memory.
You’ve probably noticed the bloom. It’s everywhere. Some critics might say it’s a bit much, but in the context of a tropical setting like the Philippines, that hazy, overblown light is exactly what a hot day feels like. It blurs the edges of the pixels, making the world feel softer and more emotional.
Why the Philippine Setting Matters for the Visuals
You can't talk about the art without talking about the setting. The team at Polychroma didn't just make "generic city A." They built a world filled with Jeepneys, Sari-sari stores, and very specific power line tangles.
Pixel art is often used to create fantasy worlds or sci-fi dystopias. Seeing it used to render the mundane reality of a Manila-inspired suburb is refreshing. It’s authentic. The colors aren't just random; they reflect the vibrant, sometimes chaotic palette of Southeast Asian urban life. Bright plastics, rusted corrugated metal, and lush green palms.
Beyond the Sprites: Animation and Expression
One of the hardest things to do in pixel art is convey complex human emotion. When your character’s face is only a few pixels wide, you can't rely on subtle lip quivers or eyebrow raises.
Until Then handles this through body language. The "Until Then pixel art" animations are incredibly fluid. It’s likely they used a mix of traditional frame-by-frame animation and some modern rigging to get that smoothness. Watch how Mark shifts his weight when he’s nervous or how his friends react during the "hanging out" scenes.
It’s subtle.
It reminds me of the work seen in The Last Night (if that ever actually comes out) or Katana ZERO. There’s a weight to the movements. Characters don't just glide; they step. They slouch. They exist in the physics of their world. This level of detail ensures the player stays immersed even when the "graphics" are technically low-resolution.
The Technical Magic of the 2.5D Perspective
Technically, the game lives in a 3D space. This allows for camera movements that would be impossible in a standard 2D game. The camera pans, zooms, and tilts, which gives the pixel art a sense of scale.
- Parallax Layers: They use multiple layers of background assets to create depth.
- Post-Processing: Effects like grain, chromatic aberration, and depth of field are layered over the pixels.
- Environment Interaction: Rain reflects on the ground, and characters leave shadows that make sense relative to the light sources.
It’s a "2.5D" approach. By placing 2D pixel sprites in a 3D world, the developers get the best of both worlds. They keep the nostalgic, artistic charm of hand-drawn pixels while utilizing modern hardware for lighting and camera work. It’s why the game looks so much better in motion than it does in a static screenshot.
A Lesson in Aesthetic Cohesion
The most impressive part of the Until Then pixel art is how it never breaks its own rules. Every asset feels like it belongs. Even the UI—the smartphone interface Mark uses—is integrated perfectly into the visual style.
A lot of indie games fail because they mix assets that don't match. You’ll have high-res text over low-res pixels, and it looks jarring. Until Then avoids this trap. Everything from the dialogue boxes to the mini-games feels like it was birthed from the same artistic vision.
The color theory is also top-notch. They use a lot of "Golden Hour" palettes—deep oranges, soft purples, and long shadows. This isn't just because it looks pretty; it fits the theme of the game. Until Then is a story about time, memory, and the "in-between" moments of life. Using the literal in-between time of day (dusk) as a primary visual theme is smart design.
How This Influences the Future of Indie Art
We’re seeing a shift. The "Until Then pixel art" style represents a new wave of "HD-2D" or "Neo-Pixel" art. It’s moving away from the 8-bit NES look and toward something more sophisticated.
Developers are realizing that players don't need 100 million polygons to feel something. In fact, sometimes the abstraction of pixel art allows the player’s imagination to fill in the gaps, making the experience more personal. When you look at Mark, you aren't seeing a specific person—you’re seeing a vessel for your own memories of being a teenager.
It’s effective. It’s efficient. And honestly, it’s beautiful.
Navigating the Technical Limitations
Every art style has limits. With pixel art, you can't do extreme close-ups without things becoming a blurry mess of squares. Until Then solves this by using "cut-in" illustrations or changing the camera angle to focus on environmental storytelling.
If they need to show a specific object, they don't just zoom in on the main sprite. They’ll show a separate, more detailed piece of art. This keeps the visual quality high without breaking the engine. It’s a clever workaround that more indie devs should study.
Practical Insights for Fans and Creators
If you’re someone who loves the look of Until Then and wants to dig deeper or perhaps even create something similar, there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, look into Aseprite. It’s basically the industry standard for creating pixel art like this. It allows for the frame-by-frame precision you see in the game’s animations.
Second, study lighting in Unity or Unreal. The "Until Then pixel art" isn't just about the drawings; it's about the engine. Learning how to use 2D lights and normal maps on 2D sprites is how you get that "glowy," modern look.
Finally, focus on environmental storytelling. Notice how the rooms in Until Then are cluttered. There are posters on the walls, trash on the floor, and specific items that tell you who the characters are. Pixel art requires you to be very intentional with every single square. If a pixel doesn't need to be there, it shouldn't be.
To truly appreciate the artistry, try playing the game on a larger screen but sitting a bit back. The way the pixels blend at a distance creates a painterly effect that you miss if you’re squinting at a tiny handheld screen.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts:
- Analyze the Palette: Take a screenshot of the game and run it through a palette extractor. Notice how limited the color count is per scene. This limitation is what creates the "cohesive" look.
- Study the Animation: Record a video of Mark walking and play it back in slow motion. Count the frames. You'll see that the smoothness comes from "squash and stretch" principles, even within the constraints of pixels.
- Explore the Genre: If you loved this, check out games like Coffee Talk or A Space for the Unbound. They share that specific Southeast Asian "slice-of-life" pixel aesthetic that is currently having a major moment in the gaming world.
The beauty of Until Then is that it feels like a postcard from a place you’ve never been, but somehow remember perfectly. That’s the power of great art. It transcends the medium. It doesn't matter that it's "just pixels." What matters is that it feels real.