As its name suggests, pixel art is a whole art form that generally doesn't take too kindly to the transition to 3D. Even so...
Once criticized to the point where smoothing technologies involved thousands of engineers, "protruding" pixels are now finding a more favorable echo. Oh, don't be fooled, there's no question of pixelating just anything and everything, and staircase effects shouldn't tarnish even the biggest video-game productions. On the other hand, on independent titles and more retro projects, the presence of sharp pixels has become more than an argument, it's a way of life. Pixel art.
Starhelm Studios
However, in the majority of cases, these pixel art projects are limited to 2D games or, even more rarely, axonometric 3D. In other words, games in "real", open, 360° 3D can be counted on the fingers of two hands. Yet this is the path chosen by the young independent team at Starhelm Studios. For its first game, the team drew on the memories of its founders and decided to design a " love letter to classic immersive simulations such as Thief, Deus Ex and System Shock ". Nothing less!
But to achieve this, the developers set out to design a game in 3D pixel art, with free movement and a 360° camera. They talk of an adventure " built with unique 3D pixel art technology ", and explain that they have turned to the GODOT Engine, a free, open-source engine that seems to have some potential. Their production is currently codenamed Project Shadowglass, and there's not even talk of an alpha demo yet.
However, the first video released - an " early alpha teaser " - is already exciting. The developers point out that " everything you see is 100% real and works in real time in the engine" of the game. They add that "it may look like those pretty AI pixel art videos, but it's our work. No content or art featured in Project Shadowglass will be generated by AI ". An official website is also already in place and, in addition to a few screenshots, the roadmap below can be seen: as you can see, there's no question of having an alpha demo before the beginning of next year, and the opening of early access isn't expected before 2027.
Project Shadowglass roadmap © Starhelm Studios
