A game's art style is the very first thing that an audience will see, and may be the sole factor that attracts or repels them from it. From the game previews I've shown, you can tell I'm using sprites from another game: Ragnarok Online (RO). This game has a special spot in my childhood, since it was the first MMO I had played.
RO has awesome visuals and audio, and provide a strong sense of comfort and nostalgia. The characters are detailed, hand-drawn (?) 2D sprites that move isometrically through a 3D environment. I remember spending a lot of time in Paint playing with the sprites to make animations or custom edits. The modularity of the sprites were also a core feature to include into my own code. Every character has individual sprites for their body (based on class or gender), hairstyle, and headgear. As such, the game assembles each layer to create the unique player character. The soundtrack of RO is also quite memorable; not for being catchy, but by providing a textured, atmospheric experience.
Anime
RO has a fantasy anime art style, which in my opinion is an Asian interpretation of European influences. The high fantasy genre is derived primarily from Tolkien, who took inspiration from various European mythologies. The Asian interpretation is more playful and less gritty; the characters portrayed are more vibrant and youthful.
Anime as an art style is designed to be as pleasing as possible; it blends realistic body proportions with stylized heads. This gets the best of both worlds, since the realistic bodies are fitting for more serious stories, while the stylized faces and hairstyles are easy to idealize. This attracts both male and female audiences, since everybody likes attractive characters.
Human faces are the most defining characteristic of one's identity, so abstracting it with less detail makes it easy to project subconscious preferences. People online debate on the ethnicity of these anime characters; however it's difficult to ascertain when they're drawn with unrealistic and stylized proportions. I'd say this uncertainty has helped anime become popular to both Western and Eastern audiences, since each can interpret the characters as they prefer.
My Style
So obviously if I were to release this game as an actual product, I could not use the RO assets. The aesthetic sprites have been invaluable to me to visualize the game in development. However, I would want a similar high fantasy anime aesthetic. I don't like the overly moe or sexualized anime style, nor the gritty, muted colors of Western medieval fantasy. As such, an art style similar to RO or Fire Emblem has that balance of detail and playfulness.
There's also a big difference between a game's artwork and the actual in-game assets. I have a preference for pixel-based sprites. I wouldn't use the super old-school 16-bit style. I really love the level of detail and character that the RO sprites have. MapleStory is another MMO with a loveable art style, but it's a touch too cutesy for me.
Thankfully, there are many resources to buy licensing art for hobbyists like myself. Freelance artists upload their artwork at an affordable cost, with potential for contracting for further work. I'm still quite a ways away from worrying around cease & desist letter from Gravity, but it's still something to think about.
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