After months of pondering, I still don’t know why pixel art is appealing to so many people.

Is it the satisfying chunkiness of the images, or perhaps the detail and clever shading? While many debate the cause of pixellation’s appeal as a medium for art, none can deny its increased prominence among modern games. Here are some examples of developers who went the extra mile, producing truly sublime pixel art to enhance already excellent games.

1. Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP - the best part about the graphics of Sword & Sworcery is their understated subtlety. The muted and incredibly detailed art, along with the excellent musical score, create a rather haunting and unsettling atmosphere compounded by the methodical point-and-click gameplay.

2. Gunbrick - on the other side of the spectrum we have Gunbrick, a title with brilliantly bold visuals and gameplay to match its flamboyant style. Bright, flashy, and colorful pixel art pushes this fantastically over-the-top action-puzzler into the realm of total awesomeness. And really, who’s never dreamed of piloting a cube with guns?

3. Deep Dungeons of Doom - a skill-based dungeon crawler with tough, pattern-based combat, the animations for this title are nothing short of amazing. The sheer joy of seeing Deep Dungeons in action will get you through any number of deaths caused by the game’s satisfying yet unyielding two-button combat system.

4. Star Command - the vibrant art of this sci-fi strategy title makes blasting powerful lasers at enemy ships all the more exciting. What’s most impressive about the pixel art on offer here is how colorful and busy the screen gets - the display explodes with color when you’re boarded by anthropomorphic aliens.

5. The Last Rocket - mentally taxing though its puzzles may be, The Last Rocket never loses its unique charm, furthered by the excellent animations of its titular spacecraft. Bite-sized, polished, and simple: these are words applicable to both the pixel art and gameplay of this cute brainteaser-filled adventure.

6. SpellSword - I’m pretty sure SpellSword was a hit back in the day, but here’s a reminder to redownload this arena-based game and rediscover its many joys. The type of shading utilized by SpellSword’s ingenious art director merges pixellation and watercolors, creating a stunning backdrop for a dose of monster-slaying fun.

7. Velocispider - another one from ages past, this vertical shoot-em-up has you defending the eggs of a mismatched dinosaur-arachnid crossbreed. The vibrancy of Velocispider’s pixel art and the precise tilt-controlled gameplay compensate for its disappointing brevity, so those pining for an accessible shooter should look no further.

8. The Incident - ever wanted to see giant moai, colorful piñatas, and random household appliances rendered into pixel art? What if they were all in the same game? That idea is the core concept of The Incident. While the avoidance-based gameplay delights, the real hook is seeing what pixellated doodads you’ll encounter next.

9. Canabalt - this list wouldn’t be complete without the inclusion of Canabalt, which single-handedly invented the endless runner - although it’s still better than most of them. Monochrome pixellated visuals create a surprisingly rich atmosphere, and even after the advent of newer, shinier runners, Canabalt still merits its asking price.