This pixel-styled 3D retro-noir indie game is absolute cinema

When people talk about games looking like movies, they're often referring to the kind of 3D photorealism that Unreal Engine 5 has become most known for. But here's an indie game that demonstrates that 'pixel realism' can be just, if not more, cinematic.

MoonStreet: The Playable Movie is described as a pixel styled retro-noir game. During the initial couple of second of the trailer below, you might be wondering, where are then pixels? But wait until you see the characters.

MoonStreet is the work of solo dev Christopher Lee. It grew out of a game called TimeOut that he made in Unity (see our guide to Unity vs Unreal Engine) as a final year university project inspired by The Last Night and Bioshock.

You play as scientist Keith Klipper and his robot companion M.A.X, who must explore deep the mysteries behind a series of abductions and power-outages in the decaying retro-noir city of Astro.

The game will have double character control, allowing players to control Keith and M.A.X. simultaneously to navigate the streets. Scripted moments blend with natural programmed behaviour, and gameplay never fully locks you into traditional cutscenes, Christopher says.

What immediately stands out in the trailer is the atmospheric art. Christopher was inspired by pixel realism, a rendering style that uses the blocky low-resolution aesthetic of traditional pixel art but rendered in a lifelike way with realistic lighting, textures and shading.

The aim is to frame the player as if in a movie while they play, so the game reinvents the classic point and click for a 3D environment by using a cinematic over-the-shoulder view. When the player points at something, the camera breaks out of the sidescrolling track to frame up both subject and player.

Image 1 of 3

With the pixel-styled characters, sharp action and moody expansive 3D environments, complemented by a jazz soundtrack, the game feels deeply atmospheric. The art style seems the perfect choice for the narrative-driven game, which the developer says was inspired by real-world events (Christopher is working with writer Paul De Vrijer to ensure narrative cohesion.)

MoonStreet: A Playable Movie will be published by the creative studio LastMinuteWorks laster this year. You can wishlist the game on Steam.