Best Art Style is always a difficult award. What does “art style” even mean anyway? Is it a graphical powerhouse like Death Stranding? Does it mean the game has to be “cartoony” or have a specific visual style? As with years prior, we left that question up to our staff without offering too many boundaries to get in the way. We got some great nominations this year, from those with a distinctive art style like Sayonara Wild Hearts to the haunting realism of Death Stranding. Here are the PlayStation LifeStyle nominations for Best Art Style in 2019.
Best Art Style 2019 Winner
Concrete Genie
One of the central things we focused on in our review for Concrete Genie was the unique visual style of the game, evoking the same kind of spirit as a LAIKA sop-motion animated film. But Concrete Genie doesn’t stop there. Its art extends to the walls of the town in yet another distinct living art style, allowing players to paint, create, and bring those things to life. And even the flashbacks, central to the game’s narrative, have their own art style. Concrete Genie is a worthy winner of this award not just for its visuals, but for the way that “art style” works its way into every aspect of the game. It’s not just an art style you see. It’s an art style you play.
Concrete Genie also won the award for our Best Family Game this year.
Reader’s Choice Winner
Death Stranding
Our readers favored the realistic art direction that went into Death Stranding, a haunting and unique world that brilliantly portrayed the lonely expansiveness of the game’s world. Death Stranding’s visuals are quite distinctive and a major piece of what makes the game so powerful. Concrete Genie and Borderlands 3 were the reader’s choice runner ups, with Concrete Genie just managing to edge out Borderlands 3 for the second-place finish.
Don’t miss our full lineup of nominees for the PlayStation LifeStyle Game of the Year awards. We’re just getting started with the winners and we’ll be revealing more all throughout the week, leading up to the Game of the Year on Friday December 20.
