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[LazyWaffle]

I think having an immersing atmosphere is much harder to do in 2D games. Knytt executed it really well, but lately I've been thinking about how to pull it off.

I think limited vision and fog help a lot, but I think the biggest factor is the sound. To me, the music and sound effects make up the bulk of the atmosphere. I'm interested in hearing others' opinions, too.

[Richard Kain]

I think you're on the right track with that. There is only so much you can do graphically in a 2D game to create "atmosphere." I can see the audio effects being a much more important aspect if that is your objective. I would suggest using considerably less sound if you want to build atmosphere. If you are going to have music, keep it slow, and low. Use environmental effects, such as dripping water. Perhaps add an echoing effect to the normal effects associated with the main character.

[sandcrab]

This is a pretty narrow definition of "atmosphere."  What if your atmosphere is a rave, or an active battlefield, or a busy airport lobby?

[SirNiko]

To me, a big part of 2d games is creating the impression of a meaningful world with landmarks and transitions. For example, a game that consists of a bunch of random caverns isn't as much fun as a game where the caves transition into an underground bunker, then a rail station, then a tunnel to the surface, and so forth.

If you zoom out the map and it looks like a maze of random tunnels, it's a failure to me. If you zoom out the map and notice neat relationships between the shapes of areas and elements that transition in realistic ways, it's a success. Bonus points if understanding those connections benefits the player, like discovering a shortcut or hidden room when they find an empty space in the castle zone that should contain a room.

[iffi]

In La-Mulana, the music greatly contributes to the atmosphere. Also, each region has its own set of predominant colors (even though there are only 16 colors in the entire game) and a certain theme to it, but the transitions and the overarching theme and story link them all together so they fit, and no region feels really out of place. From what I've seen, it looks even better in the upcoming Wiiware version, though I'm not sure about some of the new music.

Depending on the type of game, the gameplay also plays a major role in creating the atmosphere. Actually, everything plays a role - in the best game atmospheres (such as Knytt's), the sound effects, music, graphics, and gameplay are all consistent. Knytt would not feel the same if deaths were replaced with bloody red explosions, or if it were a shooter game, for example.

[VomitOnLino]

Basically I can echo what has already been said.

Also as trite as it sounds, but atmosphere is basically the sum of the parts that make up the game. And like iffi said if it doesn't add up, each part can be as atmospheric as possible it still won't make for an atmospheric game.

Also another important element that I'd like to add are, as I call them, weights and counter-weights.

If your game is silent, it's silence won't weigh very heavily. But if your game is colorful and noisy and suddenly the sights and sounds become muted, the player will feel that something is up.

Even games that limit themselves to use only one side of the spectrum, like for example Limbo, use the balance of weights and counter-weights. Ex: Sometimes you will have vast bright vistas mixing with more dark and brooding parts. They do it well enough that most people won't even consciously notice and just absorb the "atmosphere".

The sound and music obviously helps a lot here, too.

[iffi]

That's a good point - oftentimes providing some sort of contrast really enhances the atmosphere.

Like the part in Cave Story when (SPOILER ALERT) you return to the Mimiga town and everybody's gone and the village is oddly silent (END SPOILER), or in La-Mulana after you defeat all the normal guardians (SPOILER) and the Surface music changes to the menu theme, and the True Shrine of the Mother is activated (END SPOILER).

[Paint by Numbers]

I agree with iffi, especially in regards to the event in Cave Story. Changing up what someone knows, particularly if you take a pleasant and friendly area and turn it desolate, is a very effective way to wrench heartstrings even in the most primitive of graphics.

In fact, "desolate" is an important word here. I think 2D games can pull off the "desolate" feel far better than 3D games can if they try. With a combination of beautiful background, desaturated colours, haunting or absent music, little animations, etc., 2D games can get incredible atmosphere. A silent plain of dried grass, wind shaking the leafless trees, soaring mountains in the background, a plume of smoke rising from a burnt-out house - this can have much, much more of an impact in low-res sidescrolling graphics than in 3D.

I'm assuming we're only talking about sidescrollers here? If we can include things like Chrono Trigger-style 3/4s view RPGs, I'd have to say that there are a ton of games that give really amazing atmosphere like that. I'm going to have to say Yume Nikki right off the bat; it has some of the best atmosphere in any game I've ever played. Neftelia, too, especially the music in the "sea" areas and the "girl in shadow" animation.

[iffi]

Another game worth mentioning for its atmosphere is Eversion - I think the music plays the biggest role in that, and (there may be spoilers starting from now) the addition of effects such as enemies exploding in blood and the score display becoming random scrolling digits and eventually disappearing entirely really helps convey a strong atmosphere, even though the gameplay mechanics remain mostly the same (the basic premise is still to jump around and move left and right, though some important details change).
I really like the detail in the changes between different levels of eversion, such as the background color, the expression on the enemies, the enemies' movement speed, and even the size of the ripples on the surface of the water.

Though the changes are not really sudden in any place, the gradual changes prove to be effective because all the elements of the game change when everting (sp?) to reflect the atmosphere as well as the retro aesthetic (about the only thing that doesn't change is the player sprite) - there's a surprising amount of detail in it.
It was especially creepy to me because all those different atmospheres could exist in the same place, depending on which level you everted to, making you see the same place in multiple ways.

[gimymblert]

Out of this world (another world) is all I have to say about this subject

[Fallsburg]

That's a good point - oftentimes providing some sort of contrast really enhances the atmosphere.

Like the part in Cave Story when (SPOILER ALERT) you return to the Mimiga town and everybody's gone and the village is oddly silent (END SPOILER), or in La-Mulana after you defeat all the normal guardians (SPOILER) and the Surface music changes to the menu theme, and the True Shrine of the Mother is activated (END SPOILER).

Agreed, one of the best bits in Super Metroid is in the beginning when you are going through the wreckage of the battle with Mother Brain and it is just eerie silence, but when you come back through it is swarming with Space Pirates.  Definitely lets you know that things are just starting to get heavy.

[Christian Knudsen]

http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=13353.0

[Paint by Numbers]

One game: another world (out of this world)

Out of this world (another world) is all I have to say about this subject

[s0]

http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=13353.0

And
I almost posted another Demon's Crest screen here. Thanks for saving me the trouble.

[Alistair Aitcheson]

http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=13353.0

Thanks for linking to that. It's an interesting discussion

My personal feeling on this? Music. World of Goo was wonderfully atmospheric throughout, and it has beautiful music. There was this sadness or sense of longing in so many of the tunes, and then when the main theme came in it got you really pumped because of the contrast. They also used seasons and weather which matched the music.

I think motion and sound can add a lot to the atmosphere. Leaves blowing in the wind, dripping water, snow, a swinging sign. Imagine a desolate ghost town, all brown and dusty and barren. Now just add one sign, swinging slowly in the breeze and creaking as it does so. Just one little piece of movement and sound can make a silent scene seem even more silent.

[gimymblert]

One game: another world (out of this world)

A man is constant and consistent

Out of this world (another world) is all I have to say about this subject

[Retrogames]

Something I suggested for a survival-horror-style remake of Castlevania II: Simon's Quest was to shift the character to the extremes of the screen, thus preventing the player from seeing what's happening behind them (e.g. traps that have just sprung or enemies creeping up from behind).

Here's an example;


That was actually a fun little project, and Simon's Quest actually already has a lot of traits that define the genre (despite the fact that it predates the term 'Survival Horror'). I especially like the bit about destroying candles for items inadvertently makes it harder to see what's going on.

[J-Snake]

I would watch at Super Metroid right there. It creates a significantly more serious, threatening and deep atmosphere than the 3D prime-series.

Remember how you land on Zebes, you hear your own steps of running while hearing a quiet and slow but threatening vibe in the background. Simple methods used correctly -> you feel bone-chilling isolation right there.