Summary
The stop-motion art style offers a unique and relaxing experience, making it a popular category among gamers. These handcrafted and story-driven gems are truly unique in an immersive environment. Undoubtedly, a lot of effort goes into building beautiful and creative environments that are well-suited to the storyline that these games aim to deliver.
Something about the art, graphics, and detailed atmosphere offered by these games set them truly apart. The handcrafted environment makes the gameplay more fun and interesting, especially for casual gamers. From clay stop-motion video games to paper ones, these games are definitely worth trying out.
8Papetura
The novel graphic adventure game made completely out of paper features a simple yet beautiful story revolving around the adventures of the hero, Pape, and his sidekick, Tura. It has a captivating environment crafted intricately out of paper with a well-lit atmosphere and effects that fit perfectly with the characters and the storyline.
The game on its own only takes about two hours to complete and is available to play on Steam as well asNintendo Switch. You get to complete detailed puzzles during their adventures. Additionally, the soundtrack is beautiful and blends extremely well with the handcrafted world.
7Vokabulantis
Vokabulantis can definitely be considered as one of the best stop-motion video games of the decade, with its detailed environments and beautiful storyline. The experience itself seems more like a stop-motion film than a video game, so you can relax while you play.
The platformpuzzle gameis about Kurt and Karla, two kids who fall in love, and just as they’re about to confess, they find themselves without speech. This co-op game is fun to play with your friends as you make your way through different settings and attempt to restore language to the world of Vokabulantis.
6Lumino City
With commendable quality, Lumino City is a great puzzle game with an interesting story and characters. Each and everything that you experience in the vibrant world is crafted entirely by hand. The cinematography and visuals are perfectly executed, and every character you come across is memorable.
You can also try out the prequel Lume, to experience the true essence of Lumino City.
It is a simple point-and-click adventure game where the protagonist Lumi is out in search of her kidnapped grandfather. The controlling mechanics are nice and easy, and the atmosphere is quite fascinating. If you are looking for a short yet immersive stop-motion game, you will love the creative and imaginative puzzles of Lumino City.
5The Dark Eye
One of the oldest stop-motion video games out there, The Dark Eye is a 1995 psychological adventure inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s works. Many elements of the game are taken from his life, which gives the gameplay more of a personal approach.
The game itself feels more like a movie with a few moments of interaction; nevertheless, it manages to frighten and disturb the audience without using any actual scares. The haunting music, along with the amazing claymation characters, makes The Dark Eye one of the most original stop-motion video games ever created.
4The Dream Machine
Both The Dream Machine Chapter One and Chapter Two are exceptionally great award-winning stop-motion games to be ever created. The point-and-click adventure features a fantastical story, with the plot being set in the real world. The story revolves around a couple, and the player takes on the role of the husband, Victor, who completes day-to-day tasks.
The dialogues are well delivered, and you will find even the mundane tasks extremely engaging in claymation. In the second chapter, you will come across the dream machine, which will allow you to enter dreams and make your progression more exciting. With amazing overall gameplay, it is definitely an experience worth enjoying.
3Harold Halibut
Harold Halibutis a fun and intriguing puzzle adventure game with handmade sets and models. The story revolves around Harold and his job, which is to complete various tasks. It has a very thought-provoking narrative with a perfectly executed stop-motion style. The character relationships are filled with mystery and emotions, which makes Harold Halibut a work of art.
The gameplay is dialogue-heavy and focuses a lot on character growth along with layers of environment worthy of exploration. The fact that it took 14 years to create Harold Halibut is surprising, but the end result really shows the effort. In the end, you will get a very valuable life lesson, which makes it one of the best stop-motion video games out there.
2The Neverhood
The 1996 point-and-click adventure game is a one-of-a-kind claymation with quality music and scenery paired with intriguing puzzles. Despite no solid plot or story, you will get to explore a deep world filled with fun puzzles that can be quite challenging. You are required to collect tapes to progress and then play them at specific locations.
The Neverhood is pretty costly, despite being released decades ago, but the price tag is worth the experience it offers. Even with the grainy cutscenes and low-risk gameplay, it is an amazing puzzle game.
1Tanita: Plasticine Dream
In Tanita: Plasticine Dream you play as Tanita, a little plasticine girl who embarks on her journey around the world on a little plasticine plane. Unfortunately, the plane soon crashes on a mysterious plasticine island where she has to overcome a lot of hurdles, including a main evil creature. The villain captures the fish to turn them into evil gadgets, and as the hero, Tanita’s duty is to set these fish free. This claymation adventure game is very much like The Neverhood but with a more refined look to it.
The color palette is bright and vibrant, and the environment is beautiful and detailed. There are a lot of puzzles for the players to go through, along with some cool mini-games. The best part about the game is that both adults and children can enjoy the whimsical world of Tanita: Plasticine Dream.
