Which style do you like and why?

[Ronyunderen]

A:


B:

 

[SGHarlekin]

I prefer the chiby most of the time because they are clearly made to look like that. Those stretched up sprites just look like big headed people. Those you got here are pretty good, though.

It also depends on the tilesets you're using. Some are bigger looking, and are a better fit for larger sprites. Some don't

 

[devisous]

I've always perferred the smaller chibi sprites, but recently I have been taking a liking to the taller ones. (Staring at sprites on Pinterest..)

 

[TinyRecorder]

B, in the Dev shoes they're easier for me to work with as I am not a pixel artist. In the gamer shoes, well I'm just a sucker for smol and cute, call it my dumb bias.

 

[TeiRaven]

Wow, I knew I was an outlier, but I didn't realize just how much! Style "A" all the way, over here. I am infinitely more likely to click on a game with tall sprites than I am on a game with chibi sprites.

My introduction to RPGs (not just RPG Maker, but RPGs at all) was during the RMXP-era, so that style hits my nostalgia buttons a lot more than the super-chibi style does--even though I recognize that the super-chibi style is meant to be "retro."

Beyond that, though, one of my favorite parts of game design is character design, and character design includes costume design. The more body the character has, the more costume I can show! With the shorter chibis, the bodies don't feel like they have as much room for detail. That extends to special animations as well--it's much harder to see that a sprite is waving when their arms are only three pixels long instead of six.

 

[KazukiT]

I prefer Style A, it may be more work to use but the body is far more expressive, which I like.

 

[Kes]

Style A without a doubt. I have always disliked the chibi style as like @TeiRaven I preferred the XP style. As the sprites have become more extreme over the Ace-MV-MZ arc my dislike has grown. I find the ultra exaggerated heads grotesque. I don't think they are 'cute', I think they are ugly. I also find it extremely hard to be immersed in a game where everyone just looks plain ridiculous.

 

[Ami]

A (nothing that i say anymore, just A)

 

[Sword_of_Dusk]

I'm actually okay with either style, but if forced to pick a preference, it would be A. You can get in a good amount of extra detail with taller sprites.

As mentioned though, I'm fine with chibi sprites as long as they don't look really bad.

 

[LucaBicono]

The "A" style for me. I've never been a particular fan of the chibi style. While it can work for some games, I find it just kind of clashes stylistically if someone is trying to make a game with a more serious tone. I feel like they're supposed to be a reference to how really early NES RPGs had smaller/chibi-styled character sprites, but I'm pretty sure the reason old games had those styles of sprites was in part due to the limits of the hardware they were running on at the time.

 

[HexMozart88]

A. I prefer completely custom sprites, or ones more like XP, but if you want to do tall sprites in the Ace style, that's definitely what you should be doing.

 

[Frostorm]

Most definitely style A. Tall sprites all the way!

 

[RCXGaming]

A allows you to show more detail on the clothes and I've always gravitated towards games with tall sprites over chibi ones. I've found they're able to use body language a lot more effectively, which influences the intended emotion of cutscenes.

 

[123edc]

it depends ... both can work (depending on game and tone)

with b) you have more "flexibility" as many things are left over to the players imagination [in turn determined by portrait and setting] - so if i can't pixel art, i can get away with a lot

at the same time a) looks more realistically ...
which in turn might be better suited for anything on the more serious side of things

 

[Bernkastelwitch]

A is good for better looking sprites and detail. B is still good and makes stuff like tilesets easier to make.

It ultimately depends what you want, personally.

 

[Redeye]

Style A without a shadow of a doubt. I never liked chibi sprites. They're guaranteed to kill the tone of your game if you're trying to write a serious story, especially if you're using those silly Sideview battlers.

 

[Cymaiden]

Style A, definitely. While I can appreciate chibis in something like the RM2k style, the VXAce/MV/MZ ones are way too squat for my liking. Frustratingly though, the RTP and RTP-adjacent DLC (like the Degica Dream Pack) are clearly designed for the default sprites rather than taller ones.

 

[Ronyunderen]

Thank you all!

 

[SGHarlekin]

Everybody and their mum prefers larger sprites, yet no artists have picked up the task of forming a team with others and a coder to produce a generator for larger sprites with a consistent artstyle. I'd imagine that'd sell incredibly well if priced low enough. Most RM devs have neither the drawing skills nor the budget to commission that. (Remember, you can't just use large sprites for your party, no, you need large sprites for every npc as well. That's easily thousands of dollars.)

Missed opportunity in my book.

 

[Cymaiden]

Everybody and their mum prefers larger sprites, yet no artists have picked up the task of forming a team with others and a coder to produce a generator for larger sprites with a consistent artstyle. I'd imagine that'd sell incredibly well if priced at low enough. Most RM devs have neither the drawing skills nor the budget to commission that. (Remember, you can't just use large sprites for your party, no, you need large sprites for every npc as well. That's easily thousands of dollars.)

Missed opportunity in my book.

I bought the VX Ace & XP Hero Pack during the first of the two Steam sales recently specifically for the XP sprites, but I ideally need NPC sprites too in order to make proper use of them. Also different facesets since the XP face/enemy art style really doesn't agree with me.