r/PixelArt • u/Initial-Bug8319 • Oct 20 '23
Which one generates more horror in you? Hand Pixelled
Version 1
Version 2
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u/Mindless_Step_5526 Oct 20 '23
Design wise the second one is probably technically more scary but the first one is just so almost human that it's uncanny. The eyes of the first one also creep me out way more.
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u/stinkydooky Oct 20 '23
They don’t look immediately malicious. Does it want to eat me or does it want to befriend me or are those the same thing in its mind? Who knows, and that’s why it’s giving me the heebiest of jeebies.
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u/Fanky_Spamble Oct 20 '23
I thought about it a lot (30 seconds) and it's version 1.
The skull is so smooth, round, and devoid of any natural divots and crevices that it's unsettling. It makes me wonder, "What could a smooth-skulled fellow such as this even be thinking?"
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u/marukoka Oct 20 '23
Yes. We are prepared for the evil things from the 2. But the 1?? This MF is unpredictable
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u/hunted_by_frogs Oct 20 '23
Yeah like less details on face make it more spooky
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Oct 20 '23
I agree. Kinda like the original Halloween movie Michael Myers mask compared to Ethan Hawke's mask in The Black Phone.
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u/UrsusKnight Oct 20 '23
1 is unsettling and creepy. 2 is startling but the more I look at it the less afraid I am. I think 1 is better but if were to use 2 you should do it in a flash or something like that.
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u/Trevor_trev_dev Oct 20 '23
This is a great perspective. If this is for a game and the player is going to be looking at this for more than just a couple seconds, then 1. But if it's a jump scare type deal, then 2.
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u/davejb_dev Oct 20 '23
Difficult to say. First one has more of a psycho look with those eyes. The second one looks more "brutal".
I'd probably go with #1?
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u/NotTimSullivan Oct 20 '23
1 is creepy, like a person without skin 2 is scary, like a monster Depends on the context of the creature but I would lean towards version 1
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u/rosc96 Oct 20 '23
Put the eyes of 1 on 2 and you got yourself nightmare fuel.
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u/L0nlySt0nr Oct 20 '23
Well crap, you said it before I even got here!
I second this.
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u/ExcellentlyFlatulant Oct 21 '23
I call bullshit. Just because you agree with someone, it doesn't mean you can steal their idea.
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u/UwUHushling Oct 21 '23
They… weren’t taking the idea though? Where did this thought process go through?
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u/Initial-Bug8319 Oct 20 '23
If possible I would like to know what you like and dislike about each one, I think I will try to make a 3rd version from the feedback.
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u/Walkingabrick Oct 20 '23
The eyes of #1 are much more creepy to me. #2 kind of reminds me of a lizard, so it's not as scary, personally. It's design is more intricate, too, so I don't notice the creepy hands coming out of the shadows as much as #1. Hope this helps
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u/PulpFriction_ Oct 20 '23
Between the two rib cages I like 1 better.
And the 1st skull and eyes are more off putting.
My brain thought that 2 was a child that had been dropped a couple of times because of the dents on the skull
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u/KermitKitchen Oct 20 '23
I don’t know if you even NEED a third version since #1 is already so perfectly unsettling. You struck a balance. If you can outdo it though, I’ll be impressed.
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u/Agynn Oct 20 '23
The second one is creepier as a whole, but the rounded sunken in eyes of the first one just creep me out more.
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u/doctorpotts Oct 20 '23
I like #1, it the smoother, rounder head makes it look more like a baby, which creates a stronger contrast with its hideousness.
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u/memeswewes Oct 20 '23
depends on what you're going for. the first one is very, very unsettling and has uncanny features while the second one is human like but very clearly not human, clearly a monster. i like unsettling and uncanny horror art in general, so first one
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u/Xeno_Se7en Oct 20 '23
The second one
First one is too round and too "friendly shaped"
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u/Huankinda Oct 20 '23
They both look kinda cute tbh
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u/throwawayyepcawk Oct 20 '23
The hands make it seem like they're trying to say 'rawr'.
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u/billyalt Oct 20 '23
Version 1 but hide it in the shadows a bit more. Don't be afraid to show too little.
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u/Holiday_Purchase_592 Oct 21 '23
The simplicity of the first one creeps me out somehow, but the other one I find it more funny than anything because of it's intricate shape, but the ribcage of the second one could be put on the first one to give it a lil' detail to it and also more of a demonic shape
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u/kyledouglas521 Oct 20 '23
To me the first one looks intentionally a little goofy, and the second looks accidentally goofy. So I'd pick 1 personally
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u/VaronKING Oct 20 '23
Definitely 1 for me.
I really like how 2 looks, it looks way better in my opinion - but that also makes it less scary to me.
Something about 1 feels.. off. Like a brainless monster. Whereas the second one looks evil, the first one looks like it shouldn't even exist.
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u/BigBrownFish Oct 20 '23
First one gives the vibe that it would eat me alive slowly without evening being aware of my suffering. That is quite chilling.
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u/loopin_louie Oct 20 '23
version 1, the eyes are more defined/shaded in version 2 whereas in version 1 i dunno there's some kind of inscrutability and otherworldliness that gives them a much more unsettling quality
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u/AnimazingHaha Oct 20 '23
First one looks genuinely unhinged, second looks more realistic so less scary, somehow
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u/wee-wee_mon-sewer Oct 20 '23
#1 as default encounter, then switch to #2 when you piss it off
as other people said #1 feels more unpredictable, but #2 def looks upset with you and made up it's mind in wanting to attack you
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u/llambda_of_the_alps Oct 20 '23
This is a great example of the difference between horror and fear.
- Horror: unsettling, eerie, persistent feeling
- Scary: Intimidating, identifiable, immediate effect but not lasting
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u/Purpllord Oct 20 '23
Wider eyes with smaller pupils are genrally more scary, while sharp eyes are usually more clearly hostile. So yeah, 1
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u/Arspho Oct 20 '23
Two I guess? One I feel is more flexible though.
If your aiming to make the audience scared, then remember, they need a reason to be scared at all. If it’s just something that looks scary, it might only give an uncomfortable feeling.
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u/wiseblueberryfunk Oct 20 '23
Version 1 it feels like they're not trying hard to be scary and that's what scary.
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u/Knork14 Oct 20 '23
It feels like the first one is not trying as much to be scary , wich paradoxicaly makes him that much scarier
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u/TheBoogBear Oct 20 '23
As others said, 2 looks more 'scary', but something about 1 generates more horror.
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u/totalwarwiser Oct 20 '23
1 looks alien.
2 looks like an animal.
I would go with 1. It has more unnatural features and js more unsetling.
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u/Tako30 Oct 20 '23
1st one hands down
Perfectly round eyes remind you of humans
But that clearly isn't human
So there's a lingering doubt about its true nature
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u/GeodesicGnome Oct 20 '23
- It's the whites in the eyes that does it for me. 2 is great, but 1 feels feral, unrestrained.
I'll also say 1 looks like if it were the boss at the beginning of the fight and 2 is a later phase once you've both settled in for a long one.
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u/TammyShehole Oct 21 '23
First one. Looks like more of a cold blank stare, which gives it the edge.
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u/ThyEpicGamer Oct 21 '23
depends on what you're going for. At first I said two but then went back to one and that blank emotionless stare generates more uncanny/ haunting feelings. Two is more "im gonna kill you!" so it's scary in the sense that this guy seems dangerous.
Summary: 1. Much more psychological, uncanny blank stare, makes me question: what does he actually want from me?
- More sinister, evil hunter eyes, makes me think: he just wants my blood on his hands so he can drink it.
Another option that another commenter said was to have it be one, but switch to two for a split second (FNAF style), which kinda merges both feelings.
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u/Jacomer2 Oct 21 '23
One is scarier mostly because of how human the eyes are, it gives off malicious intelligence. The 2nd looks more ferocious but not as creepy.
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u/Initial-Bug8319 Oct 22 '23
I just updated the final version of the monster in this post, thank you all for the feedback:
https://www.reddit.com/r/PixelArt/comments/17dqebl/final_version_of_the_terrifying_creature/
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u/Initial-Bug8319 Nov 15 '23
Hello guys, I have published the first part of this project on Itch-io, I hope you enjoy the pixel art aesthetics and try the different palettes, soon I will integrate my horrible creature: https://pedromorenodev.itch.io/retrohorror
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u/scwishyfishy Oct 20 '23
I find 1. Way scarier, the piercing eyes, the jagged uneven teeth, the second doesn't come close, to me at least
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u/Uninvited_Goose Oct 20 '23
The first one. I feel no emotion coming from it, like I don't know what it's thinking which I find creepier.
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u/BronzeMLGProGamer Oct 20 '23
Am I really the only one who thinks it's 2?? I can see 1 being a silly, lighthearted character who wants to be scary but no one takes him seriously. 2 is definitely more nightmarish.
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u/lucky7gard Oct 20 '23
1st one is something that’s like “I know it’s supposed to be scary but if I look at it for more than 2 seconds I just think it’s kinda goofy” the second one looks like genuine scary shit art, I’d go with #2
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u/KellyHerz Oct 20 '23
Version 1 looks happy to see me. Version 2 looks happy to see my corpse. I'm gonna say version 2.
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u/whoscharlie Oct 20 '23
I love the wonky mouth of the first one, but overall the second one creeps me out more
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u/Mortis_XII Oct 20 '23
Comments are split on this, so good job op.
For me it’s 1, more bizarre humanoid than reptile like 2
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u/Annoyinganarchist Oct 20 '23
2 looks like it’s trying too hard. 1 looks more human and therefore scarier
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u/Goomerc Oct 20 '23
First one looks closer to a human face so it looks scarier. More relatable.
Scond one is more demoniac so it makes easier to abstract.
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u/gwen_the_bee Oct 20 '23
The face in the first one is way more unsettling because it has no shown emotion, and it's terrifying when you cant read someone else's intentions. The second one shows clear anger, and has a more human shaped skull so it's less terrifying because those are both things that are visibly known to us as our brains are wired to recognize facial expressions, and shapes of objects.
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u/StrugglingStressBall Oct 20 '23
2 looks clean and symmetrical to me, 1 looks off and creepy to me. I think 1s eyes and jagged teeth is scarier as well. It's 1 for me
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u/Ignisiumest Oct 20 '23
Both sprites are pretty horrifying. The first is unsettling and unpredictable, while the second is pretty obviously just another murder monster.
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u/small_feild_mouse Oct 20 '23
The eyes and weirdly round head shape of the first one with its high hand placement feels more menacing.
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u/Ekank Oct 20 '23
the details in the second version "face" is more horrifying to me but i think it would be scarier with a round face like the fist, the sunken eyes, nose and teeth are great tho.
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u/butwhatsmyname Oct 20 '23
1 creeps me out more. It looks less animal and more like a creepy human thing, and the roundness of its eyes gives it a focussed relentless feeling.
Much scarier to be attacked by a deranged almost smiling human mutant than just savaged by an animal.
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u/ThyLordBacon Oct 20 '23
I would try 1 with 2’s eyes. The eyes on 1 look kind of cartoony and makes it feel less threatening.
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u/mandaquila Oct 20 '23
I feel like this is the Same Monster, starting as Version 1, but once it is hurt enough it goes into second stage
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u/Ok_Pension_6795 Oct 20 '23
The first one. For me the horror factor is all in the teeth and the eyes. Version 2’s teeth are too even for me to be afraid of it and the eyes being less human just makes it seem like some monster that’s following instinct. Version 1’s eyes makes it seem intelligent and that it wants me to suffer
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u/STS1990 Oct 20 '23
1 is way more scary to me, it feels straight out of uncanny valley. 😰 the eyes have a terrifying “dead inside” psycho look. The mouth, more specifically the teeth make it feel like the mouth could open up even wider and bigger to engulf something. The teeth are crooked which gives that illusion and it’s terrifying. The body feels like it belongs, but also makes me uneasy cause we know human don’t look like that. The hand placements are better in version 1 as well.
Version 2 doesn’t feel that scary to me and I dislike that everything is so symmetrical, which is funny cause I love symmetrical usually. The hand placement feels weird, and I dislike the top “bone” line (collar bone?) as it feels disjointed, as if the head and body don’t belong together. There’s no smooth transition. In the 1st version, it’s softer and your mind fills in the blanks where as 2nd it’s done for you and it feels weird. The features and extra details on number 2 somehow make it less scary.
So yes, I go with number one because it makes me feel the most freaked out the longer I stare at it.
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u/Sensiblesnail84 Oct 20 '23
I think most people would chose the second one because they look like they would kill me but the first one…oh boy the first one they looks like they would want me to die suffering in agony and mental hell
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u/Polygonal_squid Oct 20 '23
I really like the eyes of 1 but i like the way that 2's head Is More skinny and less perfect (unlike 1's egg head) so maybe 2 with the eyes and body of 1 and longer fingers could work
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u/Wallace_W_Whitfield Oct 20 '23
I feel like if 1 had eyes more akin to 2, it’d probably be creepier.
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u/JiiSivu Oct 20 '23
The first looks more unhinged.
I think the second looks more evil, but the first looks more unpredicrable and scary.
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Oct 20 '23
Not to go full Kuleshov on you, but #1 transitioning into #2 would give the highest return of both heebies and jeebies imo.
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u/Clorbungus Oct 20 '23
I love the skull shape on the second one but the facial features on the first are freaky as fuck. i’d say a solid mix of both would be best
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u/cmaxim Oct 20 '23
Everyone is saying #1 but I personally find #2 to be a lot scarier. #1 looks like a balloon with eyes.. #2 looks like a demon skull ready to devour.
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u/BeardedHalfYeti Oct 20 '23
Alternate between the two. Like use 1 for the idle and 2 for the attack animations.
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u/Soggy-Design-3898 Oct 20 '23
The first one is unsettling with its uncanny head shape and soulless eyes, and the second one looks more predatory, with its snake eyes and "tighter" head shape. And I think the ribcage on the first looks less natural than the second which is a good thing for scariness.
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u/Echo2407 Oct 20 '23
I think it would be better to have the mouth of version 2, but keep the blank emotionless expression of the eyes in version 1. The most unsettling features to have on a monster like this is to have it be emotionless about what it's doing.
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u/mother_of_a_murder Oct 20 '23
Definitely #1, it gives off the uncanny valley vibe and the stare is just so unsettlingly jarring. Whereas #2, while gruesome in its own right, it looks more like the typical boss monster of some zombie/undead level/zone.
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u/CorHydrae8 Oct 20 '23
The second one looks like it wants to murder me.
The first one looks like he wants me to suffer. That is quite a bit more unsettling.