In a recent discussion ignited by a tweet from Unity Japan, veteran programmer Koji Sugimoto, known for his work on classics such as Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, and Final Fantasy 10, voiced his concerns regarding the contemporary trend of emulating retro visual glitches in modern games. Specifically, he criticized the revival of the affine texture warping effect characteristic of the original PlayStation, a phenomenon that many indie developers have embraced as a nostalgic aesthetic.
Reflections on Texture Warping
On August 5, Sugimoto expressed his discontent with the notion that what was once a frustrating limitation of the hardware is now celebrated as a charming quirk. He remarked, “当時は虚しい苦労を費やして歪みを回避していたのに、今では「味わい」とか言われてしまっている,” which translates to a lament over the irony of past struggles being rebranded as ‘flavor’ in today’s gaming landscape.
This isn’t the first time Sugimoto has aired his grievances about this trend. In a more pointed critique from 2019, he described the deliberate use of warped textures as “detestable,” highlighting the countless hours he spent attempting to circumvent these visual distortions during his development career. “I just don’t get what’s so interesting about trying to replicate that,” he added, underscoring a disconnect between the nostalgia some players feel and the challenges developers faced in overcoming these limitations.
While Sugimoto’s frustration is understandable, it raises an intriguing conversation about the nature of nostalgia in gaming. Many players, including myself, find a certain charm in the imperfections of older games. Titles like Thief: The Dark Project, with its minimalistic graphics and polygonal characters, continue to resonate with audiences despite—or perhaps because of—their aesthetic shortcomings.
In this context, the thoughts of renowned musician and producer Brian Eno come to mind. In his book, A Year With Swollen Appendices, Eno eloquently articulates the idea that what we may currently perceive as flaws in a medium often become its defining characteristics. He notes, “Whatever you now find weird, ugly, uncomfortable and nasty about a new medium will surely become its signature.” This perspective invites us to reconsider our relationship with the imperfections of both past and present gaming experiences.
