Why Old Games Still Look Great!

[@lonecolamarine]

In less than 3 minutes, I’ve discovered why all my animations look so bad and felt so difficult to make. Along with a simple way to improve them.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey! I'm so glad this video has helped you! Be sure to share it around 👌🏼

[@user-ym2en4fm8h]

Me too! Feels nice, doesn't it?

[@sosasees]

The Flinkimaus Run Cycle only has 4 Frames. 2 of them are the keyframes, which I made first. The other 2 are the inbetweens I added after I playtested with the original animation and it felt too erratic and read too unclear.

[@randomguyontheinternet7940]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy I know I'm late, but have you ever heard of Mr. Gimmick? The walk cycle in that game is suprisingly smooth for an animation on the NES, like little Samson.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

They don't know what they're talking about

[@DustyMusician]

I can’t believe I saw someone publicly reference Pocoyo. I loved watching Pocoyo and the snappy, bright, fun animation really brought it to life.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh man, the animation is SO GOOD, I absolutely love it.

[@DerpDerp3001]

It was made in Spain and UK

[@LinnyUwU]

Agreed.

[@lucasshije9249]

This video introduced me to it @Dan Root, your comment showed me how to spell it @Dusty. Thank you both.

[@dr.jotarorobotnick813]

Omg yeah I know right!! I remeber watching it all the time

[@The2000bmc]

"Limitation breeds creativity" I love that quote so much! I always see that when I'm working on projects and I suddenly learn how to do something better and then have no more creative drive for my ideas.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah, I don't know if it's something Adam Neely came up with or if he got it from somewhere else.

[@angrynorway]

Necessity is the mother of invention.

[@RaphaelWiggum]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy I heard that when I was a kid 30 years ago. It's an old saying.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Fair enough.

[@GraveUypo]

i think this is only 50% of the story. you can have snappy animations with a lot of in-betweens. you just need to change the timing between frames. usually they're constant, but more important frames can be made to stay visible longer (hold them) while disposable in-betweens can be shown for shorter amounts of time or even omitted depending on the action. that's what that pocoyo kids' show you showed does. it does have in-betweens, but they're not given much display time, when not entirely omitted. they're there to make the keyframes stand out. what it does is use a few frames on the start and end of each movement to "fade" the keyframes, while reducing the "middle" frames of a movement by a LOT, or just cutting them and using "smears" instead. so it still gives the impression of a smooth movement, but a very snappy one. i watched a video on this a few months ago that talked extensively and in detail. it was about... a fighting game.... darkstalkers? no... oh i found it. it was about skullgirls. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6iTmWyNoqefqdk seriously, watch it. it's very enlightening.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh yeah, I'm using that Skullgirls video as reference for my next video where I talk about what you're talking about there. Yeah, I think what you're looking to say is "easing", where it softens the entry into a keyframe.

[@huh968]

exactly, the spinning in little samson uses a lot of inbetween frames, but since they dont last as long as the key frames it doesnt look sluggish

[@ilkeryoldas]

Thanks for sharing the video!

[@HellishPunch]

This is a very high quality channel. No clickbait, deep analysis, easy comprehension, a lot of visual examples. Very good job Dan!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey, thank you so much!

[@migueeeelet]

The megaman remake run cycle looks like he's slipping on ice... It's too much movement for so little distance travelled. Reminds me of He-Man. Gorgeously animated, but sometimes feels delayed just because of how many frames there are.

[@funfoxvlad7309]

He is acctuly preatty slippery!

[@TetsuDeinonychus]

There was a lot of rotoscope in He-Man.

[@tzgaming207]

@@TetsuDeinonychus Filmation used the same rotoscoping models in a lot (all?) of their action animated series... Star Trek, The Adventures of Batman come to mind...

[@TetsuDeinonychus]

@@tzgaming207 If there was a corner to cut, Filmation cut it. But I gotta admire the clever tricks they used.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Animation is often about clever tricks, not so much about cutting corners. Reusing rotoscope data isn't necessarily cutting corners, Disney did that a lot during the golden age of animation.

[@hadinasrallah8928]

Love the blend of animation and games in your show it's refreshing

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you! It's a keen interest of mine so expect to see lots more 😄

[@hadinasrallah8928]

Dan Root I'm a huge fan of animation and it's history so I'll be sure to check it out

[@thepixelkingdom]

Very interesting! Great video! (:

[@cadmiarjw]

First reply

[@jewelianperez7038]

I agree!

[@lusenator]

But also I really liked how they immitated this in wreckit ralph, the characters in the building in the beginning (the townspeople or whatever they're called?) the way they move is amazing, its totally in this full 3D pixar movie world but they move to certain frames like you're calling out in the video, its a beautiful blend of the two styles like the childrens show you called out

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah, I really liked that in Wreck It Ralph. It's funny, cos Ralph and Felix should also move like that, technically 😆

[@sjsamphex]

Hi, I'm deaf. Can you please upload your script to the captioning tool so youtube can automatically time it and place it as captions through the video?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey there. Of course, I did start doing that but I stopped a few videos ago, because one of my scripts didn't sync up properly and it slipped my mind thereafter. Thanks for reminding me to do this.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey there, I've added captions to this video now, so hopefully it should all work properly. Let me know if it doesn't!

[@sjsamphex]

Perfect! Thanks so much, and subscribed. I'll share with some deaf gaming friends too

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks so much, I'm glad I've been able to help you!

[@Chaos89P]

Dan Root If that happens again, just do it manually. I know it's time consuming, but I feel it works better than scripts, for some reason.

[@wschippr1]

The "trick" of seeing motion in the short animations isn't actually a trick of the eye, it's a feature of the brain. Your brain is constantly processing, editing, and inferring vision information/stimulus to create a coherent image. For example, your nose is actually edited out of your vision. Another example, is your eyes are constantly in motion, but you see a stable image and this is because your brain edits and infers information to create said stable image (this is also why some people's vision blurs when they get tired, as the brain fatigues it is no longer able to do that function as well). There are countless other examples, (like the brain removing motion blur). The classic example though, is seeing a dog behind a fence, you don't see segments of dog, but a whole dog as your brain adds in the rest of the information. So it's not so much a trick as we are taking advantage of what the brain is suppose to do. Great video, it's very informative :)

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Interesting stuff - thanks!

[@NotASpyReally]

what... I have a nose?!?!

[@lukelcs8934]

Great comment, very informative.

[@aluckyjar]

Such an interesting comment, thanks for sharing.

[@johnnonamegibbon3580]

I remember in the making of Princess Mononoke Miyazaki cut out a ton of frames in a knife fight that made the scene feel sluggish.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah that sounds about right!

[@princessthyemis]

Whoa, he did?!

[@anactualmotherbear]

I liked hearing someone talk about keyframes in vg animation. The reason something like Wily Wars has less appealing run animation is because MegaMan's keyframes aren't snapping into place. The extra frames should have has eases and bounces, not just plain "fill in" in-betweens. It's not that there's too many frames, it's that the frames used are just very bland and not dynamic.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's right, yeah. It'd be interesting to discuss more 16-bit animation in future, I reckon there's a lot to look at!

[@Nanashi20]

if you look at the frames, (not from the picture, but from the animated part below it), the remake one has no in-between from the original's last two frames. To try to explain it a bit, lets say the original has keys A B and C, and the inbetweens are numbers for the remake version. the remake version seems to have 1 A 2 B C 3 , and then it repeats, the letter frames being the same key frames as the original that it's emulating. So there isn't really a full in-between from the important frames, and it probably doesn't help much that it ends up making the animation look off and more bland than the original. But that's just what i think.

[@quadpad_music]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy - Now that I think about it, you should seriously do that.

[@TechBlade9000]

Not only that but his key frames are also less dynamic

[@badoli1074]

Just to add a little: This explains also the still-frame parts of anime. For example, when an anime char swings a sword, it's usually the most powerful frame held for about a second. This technique is taken over to a lesser degree in a lot of western media. The first strong occurance i can remember was the slow motion fight scene in "300", where only the impact moments were slowed down considerably in relation to the rest of the fight. And in games the new "God of War"-title features this to improve the impact of Kratos strongest punches.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah, I guess it differs whether it's in a game or in a movie. I think it has a bit more relevance in games, like you said for creating a heavier impact. But films it's just aesthetic.

[@eddievelez4723]

It’s also a money and time saving technique that ends up working

[@cameralabs]

Really enjoyed this, nice work!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you! Did you share this on Twitter recently too?

[@cameralabs]

Yep, that was me! I saw your video shared by someone I follow and really enjoyed it. I love the 8 bit world, having grown up with it, and really appreciate videos which explore and explain the art behind any of these things. PS - as a semi-related side-note, I wrote a history book a while back about home computers (plus a few consoles) of the 1980s which you may have seen called Digital Retro!

[@taunttitan1714]

Any and all pixel art old school games still look amazing because Pixel art literally never gets old and always ages extremely well

[@mick2287]

Usually looks pretty cheap and dated to me. Like a blurry version of actual visuals. There are occasional exceptions though with really good art design.

[@TwilightCage]

Kirby is a special exception, every sprite in that game is made up of 4 parts and those 4 parts interchange with different parts to make a full sprite.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's really interesting, thanks for that!

[@boltstrikes429]

Isn't the original super mario brothers mario also composed of 4 different sprites stitched together? In fact, i'm sure this is the case for a lot of games made on systems such as the NES, which could support more sprites than others, with the only cost being their size.

[@TwilightCage]

I am unsure about the first mario, but I think super mario 3 does it with the tanuki suit and other suits.

[@TwilightCage]

I found it out using a random corrupter, (boom-plus-dx.lua) with the emulator fceux. note: the corrupter only corrupts the loaded memory of the game, not the rom itself. If you manage to corrupt the sprites, it will default the enemies to kirby's sprite and you'll end up with cronenberg kirby monsters.

[@todesziege]

@@boltstrikes429 Basically every NES game did that, as the sprites would be too small to form even a small full character. Whether they would "reuse" parts varies from game to game.

[@AerobianAngel]

The part about Mega Man 8 is very important. Its a big reason as to why I feel a huge disconnect between the frenetic, precise action of the game and the sluggish, laid-back motions of Mega Man himself.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah exactly, like if he had fewer inbetween frames in all his actions, the game would probably feel a lot more tight.

[@OdaKa]

Dan Root Megaman 8 feels very tight and natural to me, animations not withstanding. Playing it feels like an extension of myself, and I like how the detailed animations give it a sense of fluidity. It was also the first Megaman game I owned myself, allowing me to play it for hours and hours and hours. The Megaman 8 animations may feel a bit too smooth and low energy, but you must admit they are beautiful, and each frame looks "cool" when paused.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh yeah no, I love the principles used for some of the movement, it's just that it doesn't necessarily match the gameplay. I do love it, though.

[@cumulonimbuscapillatus9312]

@@OdaKa Damn right. The Megaman 8 animation feels really nice to look at, even though it's not as impactful as the NES ones. The jump and shootin' feel really good coupled with the sound effects too in my experience. It's not bad at all, just a bit different. I must admit though that I wish the jump had the stronger keyframe pose more pronounced like the NES ones make do.

[@danielbueno8474]

That was my main problem with Megaman 7 on the SNES. I dunno, the jumping always felt weird to me, while the single frame jumping in all of its previous 8-bit titles always felt so smooth.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

HOLY SMOKES! I'm glad I was not the only one to notice Batman's cape in the NES Batman game.

[@nowonmetube]

Hemang Chauhan holy smokes the game looks so advanced, way ahead of it's time

[@VJFranzK]

Good discussion! (Also, watching these closely on a large 4K display makes one think: they might have added more frames if they'd known we'd still be playing! The blur of a small CRT helped the perception of motion.)

[@nanamz7257]

What makes Batman's walk cycle look like his feet are touching the ground, and Robocop look like he's floating above it? Just the speed?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

nana&mz Yeah I think it's to do with how long each frame is touching the floor for. If you check out my "Dynamic Movement" video on Dustforce, I kinda touch upon this exact thing.

[@c.glazercrush3994]

I find that the old Batman on nes and judge dread on snes,have somewhat of a similar feel to it.

[@immortalsun]

5:51 Haha, my little brother used to watch that show. This is the first time I have ever seen or heard this TV show being mentioned on the Internet.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

It's great, isn't it?

[@mhausage3454]

You just unlocked a part of my childhood that I don't even know existed! I used to watch Pocoyo a lot way back when I was 6-8 years old. I didn't even know the name of the show until today! thanks for that man

[@ronnieobenhaus8849]

Watching The Lazy Eyebrow brought me here! Awesome explanation!

[@8BitFun]

Love that Adam Neely shoutout. He's a phenomenal teacher as well.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh man, he's superb, I love it when you can listen to someone talk about their field without you personally having any knowledge and it's still interesting as hell.

[@kevinfredericks2335]

Your videos are so laid back. I love the mood and atmosphere.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you!

[@sweetasbloodredjam]

I've been sent here by Mark Brown and I'm happy to have found another excellent channel. :) One thing about inbetweens. If Inbetweens make your animations feel weak and less punchy, then you don't neccessarily have in issue of 'too many inbetweens', you probably have a timing and pacing issue. If your inbetweens are too evenly spread out on your timeline the animation is going to loose it's force.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey, thanks so much! Good old Mark, he's a good old boy. Yeah, I think I should be clearer on that next time. I mean, Shovel Knight has some really well placed inbetweens, keeping those keys looking strong, and it smooths the whole run cycle out as a whole. But yeah, sometimes it could have been done a little better, like in Axiom Verge, which feels like he's jogging rather than running. Although you could argue it's referencing Probotector and that game's style.

[@sweetasbloodredjam]

Yeah, I know that lesson so well, because quite a few animations have sort of....got away from me...:P I just thought it's worth a mention, since even seasoned animators argue about the merit/disservice of more inbetweens and you often hear that it's impossible to do fast, punchy animation with more inbetweens. In my experience, while keyframes are a great shortcut to achieve fast and punchy animation, often the animation improves from more inbetweens IF they are done right. It would be nice to see you incoorperate a few positive examples, like Shovel Knight the next time.

[@OdaKa]

Apollo Justice I remember spending hours in gamemaker copypasting inbetween duplicates to adjust the timing just right, and dissecting gifs of my favorite game animations to see how they were timed. It was a mindblowing revelation to see that Megaman's legs together frame lasted a shorter time than the leg extended frames

[@hkyanzxdwnjpqh8116]

Someone who actually knows what they are talking about on KZbin? That’s rare

[@Stephen-Fox]

And because Little Samson's spin is horizontal rather than a vertical tumble, he doesn't have even less air control than Simon freaking Belmont because he has to finish his tumble when he lands, unlike some game protagonists of this era *cough*Dizzy*cough*

[@Gambit771]

Ah Dizzy who lives up to the phrase 'limitation breeds creativity'.

[@SparkyMK3]

Great video! I have one nitpick though--the Alice footage wasnt actually rotoscoped. They used the live action footage to get ideas for gestures and movement, but not a single frame was traced, or wouldve worked if it was traced anyway because Alice and Kathyrn Beaumont have very different proportions. Disney's artists were advanced enough by this point to not have to fall back on tracing. Snow White wouldve been a better example to pick, given what they did in that film is closer to pure rotoscoping.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah I think a few others picked up on this too, thanks for the feedback.

[@Samy-mk4zt]

Just came from the Mark Brown video and I already fell in love with your content. Definitely subscribing!!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you so much. Mark's very kind for using his clout to promote smaller channels 😍

[@jmalmsten]

"The unique thrill of limited animation, or the aesthetics of 3 frame anime." - The Making of Kill la Kill p 3/3, Ok... That guy was referring to animating on threes, making a 24 fps filmstrip only require 8 fps of drawings. Not 3 frame loops. But it does go to show that more often than not... Well... Less is more.

[@SwordofAslan]

As a very green-level game dev, and because I'm not much of an animator in any sense, I'm very keen on watching more of your videos here. Thank you very much for your time in putting this together.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey, thanks for the feedback! Yeah, I've got some cool stuff coming that'll be handy for devs, stay tuned! 😊

[@SwordofAslan]

Well, you've got a new fan in me. :) I'll keep my eyes open for your work. As a request, might you do a video on how to shape quality pixel art? Namely when you have a limited palette? My game that I've mentioned is styled after the GameBoy's palette and it's definitely tricky to draw, let alone to draw with so few colors.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks! Hmm, maybe, I'll have to see how to make it work

[@superleviathan]

It's worth noting that, for as beautiful and lavish as the animation of Cuphead is, it too obeys the keyframe mythos of its 8-bit forebears. When Cuphead shoots, he goes right into shooting, and when he jumps, he goes right into jumping. It happens so fast, it doesn't even register mentally. The bosses tend to have much more fluid animation with tons of inbetweens, which makes it easier to notice when they are telegraphing their next attack. When a game is throwing a bunch of shit at you at once, and lightning quick reflexes are demanded of you, less is more.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Totally agree!

[@superleviathan]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy Yeah. The reason for limited frames of animation in the 8 bit days was because of limited ROM sizes, but it ultimately worked out in those games' favor. When the difference between life and death is often a single frame, any delay is unwelcome. ALF for the Sega Master System has ALF crouch down before each jump, which is more animated than Mario and other 8-bit games, but just leaves you open to a lot more cheap deaths.

[@gulfgiggleanimations4472]

I'm really glad that you decided to make a video about this topic. I've been wanting to animate some sprites for a game with a friend, and only because of now I realize how important a low framerate is. I literally made a reanimated version of Mario's Super Mario Bros sprite in 12 frames per second. Thanks! This will be useful to keep in mind even when I'm animating non-pixel sprites. If I do animate non-pixel sprites. We're still brainstorming on the style.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey! I'm glad this has been of some use! I'll be looking to make my videos more educational in future too!

[@DigitalGamersX]

I already knew most of this stuff as an animation student, but I still found this pretty interesting, taking it from a video game perspective. Simple is usually best in a lot of scenarios. Though thats not always the case. Hyper Light Drifter looks smooth as hell, and (if im remembering correctly) there's a lot of frames in their animations, and they take advantage of that with light little details, like the cape flowing outwards whenever you slash. Little things like that. Good video! (P.S. - god damn your editing is WAY better than it has any rigth to be, especially for such an unknown channel)

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey, thanks so much for the feedback, I'm glad this video could be interesting! Yeah, there are some lovely details like that in many indies and it's really nice to see such a good understanding. I know, haha. I work too hard on this channel.

[@Kniffel101]

1:26 What actually seems to be the case with the turtles is that it's 1 frame that's mirrored on the Y-axis every now and then. ;)

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yep, but the action is still two frames long.

[@Kniffel101]

That's true! ^^

[@decalcomanie123]

NES Castlevania games walking animations are so satisfying to look at even thought there's just 3 frames, fits the horror theme perfectly.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I do enjoy CV's walking animation. Proper muscly arm beef walk!

[@Dawn-Shade]

very well written, as someone who always thought walking can only be drawn in minimum of 4 frames, those examples blow me away

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey thanks! I'm glad it helped!

[@ChaosRayZero]

Technically some of the 3-frame walk cycles like Megaman actually are 4 frame animations, it's just that frames 2 and 4 use the same image. Frame 1 = right foot forward Frame 2 = feet together Frame 3 = left foot forward Frame 4 = feet together (identical to frame 2) The 2-frame walk cycle of SMB2 looks like it's a similar trick: Frame 1 = foot forward (can't tell if it's left or right) Frame 2 = feet together Frame 3 = foot forward (same as frame 1, but you can't tell) Frame 4 = feet together (same as frame 2)

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

The run cycle for SMB2 is actually just two frames, feet apart and feet together. But yeah, that's correct about Mega Man and many of the others.

[@ChaosRayZero]

I know it's only two frames, but my point was that it's an optical illusion that tricks you into thinking you're seeing 4- unless Mario always steps forward with the same foot and just drags the other one along. =^p

[@OdaKa]

ChaosRayZero That's the whole point of the technique.. to use an actual 2 frames to trick the mind into thinking there's more. You could say Megaman might have 4 cycled frames rather than 3 ping-ponged frames, but saying Mario 2 has more than 2 frames is based purely on the illusion, not any sort of actuality

[@LanthusV]

this is a fantastic video! defintely subbing asap. one thing I'd like to add though that you didn't discuss. is in the "8-bit era", CRT's refresh rates & just general blurriness also complimented the snappy keyframes-only animation the games had, smoothing inbetweens ever so slightly. the blurriness is also another reason why the games had to be so striking animation wise, for visual clarity (thought, like you mentioned the space was the bigger issue)

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey thanks! And thanks for that bit of into, that's really interesting!

[@128randomness]

The TV itself isn't necessarily the problem. It's the low quality video signal. RF modulators or composite cables both make a huge mess of the original image.

[@MishKoz]

Hot dang this is well made, especially the parts looking at the individual sprites. Also would you believe that I was teaching my friend about keyframes when this was uploaded?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you! And ha, that's some good timing!

[@JohnAGalvanArt]

I really appreciate you breaking these lessons down so professionally, this is really educational and entertaining. Great Video.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey, thank you! I'm so glad that you enjoy these videos in an educational way!

[@madxruler]

What was always called key frames I would call "umph". Lol "The animation needs more umph to it." was my way of saying it needed to evoke motion better.

[@mick2287]

That means you intuitively understood its value and presence, but didn’t know or understand the technical side of what caused it.

[@lusenator]

when you title the rooster at 24 frames, that was likely drawn at 12 or 15 even if the video is at 24fps, most cel (hand drawn) animation like that has a "stuttery" effect because of this.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

You're probably right for that example!

[@BluRosa]

Another wonderful video as always, Dan. Your editing and writing flow so effortlessly in every video. Can't wait to see what's next.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you so much! I'm excited for my next few videos 😁

[@algol291]

Good video. The only thing it's missing is the numerous poses used for four directional games, like classic jrpgs, and how I think, nine separate sprite poses are used to convey a characters movement, at least in the 16-bit era.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey thanks for watching! Yeah you're right, I probably could've gone into that a bit, but hopefully the main point of limited frames used in the animation in all 8-bit games should cover that notion 😄

[@Lowart]

Great video! Concise, clear, interesting, well-edited, and well-written. I look forward to seeing more of your stuff in the future :)

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey, thank you so much! I hope I can get videos out quick enough that people don't get bored of waiting 😅

[@aw0573]

Dang it, i was not ready for that ending x'D Great video!

[@indigocactus3089]

Dorkly: *HEAVY BREATHING*

[@togglebott7748]

Ultra Cactus I don’t get it

[@SparkpadArt]

@@togglebott7748 Its animations are pixel cutouts that move like Peppa Pig.

[@austinreed7343]

Sparkpad Or Johnny Test.

[@SparkpadArt]

@@austinreed7343 Or Family Guy. Put simply, they demonstrate a shallow understanding of pixel art.

[@butteredbehind7720]

Sparkpad There is a difference between making a game and making an animation. They make animations out of game characters and give them more expression for a comedic effect. The only thing this has to do with pixel art in these animations is the origin of the characters, so I wouldn’t say that they have a shallow understanding of pixel art when they don’t try to achieve a clean cut 16 bit game but rather a short, funny animation. It’s like shaming a yoghurt maker for not making cheese when they’ve clearly got the milk.

[@cpt_nordbart]

Reminds me the Brothers Chaps approach to animation on Homestar Runner. Occasionally characters flip from left to right without any motion in between. They talked about it in a few interviews and talks.

[@swarth8632]

I've watched this like 100 times over the last year! You really have become my game animation mentor! I've been workin on a 2d "Parkour-Vania" game, and I should have some functional demo animation to share with you soon! It's called "Nimble Bast'd " Lol

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh thank you! Yeah if you get something to show share it with me on Twitter 😃

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

Batman for the NES really is exceptional. When I first saw "Out of This World" (for the Amiga), it truly blew my mind as having such cinematic visuals and movements. The fact that it fit on a floppy was even more impressive. Hard as heck, though!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah that game looks incredible, but boy was it a hard slog!

[@superscrub9]

El viento for the sega genesis has an awesome run cycle. The main character also has a really nice turn animation. The creators used a decent amount of frames but they also had strong key frames. The other characters in the game don’t look nearly as good though.

[@SleepingCocoon]

this is really solid! one major critique is actually your audio mixing - regarding the voice, there's a *lot* of high end EQ boost going on here (or it's just recorded that way!) and some boomy mid-lows, but the middle EQ seems really scooped out. this makes it a little rough to listen to on speakers or if there's any other ambient sound in the listening environment. i'd knock down the highs and lows a touch and boost the mids on the voice, because right now it's just a bit rough to listen to.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah it's a common criticism on this one, I honk it's fixed since then though 😎

[@SleepingCocoon]

just watching "How Metroid Fusion Creates Fear" now and it is indeed! cheers!

[@tattieverb265]

Mang, da video da best. I would tweet it, but I don't have twitter anymore. Another great video. I loved the little animation at the end of the video. In my opinion, megaman 8 and the revamp of the original 3 make megaman look like he's running on the spot.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hehehe. And thanks! Yeah, haven't done any animation for ages, thought I'd do a tiny bit. Yeah, though I love Mega Man 8's animation, it doesn't quite fit with the game design.

[@dbrokensoul]

Oh man, that Bucky O'Hare bgm hits the nostalgia. One little hard game that one was.

[@logansmith2703]

Great now I have to search for a little Samson playthrough. Good video btw

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hehe, it's worth emulating just to play! And thanks!

[@FoxBlocksHere]

MAD respect for crediting the music you use and the games you show!

[@algol291]

6:26 is that how Disney's 'Alice in Wonderland' was made? That is very cool to know. Thumbs up!!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I know, right?

[@MarkOates2]

Fantastic analysis! I really like the quality of your captures and the motion graphics in between.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you! I'm excited to make more videos.

[@Nickle_King]

All the technology in the world can't help you make something look good. What can is an understanding of the fundamentals. And the best way to learn fundamentals? Working within strict limitations. Because limitations breed creativity.

[@bigmclargehuge8219]

If I hadn’t already subscribed because of the amazing Metroid Fusion video, I certainly would have because of the “Love you bye” at the end of the videos! It’s charming and brightens my day. :) can’t wait to binge all your videos then become sad that there’s no more!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Haha, thanks a lot! I'll try make videos as often as I can without sacrificing quality.

[@Bloxed]

Well, I just woke up and this is the best way to start my day! Great video Dan! You made my day! =D

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Ahw, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@Bloxed]

And I'm also glad that I enjoyed the video! So much depth and analysis of 8-bit and 16-bit animation! It's amazing what you do! If it wasn't for your content, I'd probably watch KZbin less! Yet again, great video Dan! How about a video on Punch-Out's stereotypes and how the characters might feel when they fight you again during their second fight like is Piston Honda/Hondo neutral and is Bald Bull even angrier? I think it would be an amazing video! =)

[@formerlyuntargeted]

I wasn't expecting you to cite Adam Neely. That was a pleasant surprise 😄

[@illugion]

Love the video but I disagree on Megaman 8's jump animation. While it is certainly slower than the other ones this one actually gives him some "weight" by having that big anticipation before the keyframe ( that is followed by an exaggerated one, where he extends himself even further before going back ). This makes it feel stronger and punchier in my opinion, as I think that making him have his arms up instantly doesn't make such an impact. But... it doesn't matter either way because the landing animation removes all that feeling of weight making him "ease out" of it.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey thanks for the feedback! I know what you mean, I definitely think it's a grey area on whether it's good or not, but I think it's not as impactful when compared to more snappier jumps like in 11.

[@CrokeyHigati]

As someone who's getting into game dev and trying my best at doing pixel animations, this was a fun video on what made those old games so charming and not-so charming. Definitely subscribing, keep up the good work Dan!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey, thanks so much! I'm glad I could help! And good luck with the game dev!

[@davidbumpus3457]

"No they don't! Shut up!" Intresting stuff that I never really thought about even though I kinda knew it without knowing it. As for the Robocop near the end of the video there, I think that whole movie was a bit twitchy and erratic so it would only be fitting if the 8 bit game version was too. thats my $0.02 on that.

[@SimplyDad]

I know it doesn’t mean much at all, but this is genuinely one of my favorite channels to watch. I wish you’d upload more because I find myself rewatching your older videos bc of how well put together they are!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Nahw thank you so much, that really means a lot. I know, I try and do them as often as I can, but I only get to make them around the rest of my lifestyle (such as job, family and friends), so I only really get maybe 6 hours a week to work on videos. I've got one coming before Christmas though!

[@SimplyDad]

Hey I feel that, I’m always caught up with something so I don’t have a lot of time to work on videos either. But hey, if you’re dropping some heat next week you can be sure to see me in the comment section ❤️❤️

[@FarCritical]

I thought I was the only person ever who knew about Pocoyo, and didn't expect him to appear in a video like this of all places Nice video!! Edit: Oops mispelled Pocoyo as Popoyo, fixed it

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Ah man, Pocoyo is great! I show him to my baby daughter, she loves it!

[@Missmay123p]

FarCritical Pocoyo was my childhood

[@SamPearman]

Dan Root You should check out Tayo the little bus as well. It's a really nicely animated (and lit) Korean series. Not quite as poppy as Pocoyo, but it does have a lot of charm. Best of all, my baby loves it.

[@RandomGuyyy]

Interesting point. This makes me want explore doing this in 3D with swapping out the mesh. Changing the mesh every 'frame'. Probably will save a lot of time with rigging and skinning not being necessary.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's an interesting idea, you make it sound like stop motion, actually. You should check out Lumino City (or Luminocity, can't quite remember), that's one of the few stop motion games I can think of.

[@ChaosRayZero]

I won't even pretend to know much about 3D animation, but it looks kind of like Nintendo Wii U games do that to animate character faces. If you look at the squid sisters giving the news report in Splatoon, you can totally see their mouths bouncing from frame to frame similar to the way Japanese anime characters talk. I've also seen a ripped Megaman model from Super Smash Bros. Wii U- he has like a dozen different face meshes for different expressions.

[@RandomGuyyy]

ChaosRayZero Yeah and the end result is probably more characterful than animating the faces 'properly' with shape keys. For the reasons Dan gave in the video. With a more Nintendo-ish cartoony art style (a bit of fresnel rim outline on saturated colours etc) the mesh swapping thing really lends itself. You can have background elements like wobbling trees also having that stop motion look. Also you can do proper Disney squash and stretch in a way that rigged models won't let you do, or at least without the textures on the model stretching too much. Each mesh can have its own topology, UV mapping and material IDs anyway so it sort of frees you from all that. The only hassle is that game engines are designed around using skeletal meshes like Unity's Mecanim or Unreal's Persona so you kind of have to script your own state machine for the mesh swaps.

[@Blobtendo]

Excellent video, can really see the time you put into this

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey, thanks so much!

[@Blobtendo]

No problem! As someone new to making videos myself, the time and effort you put into these really shows. Keep it up :) I have subscribed and look forward to new videos!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you so much!

[@kuyanglonghair5641]

We are currently making a game and saw this. This really helps a lot. Thank you!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I'm so glad! What's your game?

[@csteegs8681]

This was a really interesting video! Definitely have to disagree with the Mega Man 8 point though, I think it looks very fluid. Nice job!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks! Well, the movement is fluid for sure, but it doesn't really sync up with the speed and energy the actual gameplay requires, resulting in a more sluggish feel. The techniques used are all great, though!

[@csteegs8681]

Dan Root Yea, it DEFINITELY is more slow paced bc of it. Going from 7 to 8 it's seems faster though. 7 is a snail's pace lol.

[@JanneSala]

Fantastic video. Great visual editing with a solid, informative script. Love the ending, too, the viewer expects a summary of the video's contents but is met with a spontaneous "No they don't! Shut up!" - catches you off guard, brilliant!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Haha, thanks dude! I'm glad it didn't jar with everyone, I chuckled lots recording it.

[@MultiYoYoshi]

Great video I can really see the love and effort in the video :D I just have one tiny addition that would make it even better. I would love if you would add the game name in a corner when showing footage. A few times I saw a game and sadly didn't know the name

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey, thanks so much! And yes, that's a very good idea actually. It sometimes slips my mind that not everyone will have played all the games I have, so have no idea what they are. I remember seeing some footage of an awesome looking game in one of Egoraptor's videos and being like "woah, what's the beautiful mess?!" - turned out to be Dark Souls!

[@audieorlandolilybassoff4069]

Instant subscribe from me. As someone who's both passionate about animation, games, and especially old games, this was really neat and provided something for me to think about in my own work.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey, thank you so much! I'm glad I've been able to help you 😃

[@KingKatura]

I always thought that they were pretty good with animation and graphics back in the day, of course thats all we had and today i can't seem to stare at any old non remastered thing more than a long period of time, for some reason. And key-frames are still used today, as up until a decade ago flash and everything older is all we had. Including hand drawings. All use of key-frames in scenes.3-5 frames for every key-frame used last i knew was the standard, But it has been awhile since I've been in the game making area.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah keyframes are always important in animation.

[@krustykraken9331]

Thanks for posting the music, I was actually going to ask for it. Interesting video, and very well edited.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks! Yeah, I get annoyed if I hear a bit of music and comment asking about it and no one gets back to me.

[@PhilipJFryII]

Da Dan's video is the Dandiest. (Sorry I don't have twitter) Animation is a wonderful and time consuming thing for sure.

[@SkyCharger001]

This made me think: you could combine tween-animation and key-only animation ... tween for when one starts running, and key-only for when one gets up to speed.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

It's funny, the original Sonic running animation uses _all_ the frames of full speed, it just holds them for longer the slower he goes.

[@HaydenTheEeeeeeeeevilEukaryote]

“‘No they don’t! Shut up!’ and walk away.” perfect

[@darkengine5931]

Excellent video and analysis! I am more of a programmer than an artist and it might just be my bias being really old, but I'm wondering if there's something more to low-frame animation than just in-between frames lacking dynamic poses that can make them feel quite different. There are lots of 8-bit NES games that seem to "feel better" to me with very few frames for walking cycles, e.g., but their walking cycles don't seem very dynamic. One example is River City Ransom. Its walking cycle and silhouette just reads like a rectangle blob with little feet moving. Yet it somehow feels better to me than newer examples as far as movement, attacks, etc. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on why that may be with something as crudely animated as River City Ransom, or if I'm just crazy and too nostalgic.

[@sonicmastersword8080]

Being a rather observant individual, I noticed these key frames quite often. Even sixteen bit games have them. Sonic in particular has a few for his run cycle. Normally, the player never wants to walk, so you don't observe them. However, they are still there. And the flame animations of those games was often a fast flicker, something which still works really well today.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah, 16 bit games were quite accomplished. Fire can be difficult to get right if you want it to look stylish, but it's usually handled pretty well.

[@_polpon]

Over the years I've really grown to appreciate just how good the old Batman game is for the NES, I liked it when I was younger, but now as an adult I like it even more! I really think there's not much comparison with other games; the physics, music, sound effects and visuals are spot on and really puts you in the game!

[@flashdniwer4263]

Mind blown !! 😱💥💨 I never even thought of this before and I've been playing video games my whole life !! 😂😁😀

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I'm glad I could educate :-)

[@josedelacruzcorreagamez967]

I like Super Mario RPG because it uses only 3 frames for walking cycles, but switches to more inbetweens at battle scenes. This transition in my opinion, worked really well.

[@fen4554]

0:50 Not to mention the incredibly nuanced bounce the animators threw in there.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Ahhh yes, the double bounce. It really is something

[@robintst]

More in-between frames in 16-bit games like Aladdin and Rocket Knight work well because of the intensity of movement the sprites are drawn to portray. In Mega Man 8, he's not at all emotive or natural in his movement so it just adds to already soft bouncy tone of the visuals and does indeed make it feel sluggish, like nothing has any weight. That would be an overall aesthetic misstep. In cinematic platformers like Another World and Flashback, the fluid animations play to the slower languid pacing of those experiences so it all seamlessly gels together well. Conversely, it becomes counter-intuitive in a game like Garfield: Caught in the Act (look it up) where they put so much work into making his walk cycle smooth and cartoon-like that it hurts the responsiveness of the player's control in what is platforming combat too fast for the animations that are forced to play out without interruption. CG animators of today have trouble with this idea too, especially when it comes to fictitious creatures being added to a live action film. They render them with photo-realistic aesthetic designs but animate them like cartoon characters which just creates a disconnect for the audience because they have no real world analog or context to attach to the creature in their minds. In such a case, one needs to base the movement of such a fantastical creature on a real one that people know of. Seeing it make such deliberate mirroring movements tells the viewer, "oh it's like a tiger/bear/dog/etc." and gives it presence and weight.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah those are really good points! I do love the consistent aesthetic in Flashback. And good God, I just checked out that Garfield game. Looks nice, but yeah I bet the feeling of control is a right bitch! As well as unusual movement in CG creatures, I always find _lighting_ to be the main issue of believability. Like, it usually just won't match the surroundings and your eye can tell it's not real or believable.

[@manuelpereiroconde91]

YOOOOO POCOYO WAS MY FAVORITE CHILDHOOD SHOW

[@AlsoMeowskivich]

This is actually relevant for a game I've been working on, been drawing a boss that has a changing face. I haven't had the chance to test how well it animates yet, but it has limited frames. Working with limitations is a good thing to practice, as it hones one's skills. Also, saving disc space is always a plus.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That sounds interesting, I hope it all works out!

[@Bobsican]

Which name is that game going to get?

[@AlsoMeowskivich]

Spooky Times 2: Shooty Times it's a halloween themed shmup.

[@SoulsOfWisdom]

The NES animation of Mega Man looks better than the animations with many more frames. One step forward, two steps back.

[@RileyNiko]

Thank you for unlocking my memories of Pocoyo

[@sambagels6476]

6:00 me after coffee

[@dholmlund]

I just learned about your KZbin channel watching "Metroid I guess"--can't wait to watch your kewl vids! :D

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks a lot!

[@VanTilburger]

The ending message is super true

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

"Old games look bad!" "No they don't, shu'up!" That one?

[@VanTilburger]

Dan Root Not only that, but later when you said "you can follow me on Twitter for updates and such". Its super true. I can! What the video was truly about. (Good video by the way)

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Haha, oh okay 😂 And thanks!

[@princeofalltoasters8813]

I feel like this is why Homestar Runner was and still is appealing to look at it. Very big and expressive keyframes.

[@jaschabull2365]

Reminds me of that one episode of Game Theory which argues that Sonic is actually slower than Mario in their respective debut games. I was thinking when I saw it that it's likely the reason is that Sonic's run is smoother than Mario's with more frames, which would make it slower. Kind of ironic how the seemingly greater quality actually made Sonic seemingly worse than his rival at the one thing he was supposed to do.

[@magnusm4]

But how fast is he compared to Eggman? Or when Sonic is spin dashing?

[@satroyd]

Neat! Thanks Dan, you explain very clearly ^^ another thing I'll need to look out in my future playthroughs of games!

[@justchristolin5076]

Very educational

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you!

[@twindlebraddy9000]

8:33 : "So, when anyone says old games look bad, just say: "No They Don't Shut Up!"."