Yesterday, Reimagined Forever
answer to ‘Why nostalgia?’ ⌛ and 12+ inspiring nostalgic art
Nostalgia. A word that rolls off the tongue like the soft hum of a CRT monitor warming up. Once a term for homesickness, a painful yearning to return to a long-lost place, it now carries a deeper resonance.
It’s the warmth of a childhood memory, the scent of dust burning in the yellowed family computer, or the crystal chime of the PlayStation.
Admiring nostalgic art makes my heart cry and sing at the same time. Sometimes the feeling is almost as strong as love. In our fast-moving world, nostalgia feels like the ultimate comfort — a tether to what made us who we are.
“Everything was better back then.”
We can criticise the romanticization of the past, but we also crave the cuddle of our polished memories.
While writing this week’s introduction, I looked at previous posts about nostalgia from Beyond the Veil. I was shocked how much of our recommendations has nostalgic vibes. (You can check them out at the end of this post.)
Which begs the questions:
Why are we obsessed with aesthetics of the past?
What is this feeling that is so strong that indie productions —when applying it tastefully— are flung into fully backed projects?
Is nostalgia an indicator of the degrading quality of contemporary art, or we’re just becoming our grandparents?
What’s nostalgia?
Nostalgia, derived from the Greek words nostos (homecoming) and algos (pain), was once considered a medical condition linked to homesickness.
Today, it's recognized as a complex emotion —a bittersweet longing for the past that offers comfort amid uncertainty.
Psychologically, nostalgia serves as a coping mechanism, enhancing mood and fostering a sense of continuity in life.1
Why we love it?
Psychologists say it’s more than a mere indulgence, it’s an anchor. When life feels uncertain, nostalgia wraps us in familiarity, boosting our mood, reinforcing our sense of self, and reminding us that we’ve survived.
Nostalgic moments, like revisiting a beloved game or piece of art, remind us of simpler times, and help us navigate the complexities of today.
It's almost as if nostalgia itself is a survival instinct: it provides existential meaning.2
This emotional resonance explains why revisiting past aesthetics feels so fulfilling.
Is it just a fad?
Culture often changes in tides, and follows the “reminiscence bump”, with past aesthetics returning every 20–30 years.3
Remember the wave of 80s-inspired synthwave music? Or pixel art games flourishing as indie darlings? It's no accident. These patterns speak to how deeply our formative years shape us, urging us to recreate and relive them. A cycle of renewal.
But here’s the fascinating part: the very limits of old technology have become today’s art form.
Once, pixel graphics and low-poly models were restrictions, now, they’re celebrated as an aesthetic of honesty and creativity unclouded by hyperrealism.
Indie developers and small creators are the new pioneers here, free from the corporate caution that stifles big-budget studios. Their works typically feel closer to us, because they take risks that AAA titles can’t afford.
Why indie games kick AAAss?
In my opinion, this shift reflects a desire to return to authenticity and creativity, unencumbered by modern complexities. In the gaming industry, indie developers outshine AAA studios in delivering nostalgic experiences.
While major studios may avoid risks due to substantial investments, indie creators have the freedom to experiment and innovate.
This flexibility allows them to craft unique narratives and gameplay that resonate deeply with audiences seeking fresh yet familiar experiences.4
Why do we yap?
Omnimorphs was born in this intersection of memory and innovation. Our art and stories weave threads from tribal lore, dark fantasy, sci-fi, and retro-anime — familiar yet entirely fresh.
Revisit your forgotten treasures, but don't just relive them, build new worlds that feel both like home and like nothing you’ve ever known.
Nostalgia isn’t just a return to the past for us, it’s a gateway to reimagine it.
The Nostalgia List
Let’s observe out of curiosity and the love to learn or even mimic like Omnimorphs.
🎨 Drawing: Gutty Kreum (cover art for this newsletter)
When the topic pixel art came up during our last meeting I’ve instantly thought of Gutty Kreum, who we collaborated with during our Pixel Blossom release. I could watch all of the peaceful loops for hours, with some lo-fi music in the background and just relax a bit. They can put you in a very meditative state in my opinion.
Dani
🎨 Drawing: Davilorium
Davilorium aka David Orellana has a super consistent style, that’s a bit nostalgic with all the classic fighting game characters from Tekken, Evangelion, Dragon Ball Z included, and bit chibi, with the cute round shaped bodies he gives them. I’d love to see a comic in this style, which he kind of hinted with his pinned post on Instagram. Fingers crossed it happens!
Dani
🎨 Drawing: Strange House
Joonas Ryynänen aka Strange House, really leans into metal and dark direction that you can expect from someone who lives in Finland. He puts a big emphasis on very strong dark silhouettes, with minimal lighting, but they all look like something from a strange horror book you’d find. I believe he also works as a tattoo artist as well, with this kind of style.
Dani
🎨 Drawing: Gao Hang
Nothing brings back nostalgic gaming memories more (besides maybe games I’ve played on my Sega like Sonic or Altered Beasts) than looking at screenshots of Play Station 1 games. Gao Hang brings a fresh touch to this by using this aesthetic as a base for his - sometimes massive - physical paintings. Everything consists only of a few planes, barely any shadows, super sharp edges, it doesn’t look perfect, but in a way it does, as he completely nails the vibes of the games we used to play in the late 90s, early 00s.
Dani
🎨 Drawing: muzinabu
A bit lesser known, compared to the other artist at least, is muzinabu, who I believe is from Japan and has an amazing style and sense for creating eerie artworks. I really enjoy analysing his linework and the desaturated colors he uses.
Dani
🎨 Drawing: Matias Bergara
I - like many - found award winning comic book artist Matias Bergara because of the Game of Thrones illustration I’ve attached and been relentlessly following him ever since. I have a thing for stylised illustrations and how he mixes pop-culture characters like Batman, Darth Vader many Lord of the Ring characters with his charming style that I could imagine in any book pretty much is really great to see.
Dani
❔ Your art: Leave a comment
This could be the part where we recommend your favorite artist, developer, or maybe even you FOR FREE. If you want to fill in this place with your suggestion, send a link in a reply to this email or comment below.
🎮 Gaming: Prodeus
Prodeus is a classic boomer-shooter - a subgenre that is basically is a blanket term for all games that are, in one way or another, spiritual successors to the original Doom game and other shooters of that era. It has great gunplay, retro-inspired but still flashy VFX, and genuinely well hidden secrets (took me hours and hours and still couldn’t find all of them on most maps).
Huba
🎮 Gaming: Turbo Overkill
Turbo Overkill is yet another indie retro-inspired boomer-shooter. It was a great joy to discover that it’s published by the legendary video game company Apogee Entertainment who’s been publishing and developing games since the 90s - classics like the Duke Nukem games, and my personal childhood favorite, the 1994 Hocus Pocus. Turbo Overkill is an awesome shooter by any account, and one of the highest rated games of last year on MetaCritic.
Huba
🎮 Gaming: Wizdorum
Wizdorum is another upcoming Apogee throwback FPS currently in early access. It features a medieval fantasy setting and absolutely delightful retro aesthetics (with a slight Minecraft twist).
Huba
🎮 Gaming: Forgive Me Father 2
An exciting take on the retro shooter experience. This one has a more modern look and feel, with unique comic-style visuals. The retro vibes come from the cardboard box cutout monsters and the classic boomer-shooter gameplay elements. It’s a fresh release too - came out on Steam just last month.
Huba
🎮 Gaming: Towerfall Ascension
The best fun I had with a couch multiplayer centred around versus battles. We played the game in co-op mode, and it is genuinely hard despite the easy controls and mechanics. Mastery is tricky to achieve.
🎮 Gaming: Kingdom Two Crowns
I am playing with this, but there are so many versions. The game is almost hudless, so you must explore the ways you interact with your surroundings. The pixel art is beautiful and the atmosphere is so enchanting, I listen to the soundtrack while drawing, too.
Time to escape to your world of creativity and build!
Adrián
Scribe of the Omniscient
👁🗨
+ Here, have some more of that sweet old candy from Pepperidge Farm
About nostalgic aesthetics (mainly fantasy):
Indie picks (Voin absolutely fits the indie games mentioned):
More nostalgic picks:
Two more pixel art:
very 90s, so art, much notgallery: https://www.instagram.com/itsnotgallery/
Great video essays and tests of old games on this channel: