As graphics technology is becoming more advanced, pixelated focused games (like Shovel Knight) or graphics that are made to appear pixelated (like King of Fighters 13) still hold a certain flair that is difficult to describe yet it is so appealing

I am not sure if this is coming from a place of nostalgia towards a simpler time of gaming but I do admit that I admire it the appeal of pixelated focused games, or game are made to appear pixelated instead of overly complex and detailed and hyper-realistic.

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Lots of indie games have this pixel-focused type of art - Stardew Valley, Shovel Knight, Always Legacy and Evoland (some of it anyway); and others blend with the advanced technology of today to give the sprites a more HD look while also making the graphics appear pixelated (like 2.5D type of technology) like King of Fighters 13, Chrono Trigger, or even recent entries like Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition or Factorio.

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I still enjoy playing games like Caesar 3 or even the old Doom games.

I sometimes think that the jump to 3D does not always work with some games like Pokemon (they do not look bad but I miss the old pixelated graphics), but I feel that pixelated graphics hold a certain candle that is difficult to describe.

I see this a lot when I play Doom with mods - it is hyper-detailed but in its own way appear if I play it from the point of view of a more advanced and complex graphics engine, the flair would feel the same