Interestingly the author actually ends up supporting that point too. All the examples they use of Pixel art are in support of an aesthetic that, while it was forced upon them at the time, is of a certain forced low-resolution style.
Their game however is pixel art for... well no obvious reason other than they like pixel art. There is no reason in the aesthetic of the game to be pixel art. It doesn't look like it's supposed to be pixel art.
So generally I'm not surprised they're moving away from pixel art - they had no reason to use it in the first place!
If you're not going for a low resolution aesthetic then why on earth would you use pixel art which is exactly for that style?
Or if you're going for that oldschool vibe. Shovel Knight's artwork would be great in any other game, but without the oldschool mechanics to match, it loses something.
Interestingly the author actually ends up supporting that point too. All the examples they use of Pixel art are in support of an aesthetic that, while it was forced upon them at the time, is of a certain forced low-resolution style.
Their game however is pixel art for... well no obvious reason other than they like pixel art. There is no reason in the aesthetic of the game to be pixel art. It doesn't look like it's supposed to be pixel art.
So generally I'm not surprised they're moving away from pixel art - they had no reason to use it in the first place!
If you're not going for a low resolution aesthetic then why on earth would you use pixel art which is exactly for that style?