Gaming

Pixelated graphics hit the right spot for me. The Binding of Isaac Rebirth, Stardew Valley, Enter the Gungeon, Dwarf Fortress, Dead Cells, Terraria, FTL, some emulated games. I got pretty addicted to Vampire Survivors at one point too.

I used to have no interest in pixel-style games but in the past few years I've grown to really like them. I'll try and post some of my favorites below with a quick synopsis to see if it's something you may like. These are really in no particular order. As you can see, I really like the building/colony management games. I hope to delve into other genres at some point when they interest me.

Also, a lot will be in early access but I'll note when there hasn't been updates for a while.

Building/colony simulation

• Cult of the Lamb - you play an endearing and cute lamb that needs to start a cult in order to gain favor and allow your colony to thrive. You do this by going through rogue-lite dungeon levels and defeating enemies/bosses to recruit more followers and continue the story campaign. Includes some mini-games like fishing and a card game and I'm sure more. They just released a big update that I have yet to check out.
• Dwarf Fortress - One of the most complex colony simulators to date. You take the good with the bad. The UI has seen improvements in their recent Steam release but it's still, at least in my opinion, not the most intuitive thing. If you are into this genre of game, though, you absolutely need to check this out and put in the time to learn the systems. You start the game by having it simulate your world's history given some seed data. After it's done, you can view every single action taken to see how the world got to this point (even seemingly useless stuff like Goblin Terry bought a tavern in Randomtown or whatever). Don't sleep on it!
• RimWorld - heavily inspired by Dwarf Fortress, it's basically that but in a sci-fi setting instead of a medieval one. While the interface by default is, in my opinion, better than Dwarf Fortress's, it still requires quite a time-sink to get accustomed to. There are an incredible amount of mods on the Steam workshop that makes the variability and replayability seemingly endless.
• Clanfolk - RimWorld style game based in old Irish lore. Still in early stages but their testing branch is very frequently updated.
• Stardeus - Think RimWorld except you're an AI on a broken down ship with a bunch of travelers in stasis. You need to repair the ship, get the systems working again, and improve everything over time. The developer is insanely active, with seemingly daily updates. For a while they were streaming all of their development on Twitch. I don't know if they're still doing it, but, it doesn't matter; he's still updating the game at a ridiculous rate. It has full modding support as well but there are far less of them at the moment since the game is in early access and much newer.
• Songs of Syx - Alright, this game is kind of nuts. Instead of managing one colony like in Dwarf Fortress and RimWorld, your goal is to manage a large part of the rendered world. It has a lot of the same building elements as the other games but takes it to another level. Also, it's medieval style and has magic. You really should not sleep on this if this sounds interesting. Obligatory warning: yes, it has a massive learning curve and things aren't well documented. There are some good guides on YouTube, though.
• Oxygen Not Included - Similar to RimWorld systems and mechanics wise with a completely different look and feel. It's too complicated for me right now to look into much but I need to mention it as it's insanely popular.
• Core Keeper - A completely different game this time. In this, you actually control a single character in top-down view. There are multiple different biomes that you move on from by defeating bosses. It's like Stardew Valley with much more focus on combat and it takes place underground.
• Keplerth - I'll be honest, I couldn't get into it, but, I've seen posts here and there about people loving it so I thought I'd just include it in the list.
• Necesse - Again, haven't played it much, but, if you know about the game Terraria it seemingly tries to improve on those systems.
• Realms of Magic - In the same vein as the previous two, but, my favored one. It has basic story elements, complex building and crafting, and a pretty cool map system. If the Terraria-style game looks nice to you but you want more, check this out.
• PixARK - Officially licensed pixel style ARK: Survival Evolved clone. It feels a lot easier and I enjoy it more. The issue I have with it is that updates got really slow for a while. They seemed to have picked up again recently so maybe it was just a temporary thing, not sure. Quickly looking at the patch notes, though, there doesn't seem to be many significant updates lately (if at all).

Metroidvania style

• Infernax - From the Steam page: Infernax is the adventures of a great knight who returns to his homeland only to find it plagued with unholy magic. Uncover the mysteries of the curse and face the consequences of your actions.
• Blasphemous - A super dark art style and challenging combat. You play some fucked up angel type thing that's basically on a good-guy crusade. Fight evil, etc. I can't do this justice though, it's legitimately very impressive. A sequel was recently announced.

Dungeon-crawling ARPG

• Chronicon - A bunch of really cool classes and tight combat systems makes this one a favorite.
• The Slormancer - Really awesome (and intuitive) builds with a great art style. You can upgrade pretty much any of the systems in the game (think magic types, health, etc), making it really easy and fun to try out different builds.

I really liked CrossCode. It’s is a Zelda-like with solid gameplay and a fun story

I'm not sure if it is truly considered a pixel art game, but I still love Terraria.

Noita is kind of niche but it’s really a fun time. Easy to pick up and put down.

Carrion. I've never played a pixel art reverse stealth game where the player is the horrible monster. and I bet you haven't either!

Dead cells never gets old

Stardew Valley. So relaxing to play and the progress feels rewarding too. You can also play with someone else co-op which makes it more fun.

Stardew Valley and Undertale. I also loved Duelyst, but it's no longer around.

Gotta be hotline Miami. I described it to my brother as John wick/the punisher with original grand theft auto graphics.

Do you want pixel graphics, or do you want gameplay like Vampire Survivors? Because the suggestions here are all over the place genre-wise.

Celeste and Shovel Knight are my favorite semi-recent games. I'm always game for A Link to the Past though.

FTL is great, into the breach as well.

Heros Hour is also cool

Don't think this is exactly what you're asking, but among actual old games, A Link to the Past and Super Metroid are both highly playable and highly replayable pixel graphics games.

A Short Hike, it even has settings to make it EXTRA cruncy (big pixels) or to smooth them down.

Edit: forgot to mention the "why": it feels like a true labor of love, which is a rare sensation for me to experience.

Check our Risk of Rain (trailer). Amazing soundtrack!

Enter the Gungeon, fun times and great replay potential.

If you like Vampire Survivors i can highly recommend Boneraiser Minions.

It is the same genre but it plays very different, since you have minions instead of weapons and can change the map you are playing on.

I had a lot of fun with hyper light drifter & Stardew valley.

Evoland. You start in the 2D 4 color era, then the 8 bit era, level up to 16 bit, then 32 bit. It takes you all the way from 4 color games to 3D rendering. It’s super cheap on Steam, and there is a sequel too if you like it.

Realm of the Mad God is super replayable and addicting. Love it to death and it's absolutely worth what I paid for it on sale.

Shattered Pixel Dungeon is pretty fun

The Messenger. Often gets compared to ninja gaiden (for good reason) but I actually got mega man X vibes from it. Awesome 2D platforming with metroidvania elements and a great gimmick. I also really loved Celeste and Katana Zero.

Celeste. Was my first pixel art style game but oh has it been fun

Might want to check out Salt and Sanctuary.

I'm sure there's more if I sit and think for longer, but right now I'd have to say Blasphemous - I went into it completely blind to what it was, and ho boy did it blow me away. Everything just felt good about that game.

It only shares the roguelite elements with vampire survivors, but I'll drop a recommend for The Dungeon Beneath here. Super simple but pretty addicting.

Does Duck Game, Freeways, and TowerFall count?

Not similar to vampire survivors, but my favourite pixel games outside of snes Era is hands down stardew valley.

For something engaging and actiony to break up vampire survivor, yiu should check out rogue legacy 2. Not pixel art, but easy pick up and play

Pokemon TCG for GameBoy probably. It's just a really solid, easy card-based RPG. I truly adore it.

Not really like Vampire Survivors at all, but:

Stardew Valley. Farming Sim.

Pokémon Sapphire/Ruby/Emerald. Self Explanatory.

Celeste. Platformer.

Shovel Knight. Platformer.

Terraria. Platformer/Crafting.

For games with similar gameplay, I'd recommend

• Brotato
• Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood
• Halls of Torment

For similar art style

• Children of Morta
• The Link to the Past PC port
• Carrion

Everhood for a good pixel game, but it's not really comparable to much other than a weird acid trip. The Steam reviews are a good indicator for the vibes and a good laugh.

Cave Story is always a fun time.

Right now loop hero is a great time waster. I can play it when I'm idle working.