So Retro

"So Retro" (also spelled as "Sooo Retro", to emphasize the sarcastic intonation) is an ironic phrase that refers to an aesthetic that largely surged as a result of companies and artists trying to replicate the 8-Bit aesthetic as an attempt to make their games and/or art look nostalgic, but fail or put no effort into actually doing so, often being inaccurate to the true essence of retro games"Is "so retro" an aesthetic?" | aesthetics.fandom.com. Therefore, the term is only used as a pejorative, kind of like the word Hipster.
Most of the time, it represents low effort, poorly-made pixel art that look kitschy and tacky; so alternatively, this aesthetic can also be called "Trashy Retro". Anything that can be described as "So Retro" may take inspiration from extremely popular games deemed old, such as Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog. The aesthetic often includes the MS Paint aesthetic with poorly made drawings in the MS paint program.
==History==
The aesthetic probably originates from a Mario GIF with dissonant assets and trashy animation.
The term has been expanded from Pixel Art to refer to games that use the retro Low Poly aesthetic combined with more modern graphical elements which may create an odd feeling, even though this may be an intentional artist choice.
==Visuals==
The visuals used in the So Retro aesthetic include:
*Low-quality graphics
*Blocks and pixels
*Poorly made pixel art
*Pixel art NFTs
*Inaccurate 8-bit colors
*Excessive use of clichés from old video games
*A sense of a lack of true retro essence
*Almost any image that tries to have a "retro" vibe but fails to do so.
==Media==
===Video Games===
Some video games that the So Retro aesthetic takes inspiration from include:
* The Simpsons Game (2008)
* Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
* Sonic Superstars (2023)
==Gallery==
Fsv0avGXwAArLlu.png|Poorly made Mario pixel art. Art by @test2145 on Discord.
1000 F 501721208 xSIzEJPBPHUBlIbrcvfkWT6mxsa91epV.jpg|A collection of NFTs trying to replicate the retro pixelated style.
3216381 funikular so-retro.png|A drawing of Girlfriend from Friday Night Funkin' cosplaying Mario, which looks more modern than retro. Art by Funikular on Newgrounds.
M4dpvuy5dmdb1.jpg|Poorly made pixel art of Amy from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Art by u/LeeClown on Reddit.
Screenshot 20231119 172328 Reddit.jpg|A 3D-pixelated Sonic video game.
Mooninites.webp|The Mooninites from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, which, while based on them, don't actually resemble genuine retro video game sprites.
Screenshot 20231119 171502 Google.jpg|A pixelated Jumbo Josh from Garten of Banban. Art by @1hat6y0u on Fandom.
Dgaims3-85a8d853-3b16-4781-b9a1-cc619a5e0aa5.png|A drawing of old Mario, which doesn't count as pixel art. Art by ValisEmma on DeviantArt.
755.png|A poorly-made pixel art drawing of the Super Mario Galaxy cover. Art found on Google images by @The SonicFan2010 on fandom 
Fu6U-4sWcAILktv.png|A comparison between accurate old pixel art and "So Retro" drawings. Art by @TaskControllers on Twitter.
Code Monkeys.jpeg|The cast of Code Monkeys.
GroomRaider.jpeg|The Groom Raider game from 12. oz. Mouse.
File:So-retro.gif|The GIF that probably started the meme.
File:Maxresdefault (6).jpg
==References==
Category:Nostalgia/Nostalgic
Category:Youthful
Category:2000s
Category:Memes
Category:Art
Category:Visual
Category:Humoristic
Category:Kitsch
Category:Internet Aesthetics
Category:Retro
Category:Design Aesthetics