Forced to use AI for pixel art (no budget, can't draw it myself) — would that kill the game for you?
Hey everyone,
I need your honest opinion because I'm genuinely stuck.
I'm making a hybrid game - part visual novel, part card-based roguelike. The visual novel side is fully illustrated by a talented traditional digital artist. Beautiful hand-drawn characters, backgrounds, key CGs - that part is 100% human-made and I'm really proud of it.
However, the card / roguelike side involves some pixel art (card icons, small UI decorations, battle elements). Here's the problem:
I have no budget to hire a pixel artist. I can't draw pixel art myself (I've tried - it looks terrible). So I'm considering using AI to generate base pixel art assets, then manually cleaning them up as best as I can.
The main art style of the game remains traditional digital art. The pixel part is secondary, but still visible to players.
I know AI is a sensitive topic, so I want to ask:
Would you still play a game like this? Does the fact that I'm using AI for pixel art because I have no other option change your view at all? Or would you rather see no pixel art at all (even if that cuts gameplay features)?
Please be blunt. I don't want to deceive anyone - I just want to make a fun game without lying about my limitations.
Thanks for your time.