It's important to understand why I've chosen to talk not only about the style but also about the level design. The reason is that, in my opinion, the art style of ULTRAKILL is defined by its level layout. Not just because of the names of each set of levels, or their outstanding choice of color and atmosphere, but also because of the way they are presented to you. Tight corners of tunnels open to never-ending cities; the fog of the unknown layout with the ruins of what was once a great heaven; the dark depiction of hell or the night sky filled with the mysterious sounds and lights of war.

ULTRAKILL developers (I'll refer to them as just ULTRAKILL from now on) really know how to set the stage just right and also place you right in the middle of it. In many games, the scene and world-building are done well, but when it comes to forcing the player to see it, they don't seem to nail it the same way ULTRAKILL does.

While discussing all this, I'll try to bring examples from games that have done it right and games that have failed and explain why. But overall, what I'm going to talk about most is ULTRAKILL and its art style.

Every designer knows that one of the best color combinations are those that contrast the most with each other: orange and blue, green and pink, red and blue, RED and WHITE. Another key aspect of color is theme.

At the start of the game, most of the color palette for the first layer of the first chapter is red or reddish colors. These colors evoke anger and fit the setting well: cramped rooms, rivers of blood, grinding machines, and hot lava. It's only when you finish the first layer, after defeating the hardest boss yet, that you gain access to the next layer. You might expect the same dark rooms, but then the big doors open, and you find yourself in a green space with calm sounds and music. Yet, something doesn't feel right—the sounds come from speakers, the walls are fake, it's all a lie.

ULTRAKILL does this all the time. After letting you defeat a hard boss and earn access to the next layer, the next layer surprises you with new sounds, new themes, and new colors. The colors always contrast, giving you the feeling that you are merely stepping into the next level, but it is an entirely different layer.

One way to picture the levels, art, and theme of ULTRAKILL is through the concept of the uncanny valley. Seeing cities with no end, giant buildings with an abundance of colors, an upside-down city, or the Big Ben of London in Egypt—something just feels off. How did they get here? Is this hell? Is this Earth? ULTRAKILL doesn't give you the answer for a reason. It could evoke uneasiness, but it can also give you a feeling of wonder, like seeing a big mountain in Minecraft and wondering what's on top of it.

more and more when you progress you start to realize: "am i the leading point or am i just observing from the side"
all of those places look ruined and unfinish and im just passing them by, it could be my imagination, but for me that really deep.

I don't have much more to say, but I could go on and on about the level design, colors, and enemies. However, for my last point, there's one thing I want to emphasize. If there's something you should take away from this, it's this: EVERYTHING IS ART, THE CANVAS IS BLANK. Go do the thing, go make your ideas and inspiration run wild, to different worlds, into your imagination. For me, ULTRAKILL makes my imagination soar.

With shows, movies, and even games built around solid ground of realism, it's refreshing to see a format that takes it far from realism to explore its art.

one last thing: maybe the reason ULTRAKILL is succeeding in player forcing and scene building is do to being not open world and also very cramp and short. i would like to explore it other time