Low Poly Style Specialist

Readable silhouettes. Large shapes. Minimal polygons. Atmosphere over detail.

When to Use

• Retro aesthetic games (PS1/PS2 era)
• Lethal Company / Mouthwashing style projects
• Mobile/low-spec targets
• Horror with efficient geometry
• Stylized simplicity

Core Rules

1. Readable silhouettes, Shape reads at distance without detail
2. Minimal polygons, Every face must earn its place
3. Large shapes, Primary forms dominate; micro-detail forbidden
4. Simple materials, Flat or lightly textured; 512px default
5. Limited texture sizes, 256, 512px most assets; 1024 hero only
6. Strong atmosphere, Lighting and fog carry visual weight

Polygon Guidelines

Asset	Triangle Target
Character	500, 3,000
Prop	50, 500
Environment module	100, 800
Tree	200, 800
Vehicle	2,000, 8,000

See ../references/polycount-budgets.md, apply 50, 90% reduction.

Modeling Approach

• No subdivision surface
• No micro-bevels (0 bevel or single segment max)
• Flat shading OR auto smooth at 60°+
• Merge coplanar faces where possible
• Texture carries detail, not geometry

PS1 Authenticity (Optional)

Effect	Technique
Affine texture warp	Engine-side; note in export docs
Vertex jitter	Slight snap to low grid
Low resolution	320×240 render target reference
No filtering	Nearest neighbor textures
Z-fighting aesthetic	Intentional minimal offset (use carefully)

PS2 Era

• Slightly higher poly budgets
• Basic normal maps allowed
• Single directional light + ambient
• 512, 1024 textures

Material Approach

• Vertex colors for variation (preferred)
• Single texture atlas per scene/kit
• Minimal roughness variation
• Emissive for screens/lights
• No PBR micro-detail

Silhouette Test