If you used to play video games as a child, you will surely remember some like Super Mario Bros, Sonic the Hedgehog or Street Fighter with a certain nostalgia. So what would you think if we told you that these games were made with sprites?, and that today there are many web pages where downloading these is very simple and mostly free. Would you dare to try to develop a video game with this style and technique?
Despite the fact that its most famous exponents are already several years old, many are the newly developed games that have been made using sprites. Many of the packages used have been downloaded from these web pages, we will be emphasizing which ones are the best for it and other related aspects in our article.
What are sprites?
The literal translation of this word into Spanish would be duende, but in the world of animation and video games, it takes on a very different meaning. This term, quite popular a few decades ago, is used to describe a type of bitmap. They are created using graphic hardware on the screen of any computer using an initial drawing as a reference point.
It was the successful chip designer Jay Miner who popularized this term. Thanks to this technique, it was possible to create video games in which the characters could move, regardless of the background. So Many of the video games emerged that marked the childhood of millions of children around the world, thanks to its striking designs for the time.
What are the best websites to download Sprites?
Today, with all the advances that animation has, as well as the demand for video games with powerful graphics and realistic design, it seems that games made with sprites have no place.
But the tastes and interests of each human being are very diverse, and Games with these retro airs have millions of followers. Because of this, there are many web pages where you can download a large number of Sprites, facilitating the work of many developers significantly.
Some of the best websites to download Sprites are:
Sprite Database
This is our first recommendation, and it is not in vain. On this website, you can download a large number of SpritesBest of all, it will be completely free of charge. On this page, you will be able to find the Sprites of practically any game in which these tools were used.
De quite regularly the content is updated, so you can never get tired of finding new options in case you like to develop games with this technique. These are meticulously organized, according to the console of which it is a part each game that the sprites you want to download belongs to. Undoubtedly this is a plus that helps in the search and makes it less cumbersome.
Some of the most striking features of Sprite Database:
- La interface of this website is very nice.
- Count with one optimized layout and all the content that you will find in it is organized.
- besides that you have access to additional information about the sprite pack that you want to download, such as the size, the date it was uploaded, the game to which the file type belongs, among other information that may be of interest to you.
- You can preview the sprites before being downloaded.
You can find some funny post by the page admin, who calls himself Grim, who has done a wonderful job of making this content accessible, easy and free for anyone to access.
You can access it by pressing here.
Itch.io
All the content of this page is organized in a very practical way, besides that its interface allows you to navigate through it in a very instinctive and at the same time enjoyable way.
You can take a look at some additional information, such as the size or content of the sprite pack. This is inside the game to which it belongs, in such a way that it is very easy to locate one in particular that you want to download.
You will be able to download Sprites for your games for free, although it should be noted that most of the packages have a premium paid version.
This version of course It has a lot of additional content of excellent quality; Even though it is paid, it is quite accessible. In case you don't want to pay for additional Sprites, the free catalog is still very extensive and of exceptional quality.
Take a look at the catalog on this website here.
Spriters-Resource
Like the previous recommendations, this is one of the most used web pages to download Sprites, and what more free and quality content it offers. In it, you can find a wide variety of Sprites from the most successful classic games of all time; although in the same way there is also availability of others not so well known but of high quality.
Whole content is completely free, and if you wish you can collaborate by adding new sprite packs. You can also be part of the active community that this web page has, sharing opinions and suggestions is what has enabled its growth and proper functioning.
You can explore the content of this page here.
What games have been created with sprites?
These are just a few of the hundreds of games that were created with sprites, and to this day it is still a widely used technique:
Super Mario Bros.
Maybe the most representative exponent of this list. It's hard to find someone who hasn't played or at least heard of this game. Although it already has almost 4 decades since its launch, His fans are countless worldwide.
Even in the month of April this year, a new movie has been released that has Super Mario Bros as its central character. Which enjoys a good reception by the public and specialized critics.
Sonic
This video game was created in 1991, with the goal of becoming a rival to the already successful Nintendo games from Super Mario Bros. With a striking and very peculiar design, this game quickly achieved its goal. Becoming a media phenomenon, which today today he continues to release content about the game and the character, being already a franchise.
Street Fighter
This is the name by which a series of games of Japanese origin are known, the first of which was developed in 1987. The second installment of this franchise, Street Fighter II was a worldwide phenomenon, and marked a milestone in the history of fighting video games. Millions of copies of this video game were sold extremely quickly, as Today content related to the game continues to be released.
We hope this article will serve as a reference when it comes to Find the best websites to download sprites for free. Thanks to these, many of the most popular games of our childhood were developed, which is why this style is remembered with nostalgia and today has many followers. Let us know in the comments if you love this style of video games like we do. We read you.