Videomation

Videomation is an art and animation program for the NES rather than a conventional action game. Released in 1991, it gives one player a blank canvas and a set of simple tools for creating pictures, patterns, and short animated scenes with the standard controller. There is no hero to guide or story to follow; the focus is on experimenting with color, shape, and movement.

Players can draw freehand, add lines and geometric forms, fill areas with color, erase mistakes, and use a selection of ready-made images and patterned effects to build a composition. The program’s animation features let those drawings be arranged into simple frame-by-frame sequences, making it possible to create basic cartoons or watch a picture change over time. Working within the NES’s limited resolution and color range is part of the charm, and the results have the unmistakable look of early console computer art.

The controls are straightforward enough for younger players to explore, while the available tools leave room for patient experimentation. Videomation is best approached as a creative sandbox: a quiet change of pace from the platformers, shooters, and sports games that filled most NES libraries. It also offers an interesting glimpse at how developers adapted drawing software to a game console with no mouse or keyboard.

Developed by Western Technologies and published by THQ, Videomation has a distinctly hands-on appeal. It may feel basic compared with modern art apps, but its limitations encourage players to make the most of every tool and screen. For anyone curious about unusual NES software or the early history of console creativity, RetroCloud lets you play online on your browser and revisit this unconventional 1991 release.