Here are the wrong pixels:
left: rotated pixels
right: upscaled pixels
Which one did you spot first?

In my opinion/experience: you will notice upscaled pixels a lot quicker. Rotated pixels on the other hand... they are "easier to tolerate".

So, when using a higher resolution you can achieve zoom-ins that look cleaner. But the downside is: when rotating pixels, you will notice. Right...?
Let's do a little experiment:
Can you spot the "wrong pixels" in this screenshot?

Now, when using a higher resolution (say x2 the original) zooming in suddenly looks a lot "cleaner". The increased resolution allows each pixel to fall into a somewhat similar size, making their size more consistent.
It now looks arguably more "pixelperfect", even though it isn't.

For any zoom-level that leads to a clean multiple of the original pixelsize... you get inconsistent pixelsize. Especially when having fluid zoom-in and zoom-outs it can look jarring.

That didn't stop PlayStation games from just doing this, though.
So to some extend, it's authentic pixelart.

There are a few downsides to using a pixelperfect style. One example: zooming doesn't look too great. If I zoom into the previous screenshot it looks like this:

Just to clarify: with pixelperfect I mean that every pixel has exactly the same size. There are not upscaled pixels, no rotated pixels and so on.
Achieving a pixel-perfect style isn't all that hard: you simply render the game in low resolution and that's it.
Most old pixelart games look like this

More Alabaster Dawn content: A new turtle miniboss. I worked on that one in a gamedev stream not too long ago. This is how it turned out! Parrying the projectiles is an effective strategy here, but the boss can be beat without it as well. #AlabasterDawn

We recently implemented Divine Arts for #AlabasterDawn that you can use just like Combat Arts in CrossCode.

The first one causes the "Brittle" status condition that neutralizes hit type resistance - allowing you to break enemies with whatever weapon you like. #gamedev

Well, guess I'll just post something and see what happens.
Currently working out some combat details. You can't really see much on this screenshot. I hope videos will be supported eventually. #IndieDev #GameDev #PixelArt