Hey y'all!

I'm a Godot dev and for a while now, I’ve been prototyping my game’s core mechanics using just capsules and gray boxes. recently, I started brainstorming the visual direction and I got heavily inspired by the art style of the manga/anime Tenmaku no Jaadugar.

I’ve noticed that very few 3D games manage to capture a real 2D anime feel. Games like Genshin Impact, Breath of the Wild, or the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm series look great, but you can still feel that smoothed-out, slightly "plastic" 3D render underneath.

The closest game I’ve seen hit that sweet spot is probably Hi-Fi RUSH.

So it got me thinking: Is it truly possible to make a 3D game feel like authentic 2D hand-drawn anime without losing the depth, lighting, and gameplay advantages of a3D environment?

I'd love to hear your thoughts, references, shader tricks, or art pipeline advice if you've tackled something similar!
(The first image is Hi-Fi Rush and the second one is Tenmaku no Jaadugar)

(By the way, if any 2D/3D artists are vibe-checking this concept and interested in a gritty, narrative-driven stealth game , feel free to reach out!)