Absolutely. I think that these kinds of scenes and the feelings they evoke are actually the core component of "8-bit" art. Portraits, still life, most bare land

Absolutely. I think that these kinds of scenes and the feelings they evoke are actually the core component of "8-bit" art. Portraits, still life, most bare landscapes, and many other subjects don't really gain anything from the pixellation effect and perspective that 8-bit art uses. Also (anecdote incoming), I could show these to my wife and she'd just say they're "cute." They won't evoke the same feeling in her that they do in me, and I'm pretty sure there's exactly one reason - I grew up through the 80s and 90s playing video games, and she didn't. Ask anyone who did they same I'd bet that they'd all immediately say that these look like locations in a JRPG, all of which are generally designed to evoke the feeling that there is real, recognizable life happening in the locations that mostly serve as bus stops for your character's momentous story. That life is generally calm, to offset the stress and momentum of your quest, and the contentment and happiness of it is what makes the world worth saving. It's also got a comfortable routine: the old lady feeding the birds in her yard is always there; the train always comes every 45 seconds; the dog is always chasing the cat; the pretty waitress is always serving coffee. The environment doesn't heave, it gently breathes, and the animation loops forever and ever - the simple machinery of the background never breaks down, unless of course it's always broken, in which case the brokenness is a fixture of the local environment that one really minds. Also, most of these particular scenes are desaturated and "cold", even rainy or snowy. The feeling of sitting in your warm house looking out the window at the snow or the pouring rain is easy to connect to.