For me immersion depends more on sound design than on visuals.
Infra Arcana, the game that looks like this (screenshot’s not mine):
It is among the most immersive horror experiences for me. I still clearly remember walking down a long empty corridor, stumbling upon a door at the end of it, and when I approached the door something behind it started banging - it was so fucking scary!
With some modern photo-realistic games I can’t even discern anything on screen: it’s so much detail that my brain becomes overwhelmed :P
The new Doom is literally unplayable for me because of that (and the music).
i do think that cartoon-style games (like this) are more immersive in general.
For me immersion depends more on sound design than on visuals.
Infra Arcana, the game that looks like this (screenshot’s not mine):
It is among the most immersive horror experiences for me. I still clearly remember walking down a long empty corridor, stumbling upon a door at the end of it, and when I approached the door something behind it started banging - it was so fucking scary!