People always tell me that graphics don't make a game but I strongly believe they do.
It all depends on what kind of game and/or audience you're shooting for. A lot of people will tell you it's the graphics that are important, but it's really all about the art style. The better the graphics allows for more artistic freedom when it comes to determining a certain style.
Games with distinctive and memorable aesthetics are generally thought to have a better art style than games with dull and uninteresting aesthetics.
A game doesn't actually have to be appealing to the eyes to have a good art style, either. Take a lot of more memorable horror games for example. PS1-era horror games like resident evil had a distinctive style, but it wasn't a pretty-looking game at all.