The technical demos are the best way to show the full potential of an engine, and this viral video is a striking example of realism.
Made by subjectn and called Daimon Station, it represents the eponymous railway station in Toyama, Japan. And even if you might think it's a simple video shot with a smartphone, make no mistake: this was all rendered on the Unreal Engine 5.
Stunning photorealism
The technical demo created by subjectn begins innocently in broad daylight and already flatters our retinas with beautiful light effects thanks to the Lumen function of the Unreal Engine 5. Then, suddenly, the video takes us into a completely different atmosphere. darker, worthy of a Silent Hill. See instead.
The sudden passage from day to night allows us to fully realize that this is not an amateur video, but a technical demo. However, we could be fooled, as what is presented to us is strikingly realistic.
Still thanks to Lumen, subjectn shows us the potential of the engine to offer convincing plays of light with neon lights or the lighting of a flashlight. The creator of the tech demo recreated from scratch all the elements present in the video on the Unreal Engine 5 from photos of the original railway station.
Of course, it's unthinkable that games of this generation would be able to display such photorealism without blowing up a PC, PS5 or Xbox Series X. Or at least would it be possible to do so, but with fluidity well below 30 fps.
Still, the power of the Unreal Engine 5 continues to impress us.
On the same subject :Portal recreated under Unreal Engine 5 with ray tracing is a feast for the eyes
