How Unreal Engine 5 is harnessed to blend photoreal environments with fantasy folklore in Among The Trolls

It's not unusual for game development to go through challenging times, and in the case of Among The Trolls, a first-person survival action adventure game set in the Finnish wilderness, its journey has already been quite dramatic. Originally revealed in 2020, the Unity-developed game was originally the project of Forbidden Studio until it suffered mass layoffs at the end of 2022, and then fell into limbo.

Yet while a studio closure might imply a project is dead, the game had already found a publisher in 505 Games that still saw potential in the game's Nordic-themed survival gameplay in a post-Valheim world. Fortunately, it was revealed earlier this year that the game had been resurrected, not only with developer Avantgarden Games taking over the reins but starting from scratch with Unreal Engine 5, while the game is to be published by 505 Pulse, a new indie publishing label from 505 Games.

It's not hard to see why this pivot was made. While Unity is often popular with indie game developers, Unreal Engine 5 offers the most cutting edge technology for games striving for immersive and realistic worlds, and the difference in footage seen between the two iterations of the game are day and night. (Avantgarden Games already proved its talent with UE5 while creating Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons Remake.)

"We have leveraged many of Unreal Engine 5’s technologies to realise our vision," game director Luca Simonotti tells me. "Lumen is allowing us to create a dynamic global illumination system, essential for the game’s ever-changing atmosphere, where light realistically shifts with the day-night cycle and weather conditions. Nanite, on the other hand, is crucial for handling high-resolution models without sacrificing performance, enabling us to build extremely detailed environments."

That photoreal aesthetic isn't a gimmick, either. The setting for Among The Trolls is an alternate Finland where folklore, presumably including the titular trolls, is tangible and real, manifesting itself in nature.

"Visually, this is expressed through a contrast between realistic elements, such as vegetation, lighting, and weather conditions and details that suggest a supernatural influence," Simonotti explains. "For example, creatures that at first glance seem like common animals reveal mystical traits, and natural locations transform into gateways to more ancient dimensions."

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Having a highly realistic aesthetic therefore makes the fantastical believable. That balance between the natural and supernatural is also inspired by the Kalevela, Finland's national epic poem first published in the 19th century.

While the size of this Finnish archipelago has yet to be confirmed, it would still be quite an undertaking building everything by hand, and so Unreal Engine 5's Procedural Content Generation was also vital for the team, "PCG gives us the ability to generate forests and natural landscapes in a more organic way, maintaining a high level of detail and helping us create a world that feels more natural and less 'artificial'," says Simonotti.

The natural environments themselves are also authentically drawn directly from Finland's landscapes. Simonotti adds, "Our team has researched forests, lakes, and archipelagos to gather visual, auditory, and atmospheric references. We studied how light filters through the trees at different times of the day, how the mist rises at dawn, and which sounds define an authentic natural environment."

Simonotti continues: "From a technical standpoint, we recreated these settings using a mix of real references and hand-crafted assets, ensuring that each location has its own unique personality. Our goal was to make the player feel as if they were truly exploring a Finnish forest that feels alive, immersive, and constantly evolving."

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The sensation of being in a physical, real space is key for a game that involves crafting using materials found in the world, but there are also ways that the environments are even more dynamic through the weather and wildlife, which also have interactive elements.

Simonotti explains, "The dynamic weather system influences both the environment and gameplay: rain lowers the temperature, forcing the player to seek shelter or light a fire, while sunlight, on the other hand, is the player’s ally, keeping them warm and protecting them from the night. Wildlife also plays an active role. Animals are not simple decorations; they react to the player’s presence in realistic ways. Some creatures are ordinary, while others have ties to the supernatural world and can guide or challenge the player."

While some developers have encountered issues with Unreal Engine 5, in particular with console optimisation, Among The Trolls also isn't Avantgarden's first attempt with Epic's latest engine, having also used it for the stunning remake of Brothers: A Tale Two Sons released in early 2024. You might even say it was the perfect warm-up before moving onto Among the Trolls.

"Working on Brothers taught us a lot about managing lighting, using new technologies like Lumen and Nanite to enhance realism, and optimising performance," Simonotti concurs. "One of the most important lessons was understanding how to maintain a strong emotional atmosphere through art direction and sound design. Developing Brothers also gave us a clear understanding of how to balance rich visual detail with gameplay and avoiding unnecessary frustration, especially in an open world that focuses heavily on exploration."

Avantgarden's preparedness and confidence bodes well for a game that had already had a tumultuous development. Hopefully any further storms encountered will only be those in the Finnish forests.

Among The Trolls is set to release on Steam in early access in 2025 for PC. Visit the 505 Pulse website for more updates.