This Unreal Engine 5 game brings Ancient Egyptian art to life

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The frescoes aren't just decorations.

Unreal Engine 5 game Fresco showing playable Ancient Egyptian-style art
(Image credit: Kelonia Games)

Unreal Engine 5 has been to bring vast 3D open worlds to life. Now one indie developer is using the software to breathe live into 2D decorative art. Fresco is an Ancient Egypt-themed action-adventure game where the artwork on the walls isn't merely decoration to create an atmospheric setting – they're playable environments.

The upcoming game will require players to switch between playing in 3D as an archaeologist exploring an Ancient Egyptian temple to 2D as a figure painted in frescoes on the walls. It will be necessary to advance both characters to progress.

With decals projections in UE5, you can control characters inside ancient Egyptian frescoes. from r/IndieDev

Kelonia Games created the effect of the wall art coming to life by using decal projections in Unreal Engine 5. Adobe Substance Painter was used to make the frescoes themselves.

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The game features both 2D and 3D puzzles, requiring players to observe and manipulate environments around each of the two characters. The mechanic of bringing the 2D art to life as part of the game adds an element of novel surprise and extra mystery to the atmospheric world. It's also lends the game a unique art style, allowing us to play a character drawn in the style of Ancient Egyptian art.

The twist is reminding some of Mario Odyssey and Zelda Link Between Worlds. It's also triggered some debate among devs about the best way to achieve its mechanic. While some suggest it could be done by rendering into a single texture, it seems going with the decals provides much more flexibility and allows quality blending with the wall's normals and other underlying textures.

Using Substance Painter to create these golden frescoes. from r/IndieGaming
Testing combat in our game Fresco: 2D/3D with decals in UE5 from r/UnrealEngine5

In co-op, each player will adopt one of the two roles in the game.

There's no release date as yet. You can wishlist Fresco on Steam.

For more uses of Epic's game engine, see how KPop Demon Hunters used Unreal Engine 5.

Joe Foley
Joe Foley
Freelance journalist and editor

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.

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