For any video game studio, big or small, the Unreal Engine can easily be considered one of the most powerful development tools on the current market. With Unreal Engine 5 having been launched recently, it has the potential to usher in the next era of video game creation, particularly in terms of visuals. As well as some AAA titles being made in the ubiquitous engine, there are also a number of independent projects, and an example has been shown off which really demonstrates the might of UE5.
In a post on Reddit recently, as spotted by VG247, user vreski has presented a current work in progress that utilizes the latest iteration of the Unreal Engine. Referred to at the moment as simply "Untitled FPS," a 40-second clip shows some extremely slick action, as the player glides around a restaurant, slowly firing at a series of enemies. Visually, it looks spectacular, and the gameplay looks high octane, even in slow motion. Not much is known about this project, but the creator has a number of similar videos on their YouTube channel, and it looks as though this particular game has been in development for at least a year.
Anyone watching the footage will immediately be reminded of another game series. It has lashings of bullet time gameplay best known in the Max Payne games, only vreski's project is in first-person. Though details about "Untitled FPS" are thin on the ground, it evidently takes a lot of inspiration from the Remedy/Rockstar series. The video in general is an impressive work in progress, with stunning lighting and awesome environment detailing, all cobbled together in a brief, yet action-packed, clip that has the potential to be an exciting full game.
One person in the Reddit thread also likened it to another video game. While vreski's current work is in stark contrast visually, many will definitely see the similarities between this and the VR indie title Superhot. For those who didn't experience Superhot Team's 2016 FPS, it's essentially a low polygonal game in which time is frozen until the player moves. This makes it possible to string together some very slick movements as players gun down enemy after enemy.
It will be interesting to see more footage emerge from this currently unnamed project. It's not surprising that it's being built in Epic Games' Unreal Engine, either. There are many AAA games that are being developed in Unreal Engine 5, such as Redfall and STALKER 2, but it's also proving to be very useful to more independent studios who are making the most out of this brawny toolkit.