The recent announcement of Silent Hill: Townfall, developed by No Code and published by Annapurna, has reignited interest in the series' decaying aesthetic. The title uses Unreal Engine 5 as its foundation, relying on Lumen to generate claustrophobic indirect lighting. This engine, combined with a specific artistic workflow, promises to take psychological horror to a new graphical level. We analyze the key tools and techniques to achieve that unique visual style. 🎮
Graphic Pipeline: from ZBrush to Substance 3D with Lumen 🛠️
The artistic process of Townfall relies on ZBrush to sculpt the organic detail of creatures and environments. There, pores, cracks, and deformations are captured, providing a sense of living flesh and decay. Subsequently, Adobe Substance 3D comes into play to create worn materials, applying dirt, rust, and moisture maps that dynamically adapt to the geometry. The final step is integration into Unreal Engine 5, where Lumen calculates indirect lighting in real-time. This allows light to bounce off rough and dirty surfaces, generating deep shadows and an oppressive atmosphere without the need for pre-baking. For indie developers, the key is to prioritize textures with high roughness contrast and use Lumen with low intensity values to prevent the scene from becoming too bright.
Tips for emulating the decaying aesthetic 💡
If you're looking to replicate Townfall's style in your project, avoid clean lighting. Use dim directional lights and place point lights with greenish or yellowish colors to simulate old fluorescent fixtures. At the texture level, work with wear layers in Substance 3D: add dust in low areas and grease stains near edges. Don't forget that dirty photorealism doesn't depend on resolution, but on the visual narrative of each surface. A perfectly clean floor breaks immersion; a floor with cracks, mud, and broken reflections enhances it.
How does No Code balance the dirty photorealism of Silent Hill Townfall with the technical limitations of Unreal Engine 5 without sacrificing the oppressive atmosphere that defines the series
(PS: 90% of development time is polishing, the other 90% is fixing bugs)