The upcoming independent release Ultros promises to be a visual milestone in Unity, thanks to the artistic direction of El Huervo, known for his work on Hotline Miami. The game stands out not only for its neon colors and fractal patterns but for a hybrid workflow that combines scanned analog drawing with the power of Photoshop and Unity. This article breaks down the technical keys to achieving an organic and alien style in real-time, ideal for indie studios seeking a groundbreaking identity. 🎨
From paper to engine: integrating analog assets in Unity 🖌️
El Huervo's process begins in the physical world. Each texture and creature in Ultros is born as a manual drawing in ink or acrylic, which is later scanned at high resolution. In Photoshop, noise cleaning is applied, and color channels are extracted to separate lines from fills. The technical trick lies in the import to Unity: Sprites are configured as Point (no filter) to preserve the paper grain, and custom Shaders with a glow effect and UV distortion are applied to simulate the organic fluidity of fractal patterns. The use of materials with emission and additive blending modes allows the neon to vibrate without losing the original pencil texture.
Lessons for indies: how to replicate El Huervo's magic ✨
The main lesson from Ultros is that imperfection sells. To replicate this style, it is recommended not to fully digitize the work; leaving paper imperfections and visible strokes brings an authenticity that 100% vector art cannot achieve. In Unity, use the Tilemap system with hexagonal cells to break the grid's rigidity, and apply a Post-Processing Stack with Bloom and soft Chromatic Aberration to enhance the psychedelic effect. Do not fear mixing 2D layers with simple 3D elements: the key is that everything looks like a living illustration, never a cold render.
How they managed in Ultros to synchronize El Huervo's hand-drawn psychedelic aesthetic with Unity's technical tools without sacrificing performance in scenes of high visual complexity
(PS: shaders are like mayonnaise: if they break, you start all over again)