Unrecord: DRAMA Studio’s Reality-Rivaling Game Takes Steam by Storm

Several days ago, a novel game entitled “Unrecord” and its accompanying trailer materialized on Steam, emanating from a relatively obscure, newly-established independent game studio in 2020 called DRAMA. Despite its obscurity, the game boasts visuals rivalling reality, potentially surpassing even current AAA games. Consequently, this aroused considerable skepticism among players, as crafting a well-rendered CG animation or simply filming a promotional video is far easier than developing an entire game system. Moreover, such deceptive tactics had been employed by game studios in the past.

Yet, only yesterday, DRAMA’s Creative Director and lead programmer, Alexandre Spindle, released a new video in response on Twitter. In the footage, we can discern the interface of the Unreal Engine editor, within which Alexandre Spindle can not only engage in typical gameplay, such as adjusting viewpoints and shooting at will but also utilize console functions like clipping and a god’s-eye view. This not only powerfully rebuts those who accused DRAMA of trailer fraud but also substantiates that “Unrecord” is a free-roaming, first-person shooter, rather than a rail shooter or an adventure game lacking interactivity.

Achieving such a convincingly realistic effect can be attributed partly to the formidable prowess of Unreal Engine 5, particularly its fully dynamic global illumination and reflection solution, Lumen, as well as its virtualized micro-polygon geometry system, Nanite. Another contributing factor is photogrammetry technology. Naturally, post-processing plays a significant role, as the game emulates a motion camera perspective, and with the addition of filters and vibration, it evokes the sensation of watching indoor combat footage. If these elements were removed, the visuals might more closely resemble current games.

At present, “Unrecord” remains in development, with neither a release date nor system requirements disclosed on Steam. In the FAQ, the studio asserts that discussing optimization at this stage is premature, but they intend to deliver the performance players anticipate. Furthermore, they emphasize that older PCs may not fully experience the next-generation features brought forth by Unreal Engine 5.