People Can't Tell Whether This Japanese Train Station Is Real Or A Game
We've come a long way from the pixelated Frogger hopping over a road in the early '80s, and the infamous (read: 'highly addictive') Pong back in 1972. Now, we've got to the point where gaming is almost indistinguishable from real life, which depending on what side you're on, is either incredibly exciting or an absolutely terrifying prospect.
With that in mind, prepare yourself as this video of a life-like Japanese train station has gone viral, due to it apparently being made entirely in Unreal Engine 5.
What Is The Unreal Engine 5 Video That's Gone Viral?
One particular clip is doing the rounds on Twitter right now, which is a much shorter version than the one that's available on YouTube. You're standing on a train platform, looking around at the puddles on the floor and the wear and tear of the thousands of footsteps that have done the same journey before you. At this point, you might be thinking it's just a high-quality video that someone's taken - then, the sun turns off.
Most people will have struggled to differentiate whether this is a game or not up until this particular point. Then, the classic 'luckily I was carrying around a torch' horror trope comes into frame, and you realise that yes - this is most definitely a game. Or is it? Who knows anymore?
The original Tweet has over 12 million views at the time of writing, with almost 300k likes. It's safe to say that people are impressed... if not a little scared by what they're seeing.
Click to enlargeThe caption (translated from Japanese) reads: "Overseas volunteers reproduce Etchu-Daimon Station in Toyama Prefecture with the latest game engine "Unreal Engine 5". It only looks like a live-action film ...".
Who Made The Viral Unreal Engine 5 Clip?
After a little bit of research, it appears that the original clip was uploaded by a 3D Environment/Prop Artist called Lorenzo Drago - who is based out of Milano, Italy. Drago has an Artstation profile, where they go by 'SubjectN'. Their feed is filled with incredible designs using Unreal Engine 4 (and now 5). They describe themselves by saying: "I'm a 3D artist with a background in Communication Design.
"I've worked with 3D software for a long time and I've been focusing on video game art for the past years, self-taught with the exception of some university projects. I'm looking to specialize in Environment and Prop Art." The full video has been posted on YouTube, where we're treated to over two minutes of footage. What a time to be alive.