I've had this faint idea of a retro game with modern 3D graphics for a very long time. I love 3D and have been involved in 3D graphics and animation for a very long time. Cosmic Hero 2 was always meant to be an 8‑bit game, but interestingly enough, the first prototype in Unity had very simple 3D graphics (see previous blog post).

After many weekends spent designing maps and fine‑tuning graphics for the full version of Cosmic Hero 2, I needed a change of rhythm. So one evening I decided to freestyle a bit and started developing a concept image that would visualize how CH2 could look with 3D graphics. Note that this is a look‑and‑feel concept, not a strict design concept yet. Here's what I ended up with.

Be sure to click on the image to see the full‑screen / hi‑res version!

I won't lie — the image fired me up and made me think that a PC version of Cosmic Hero 2 might be a viable endeavor. The 8‑bit version remains the priority, but the PC version is taking much clearer shape in my mind now.

The first 3D test

To be truthful, the concept above was not the first attempt at the idea. Roughly two years ago, I actually spent some time adding a 3D “mode” to the CH2 prototype in Unity. It allowed switching between sprite and 3D graphics during gameplay. The test was very, very rough — simple 3D shapes textured with 8‑bit graphics, and not all elements were even converted to 3D. But it worked.

The new old game

A painted concept is one thing; the actual implementation is another. At this point I don't even know it's possible to translate this concept into realtime 3D, but here are some first thoughts:

• PC version mechanics — The PC version keeps the exact same mechanics.

• Map generation — Maps are generated from their 8‑bit equivalents. The same map files are used, but when loading them, the PC version procedurally generates more variety in the graphics — more distinct or detailed ground, floors, rocks, walls, etc. Ideally, there’s no need to alter the 8‑bit maps, but what is displayed on PC is far richer visually. An example could be the planet’s surface: two or three 8×8 tile layouts mixed together, repeated with some randomization or offsets. We also keep the cell grid very visible to make maps easy to read, although we want to break up the grid edges a little.

• Camera view — The camera view is wider; the 20×12‑tile view from Atari feels too close on bigger screens. To avoid showing too much of the map, we hide the outer rows/columns of tiles with a sort of “fog of war” effect — dimmed and/or blurred.

• Lighting effects — We can add real lighting effects, for example halos around lasers or laser reflections on floor tiles.

• Art style — We keep the hand‑painted look (somehow) and also a bit of a stop‑motion feel for at least some animations. At the same time, we add more interaction effects and subtle animations — for example, when an object sinks into sand, there’s a “puff” of sand or even a subtle deformation of the ground around it.

The big question

The big question is — would you play a game like this? Classic retro gameplay wrapped in modern 3D graphics with a bit of a handcrafted/stop‑motion feel? Let us know in the comments; we’re very curious what you think!