Mirrors in video games are notoriously tough to get proper, particularly on tight budgets or restricted {hardware}. However recreation devs are nothing if not resourceful. A just lately resurfaced clip from Derek Forte (Shesez/Boundary Break on X) has pulled again the curtain on how builders created eerily convincing mirror results in The Strolling Lifeless.Reasonably than utilizing advanced real-time reflections, which could be taxing on efficiency, even when utilizing the newest and finest recreation improvement software program, the group at Telltale Video games cheated brilliantly.The Strolling Lifeless pulls a easy however efficient trick. In a single episode, a personality seems to be right into a mirror throughout a cutscene. However, there’s no reflective tech at play. As an alternative, the ‘mirror’ is a cleverly framed window into a replica scene, full with a flipped model of the room and a second model of the character mimicking each transfer. It’s stagecraft worthy of Hollywood.
Chances are you’ll like
(Picture credit score: Skybound Leisure)(Picture credit score: Skybound Leisure)The Strolling Lifeless recreation was wild for this one. pic.twitter.com/22wgsrfPEYJuly 26, 2025In Uncharted: Golden Abyss, there’s a easy stunt pulled on the participant to create a convincing reflection. In a second the place Nathan Drake stares right into a tranquil lake, it seems to be like an ideal reflection. However peel again the digital camera, as revealed by Justin Kimball on X, who labored on the sport, and also you’ll uncover the lake isn’t a reflective floor in any respect. As an alternative, there’s a completely rendered duplicate of Drake positioned upside-down beneath the lake’s floor, completely timed to match his animation.Whereas these tips could sound easy on paper, the execution is something however. Animating a mirrored clone or syncing up a full setting in reverse requires precision, particularly when cutscene timing is crucial. Nevertheless it works. And extra importantly, it runs properly on restricted {hardware}.(Picture credit score: SCEE)Why go to all this effort? As a result of real-time reflections are notoriously GPU-hungry. Even now, ray tracing is a luxurious on base consoles, until you wish to take successful on body charges. Again within the PS Vita period of Golden Abyss or Telltale’s early The Strolling Lifeless titles on PlayStation 4, the {hardware} merely couldn’t deal with it. So devs bought inventive. This trick was well-known and used on older video games, amongst many different inventive hacks and workarounds.These old-school options remind us that recreation improvement is a component artwork, half phantasm, and half efficiency. And truthfully, I really like dipping in and discovering how a number of the finest retro video games and classics have been made. Should you discover some extra, let me know.Every day design information, opinions, how-tos and extra, as picked by the editors.For extra recreation dev insights, learn our listing of one of the best indie recreation devs to encourage and be taught some retro recreation tips from Crytek, developer of Crysis and Far Cry.
