'RuneScape' Unreal Engine 5 Remake Is Actually Pretty Stunning

RuneScape is an iconic game. Jagex’s MMORPG first released in 2001 and is still going strong to this day, with over a million paid subscribers as of 2019, and millions more free-to-play players (thanks VentureBeat).

Even with its various re-releases though, RuneScape has never really looked good. Graphics aren’t everything, of course, but it’s nice to imagine what the game could look like if it was recreated from the ground up to new-gen standards. Now, we don’t have to imagine any more - as reported by DSOGaming, 3D artist Lucas Kosinski (Zant on YouTube) has remastered RuneScape’s Legends’ Guild, and it looks great.

For a handy graphical comparison, take a look at the trailer below for Old School RuneScape.

The artist used Unreal Engine 5 for the project, and as you can see in the video below, the result is spectacular: “Adapting RS to a realistic style was a neat little challenge, especially since I set out to also include a sizeable portion of the surrounding scenery rather than just the guild. I had to carefully thread the line between expanding the areas enough to have a realistic [composition], while also maintaining the area's identity,” Kosinski wrote in the video’s YouTube description. “I tried to hit the balance right between realism in terms of foliage and materials, and a slight [stylised] look in terms of the lighting and overall shape of the architecture. The [intended] result was a mostly realistic look that still captures the [essence] and charm of RuneScape.”

Users in the comments have been sharing their support for the project: “I’ve been playing RuneScape since I was 11 in 2006. This brought so many emotions at how beautiful it is. Thank you for making this,” commented Blabidy. “Could you imagine living in the world of RuneScape in full HD. This looks absolutely stunning!” wrote Volnix.

This unfortunately isn’t a project that you’re able to download and experience for yourself, but it’s really neat to see RuneScape re-imagined like this - take note, Jagex.