I say 'worlds' because Lords of the Fallen is set in two parallel locations, Axiom, the land of the living, and Umbral, the world of the dead. I think about our conversation as I play further into the game's worlds.

Lords of the Fallen hands-on: beautiful miseryĬreature design in Lords of the Fallen is superb, each enemy feels like it has a backstory (Image credit: Hexworks / CI Games) 'We need it to look believable,' he says and jokes, 'which in this game is quite challenging'.

'Suffering is worthless at a high level,' he says Virtosu, so the aim is to show how this demonic catastrophe has affected people in personal ways. Sat next to Gascon is Cezar Virtosu, creative director at Hexworks, who tells me the art team drew on inspiration from the real world, and then shares something enlightening.

Characters and objects now have intricate details that brought the game world to life. Nanite has enabled the team's 'crazy artists', as Gascon affectionately calls them, to deliver higher levels of detail, especially in close-up shots, to create a more realistic and immersive environment. There's a handmade feel to everything I see in the game. I reflect on some of the scenes I've played through broken down villages, sprawling forests littered with crumbling cottages and doors, doors never look quite the same in Lords of the Fallen, each one feels unique in some way (a weird observation, I know). 'Nanite too,' he continues, 'the quality goes up, right? Especially when you get close, you see all the details…' (Read our breakdown of the Unreal Engine 5 launch demo for more details.) Before I can get a word in, he is off again, listing the virtues of Unreal Engine 5.

'It had the biggest impact,' says Gascon. We need it to look believable, which in this game is quite challenging Cezar Virtosu, creative director, Hexw

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