Pesta Nera

Complete UE5.6 Game Project

A full game project showcasing Unreal Engine 5.6 capabilities with VFX systems, pickups, and low poly art style. Created as a Master's Degree project showcase.

2025 PC · Adventure / Horror Unreal Engine 5.6

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TECHNOLOGY_STACK.EXE

Unreal Engine 5.6

Niagara Systems

Blueprints

C++

Game Design

Level Design

FEATURES_SHOWCASE.EXE

Complete Gameplay Loop

Full game featuring combat, exploration, and progression systems

Dive into the full Pesta Nera gaming experience, where all mechanics are seamlessly integrated to create an immersive and engaging gameplay environment. Explore dynamic interactions, intricate strategies, and comprehensive features that enhance your journey through every aspect of the game.

Unreal Engine 5.6 Blueprints C++ Game Design Level Design

Advanced VFX Systems

Multi-slash attacks, projectile systems, mesh highlighting, and post-processing effects

A stunning display of cutting-edge Niagara particle systems and intricate visual effects showcasing the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5.6. This presentation highlights the advanced features and potential of these tools in creating immersive and dynamic environments.

Niagara Systems Post Processing VFX Graph Particle Effects

Pickup & Item System

Collectible items with visual feedback and inventory management

A dynamic pickup system that incorporates vibrant particle effects and provides real-time inventory feedback to enhance user interaction and engagement.

Blueprints Pickup Systems UI/HUD Particle Effects

Low Poly Art Style

Cohesive visual design with optimized performance

The game world features a captivating aesthetic characterized by low-poly assets, which lend a distinct charm and simplicity to the environment. Each asset is intentionally crafted with minimal polygons, resulting in a unique visual style that enhances the overall atmosphere and immerses players in a beautifully stylized experience.

FAB Assets Store Low-Poly Art Material Design Optimization

ABOUT Pesta Nera

The Concept

Pesta Nera (Italian for "Black Death") is a dark, comedic stealth-survival adventure that reimagines one of history's most catastrophic events from an unexpected perspective—that of the plague-bearing rat itself. Set in 1347 Messina, Sicily, you navigate a living medieval world where every decision impacts the spread of infection and your survival.

Core Pillars

Survival: One-hit death mechanics create tension and risk-reward decision-making
Stealth: Hide in shadows, exploit line-of-sight, and use obstacles to evade
Strategy: Observe patrol patterns, anticipate NPC behavior, time strikes with precision
Emergence: Dynamic AI creates unpredictable, emergent encounters
Atmosphere: Low-poly medieval horror with infectious dark humor

The Gameplay Loop

🔍

Explore & Locate: Skulk through the environment, studying patrol routes and finding optimal positions

🦷

Bite or Spit: Use melee bites or ranged projectiles to infect targets and spread plague

🌑

Infect & Escape: Watch infection spread and drain health, then retreat into shadows before reinforcements

⭐

Adapt & Repeat: Unlock abilities and collect buffs to evolve your approach and conquer new areas

Key Features

🤖 Dynamic NPC AI: Roaming and patrolling enemies with varied infection rates and awareness states

🦠 Infection System: Higher infection levels accelerate NPC health drain—watch your plague evolve

🌙 Shadow Concealment: Use darkness as your ally; stay hidden, stay alive

⚡ Collectible Buffs: Discover power-ups that enhance speed, damage, and plague abilities

Design Philosophy

Pesta Nera blends the emergent gameplay of roguelites like Terraria and Don't Starve with resource management and stealth mechanics. Every playthrough is unique, shaped by player choice, NPC behavior, and infection spread. The game celebrates the tension between peaceful exploration and chaotic survival.

Target Audience: Ages 14-40 | Adventure / Horror Enthusiasts

Technical Foundation

Engine: Unreal Engine 5.6 (C++ & Blueprints)

Graphics: 3D Low-Poly with Atmospheric VFX

Core Systems: AI Perception, Infection Mechanics, Ability Trees

Gameplay: Stealth, Survival, Roguelite Progression

"You are the disease, and you must spread worldwide to survive."
— Core Premise

MY Role & Contributions

VFX & Visual Effects

Designed and implemented comprehensive visual effects systems . Created dynamic particle effects for environmental interactions, ability feedback, and combat encounters. Optimized VFX performance while maintaining visual fidelity across diverse gameplay scenarios.

Rain and atmospheric environmental effects
Bite particle systems
Buff pickup particle effects and visual indicators
Performance optimization

Pickup & Item Systems

Developed and implemented the collectible pickup system that grants temporary buffs and abilities. Created intuitive item mechanics that reward exploration and strategic positioning. Negative Pickups which have debuff's, encourage closer inspection and add a risk reward system for the pickups.

Speed boost and damage enhancement pickups
Visual feedback and particle effects for collected items
UI indicators and buff duration visualization
Item balance and reward tuning

Gameplay Polish & Integration

Contributed to overall gameplay polish by ensuring VFX and pickup systems integrate seamlessly with core mechanics. Focused on creating responsive, satisfying feedback loops that enhance player agency and moment-to-moment gameplay feel.

Integration of VFX's with different systems
Pickup UI and HUD feedback implementation
Audio-visual synchronization for effects
Buff application visual and mechanical feedback
Bug fixes and gameplay iteration support

Impact & Outcome

By implementing comprehensive visual effects (VFX) and a reliable pickup system, I significantly improved the atmosphere and gameplay satisfaction of Pesta Nera. The polished visual effects, engaging item collection mechanics, and seamless integration with core systems create a cohesive experience where every action feels rewarding. The VFX brings the plague-infested world to life, while the pickup system encourages exploration and strategic decision-making during each playthrough.

RESEARCH Niagara Particle Optimization

Overview

Research into Niagara particle effects within UE5.6 focused on optimization and visual quality across various gameplay situations. Studies examined particle pooling, LOD implementation and GPU optimization for real-time rendering (Epic Games, 2025).

Niagara vs Legacy Cascade

Niagara Systems provides superior performance compared to the legacy cascade system (Epic Games, 2025).

GPU-Accelerated Modern Architecture Superior Performance

LOD Critical for Performance

Proper LOD implementation is critical for maintaining 60+ FPS in complex scenes (Epic Games, 2025).

LOD System 60+ FPS Target Performance Scaling

Massive Particle Scale

GPU particle simulations can handle thousands of particles simultaneously (Epic Games, 2025).

Thousands of Particles GPU Compute Real-Time Rendering

Application

Implemented when working on effects in the Pesta Nera project (Team Plaga, n.d). With a focus on particle system optimization (Epic Games, 2025).

References

Epic Games. (2025). Niagara particle systems: Performance optimization and LOD implementation. Unreal Engine 5 Documentation.
Epic Games. (2025). GPU particle simulation and real-time rendering. Unreal Engine Technical Guide.
Team Plaga. (n.d.). Pesta Nera visual effects implementation.

SCREENSHOTS_GALLERY.EXE