Killer Instinct Season 3 Updates Revamp Lighting And Graphics

Tis the season for fighting game news, and Iron Galaxy, developer of Killer Instinct, is not to be outdone. The studio released information on the changes to be made in the Season 3 update of the beloved fighting game, and it looks like things are about to get a whole lot prettier.

The developer’s Season 3 updates have so far focused on prettifying, smoothing out, and otherwise improving the way the game looks and runs, and this update is no different. Previous updates were centered on improving the game’s performance and framerate. According to VG247, Iron Galaxy revealed at Evo 2015 that the game actually ran at 90 frames per second, accounting for its incredibly smooth look in multiplayer. But in Season 3 the focus appears to be aesthetic and visual.

Specifically, Killer Instinct has been updated with a new lighting engine meant to give the game a look and feel more reminiscent of the earlier seasons. This new lighting and reflection engine will impact the look of all characters and stages, not just those from Season 3.

“In terms of visuals, we are adding new graphics technology; reflection tech for the stages; re-introducing screen space color adjustments that work with gameplay; adding an all-new dynamic lighting system that provides greater realism and interaction for the characters and stages,” Iron Galaxy wrote in a blog post. “Our lighting system was very specialized, and it was time for an overhaul. We met as a team to ideate and decided to use a system that allowed us to obtain dynamic lighting for the game, but work with our existing game engine.”