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My personal favorite, however, comes from Zen Garden, a 2014 Unreal Engine 4 tech demo for iOS. The demo features a serene pool that appears to use complex shaders to simulate water refraction. In reality, the “underwater” concrete geometry is literally wobbling in place to mimic the distortion of light. It’s a low-cost, high-impact shortcut that looks stunning until you look behind the curtain.
meanwhile the Zen Garden ue4 mobile tech demo looks like the swimming pool has cool refraction shader stuff going on but it’s actually offsetting the actual verts down there in the shader. the underwater concrete is just literally wobbling
— @joewintergreen.com (@joewintergreen.com.bsky.social) 2026-02-10T20:33:22.343Z
While some purists might view these shortcuts as a compromise—much like the recent debate over Starfield’s localized rain—this technical ingenuity is exactly what makes game development an art form. Even upcoming blockbusters like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are earning praise for their clever use of optimization “hacks” that prove you don’t always need raw power to create breathtaking visuals.
The legendary Half-Life franchise continues to hold a top spot on our definitive list of the best FPS games of all time.
