The Market of Light

About

A short game and tech demo created with Unreal Engine 5. The player is a small firefly that collects orbs of light scattered around the market. Experience a meticulously rendered world from a micro view point!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 356 reviews

graphics52 positive mentions

Visually stunning and showcases the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5 with impressive detail and lighting.
It's a free tech demo that provides a glimpse into the future of gaming graphics, making it worth a try.
The level of detail in the environment, especially when viewed up close, is remarkable and immersive.

Controls are clunky and frustrating, making the experience less enjoyable, especially with keyboard and mouse.
Lacks essential graphical settings and options, which limits customization and can lead to a blurry image.
The gameplay is minimal and feels more like a tech demo than a fully developed game, leading to a short and unsatisfying experience.

graphics
124 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
55%
3%
The graphics in this game, powered by Unreal Engine 5, are widely praised for their stunning detail, realistic lighting, and impressive textures, showcasing the potential of next-gen technology. However, many users express disappointment over the lack of graphical settings and optimization, which limits the experience for those with varying hardware capabilities. Overall, while the visuals are breathtaking, the game is often viewed more as a tech demo than a fully realized gaming experience.
- “The graphics of Unreal Engine 5 are astonishing.”
- “The graphics are truly gorgeous and the clutter, textures, and details of the level are very well executed and impressively done from the human elements on the market to the smallest little plants in the drain.”
- “Graphics are amazing - texture and geometry quality are stunning, lighting is beautiful.”
- “Personally, I don't think the graphics are all that. There are pop-up details, some dreadful textures, bad lighting on objects, and terrible water. Don't get me wrong, it looks fine, but as a tech demo... nah, not impressed. As for gameplay, you're a bug flying around finding orbs, which is fine for a few minutes of exploring, but the controls are awful.”
- “The incredible environment can't be properly enjoyed; for some inexplicable reason, the resolution is locked and there's zero graphics/quality tweaks.”
- “I am surprised that, for a tech demo like this, it does not allow you to change graphical settings to test your system's output while playing this game.”
optimization
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
44%
28%
Overall, the optimization of the demo has received mixed reviews, with some users noting smooth performance on higher-end hardware like the RTX 3070 and 2070 Super, while others experienced stuttering on older GPUs such as the GTX 1060 and 960. Many players appreciate the level of detail achievable in Unreal Engine 5, but there are calls for better optimization and more graphical settings to enhance the experience across a wider range of systems. The demo serves as a promising showcase of UE5's capabilities, though it highlights the need for further refinement in performance.
- “I think I'm more impressed at that than at lumens, in all honesty. It's just crazy to me the level of detail one can cram into UE5 without loss of performance.”
- “It does seem optimized to run as good as it can on whatever hardware configuration you have currently, so that's nice for people who want to simply jump in and play.”
- “Market of Light works well as a tech demo both for showcasing what UE5 is capable of and how some configuration and optimization will be necessary for proper games.”
- “A tech demo should have graphic settings, fps indicator, resolution options, etc. Very poor optimization even using a 3070.”
- “Clearly, proper UE5 games will require more optimization and actual settings.”
- “It's not very optimized at the moment, so you kind of have to appreciate what these developers are showcasing with a grain of salt.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its beautiful and Disney-like quality, while others find it repetitive, too loud, and annoying. Despite the varied opinions, many agree that the soundtrack enhances the overall experience, even if it can be overwhelming at times. Overall, the music is a highlight for some, but a point of frustration for others.
- “Everything looked so real and the soundtrack, even though it was only a few songs, was so amazing and gave me vibes like I was playing a Disney classic.”
- “Oh and the music is cute as well.”
- “I loved the music, by the way.”
- “Beautifully rendered but the controls are weird and the unstoppable music is repetitive and way too loud.”
- “Controls are awful, can't change the resolution, the music's too loud, annoying and can't turn it off.”
- “Enjoying some plotless high-end tech demo with the worst controls ever, accompanied by unbearably annoying and tasteless background music, taken straight from some 'match-three' game for smartphones.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
66%
17%
The gameplay experience is visually impressive but fundamentally lacking, with a simplistic design reminiscent of Dreamcast titles and a playtime of only about 15 minutes. While it serves as a decent tech demo showcasing Unreal Engine 5's capabilities, it suffers from limited mechanics, bugs, and control issues, leaving players wanting more depth and complexity. Overall, it is a short, free experience that prioritizes graphics over gameplay and narrative.
- “On the gameplay side of things, I liken this to a Dreamcast game with a really simple plot in a level with a lot of detail in its world.”
- “Gameplay is not very complex, and it's done in about 15 minutes, but hey, it is a nice sneak peek into UE5.”
- “My wonderment only lasted as long as it took for me to see the first glowing orb; I used the game mechanics and immediately boosted over to it, collecting it in an explosion of beautiful particles.”
- “Gameplay is not very complex, and it's done in about 15 minutes, but hey it is a nice sneak peek into UE5.”
- “A short, free 'game' with not much gameplay.”
- “Short and without much in the way of actual gameplay, and the controls could be better, but it's gorgeous, a lovely showcase for the possibilities of UE5, and a good workout for your GPU if you want one.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The story is described as an epic odyssey that deeply resonates emotionally, evoking tears with its beauty and potential for future storytelling in games. However, it is noted that the narrative is relatively simple and serves more as a technical showcase than a source of gripping plot twists or complex storylines.
- “This odyssey-like epic story will rock the very foundations of your soul.”
- “This odyssey-like epic story will rock the very foundations of your soul.”
- “On a gameplay side of things, I liken this to a Dreamcast game with a really simple plot in a world with a lot of detail.”
- “I made me tear up a bit in the end because of the beauty of the entire concept and what it may allow game developers and storytellers to produce in the near future.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The stability of the demo is mixed, with reports of buggy lighting and flickering, as well as some initial stuttering due to shader caching. While some users experienced performance issues, particularly with certain graphics cards, others noted that the demo runs well overall despite its short length and lack of gameplay.
- “The demo runs great with just a little stuttering at the very beginning due to shader caching (Epic really should fix this old UE issue).”
- “Runs great too.”
- “Lighting is buggy and flickers a lot; the experience is very short and the controls are not enjoyable.”
- “Obviously buggy (and for some people running badly; 1080 Ti seems to do the job, though) and doesn't really have gameplay, but these things don't really matter in a tech demo.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is perceived as mediocre, with players noting that while it may have some funny moments, it doesn't stand out compared to other titles that offer better visuals and performance.
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its detailed representation of a market plaza inspired by Rome, creating an immersive experience that feels like walking through the city's streets.
- “I live near Rome, and the atmosphere of the represented market plaza is clearly inspired by my city. It is represented extremely well, with immense detail: it feels almost like taking a walk in the streets.”
- “I live near Rome, and the atmosphere of the represented market plaza is clearly inspired by my city. It is represented extremely well, with immense detail; it feels almost like taking a walk in the streets.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the asset textures in the game are praised for their quality and accuracy, the motion blurring effect has been reported to induce discomfort, detracting from the overall emotional experience.

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