Road to VHL #4: The VFX overhaul

Road to VHL is a short series retracing three years of development. This part covers April 2025, and it's best watched rather than read.

With multiplayer proven and the core loop stable, 2025's big push was making VHL look like the game we'd been describing: a major graphical overhaul covering post-processing, new effects for movement and impact, arena lighting, and cleaner UI transitions.

VFX rework: gameplay footage

The goal was never effects for their own sake. In a competitive game, visual clarity is gameplay. You need to read the puck, the players, and the play at a glance, at speed. The rework was as much about readability as about looking good.

Arena lighting and VFX improvements UI transitions and polish pass

That's the story so far: a Unity prototype, the move to UE5, an arena, real multiplayer, and a game that finally looks the part. The next chapters are the ones we're writing now. Ranked play, dedicated servers, and getting VHL into your hands.

The fastest way to be part of it: join the Discord.