Getting realistic lighting is a challenge when dealing with 2d sprites. We wanted the lighting to fit the mood, feel natural, and not look like a foggy photoshop filter.

Unity's URP (Universal Render Pipeline) and its 2d lights have helped us achieve those goals.

There were plans to use normal maps to make the lighting pop, but it would have been an enormous undertaking. We used "Sprite Illuminator" to create normal maps. However, each map still needed tweaking after creation.

With a two-man crew, we needed to prioritize what we could add. Although we could have done a few, certain characters and assets would not be consistent.

Instead, multiple lights and many 2d tilemap layers create our current lighting effect. The lighting rig can have 3-4 lights, while each light affects one layer.

There is a light for the player/NPCs, the ground layer, the walls, and signs. Although the ground has a light on it, you'll notice that the main character is still in shadow. Then the light will be on him once he gets close enough to the source.

If something is fully lit, like a lit light bulb, we place those objects on a layer with an Unlit material. Handling the lighting for lit things in the tileset reduces the number of lights needed in a scene.

These small tricks give the lighting effects a realistic look. What do you think about the lighting?