A game based on 'Chalk Warfare,' a YouTube short series where weapons drawn on walls or floors with chalk turn into real ones, was unveiled for the first time at UNREAL FEST 2026. It is being developed by SoKrispyMedia, the channel that rose to over 3 million subscribers by producing and releasing those videos, and it faithfully incorporates the concept of weapons manifesting exactly as they are drawn.

The demo version available at the event included a tutorial to learn the basic mechanics and a capture-the-point mode for 1:1 or 2:2 matches against other users. Adjusting mouse sensitivity at the start of the tutorial felt like any other FPS, but uniquely, there was a separate setting for sensitivity while drawing.

After adjusting the sensitivity for both normal and drawing modes, the next step was to adapt by drawing weapons. Initially, a template was provided, but the system could recognize a pistol as long as the outlines of key parts—like the trigger, body, magazine, and grip—were properly captured, even if you didn't follow the template exactly. You could start with a pistol, move on to an assault rifle, or use a blueprint to simply color in a pre-designed firearm. While many weapons are theoretically possible, only pistols, assault rifles, and SMGs were unlocked at this stage.

What’s unique is that the characteristics of the weapon change significantly depending on how you draw it. Increasing the size of the weapon reduces recoil but adds weight, making your already sluggish movement even slower. Adding attachments like scopes changes the magnification based on the scope's size and length, and increasing the magazine size results in a higher ammo capacity, making various practical changes tangible.

As you experience these changes while shooting, the game's unique resource management system becomes immediately apparent. It eliminates complex ammo types in favor of a unified 'chalk' resource. The system automatically converts consumed chalk into bullets for your current weapon, with the amount of chalk required depending on the weapon's magazine capacity. In other words, if you recklessly increase the magazine size, your chalk consumption rises accordingly; this creates a subtle balance where you might run out of supplies during a long battle and end up vulnerable to the enemy.

The same applies to throwable weapons like grenades. As long as you draw the body, safety lever, and safety pin as distinct parts, the system automatically recognizes it as a grenade. Drawing a larger grenade increases its power, but the added weight makes it harder to throw far. Since you can also carry fewer of them in your inventory, it’s important to draw them at an appropriate size depending on the situation. It’s a system that balances the fun of reckless experimentation with actual gameplay mechanics.

Based on these systems, I was able to play a 1:1 capture-the-point match at the event. The intent of hiding, drawing various weapons to arm yourself, and engaging in intense combat while using cover was clearly felt. In particular, since the performance and specs of a firearm change drastically based on how you draw it, the process of testing different designs was highly enjoyable. However, as a shooter, the game is still in an unfinished state where the fundamentals haven't been fully polished.

For one, movement was quite sluggish and awkward, and all firearms had significant bullet spread, making it difficult to use recoil control techniques. The SMG, in particular, had an unexpectedly severe spread. The intended dynamic should have been using high mobility and fire rate to suppress enemies at close range despite the spread, but that didn't quite happen. In fact, my opponent in the match insisted on using an SMG, but eventually switched to a rifle when it proved ineffective, immediately scoring a kill afterward. Conversely, pistols seemed to have relatively stable shot groupings, suggesting that the balance and categorization of weapon classes are not yet finely tuned.

The current version only implements a small fraction of weapons, and the shooting mechanics are not yet fully polished. Nevertheless, the core idea of 'Chalk Warfare' is quite impressive. The fun of going beyond simply combining pre-set parts to actually drawing and customizing your own unique firearm is substantial, even at this unfinished stage.

During the demo, I spent time testing weapons, figuring out what felt right, and then experiencing the satisfaction of effectively suppressing opponents in actual matches after that trial and error. While the 'chalk gun' concept has a somewhat arcade-like feel, the shooting feedback—enhanced by slightly exaggerated effects and sound design—is quite punchy. As the game is still in early development and the team is refining the fundamentals while building out new modes and weapon mechanics, I look forward to seeing if the final product can deliver a level of polish that fully supports its brilliant ideas.