Yes. They are 2D renders of 3D models. Light for example is a shader animated inside a cone
Siiiick, wish i knew how to do that. Gives like an old top down classic PC game vibe.
Oh you definetely can! Just look up how to make a twister on blender, pick one that do it with a shader. Render that as 30 images, combine in a sprite sheet and use ingame!
