ome backstory, how 2d-3d graphics works. The game is created in Unity3d, so I'll use unity engine based terminology. The first idea was just to make an isometric 3d camera and pixel-art textures. But it was a total fail. All modern 3d graphics are full of anti-aliasing, texture filtering, and float values. Textures were blurry, edges not sharp at all. Dynamic objects were like from other game (like cars and trains in SimCity4). I found it impossible to keep a razor-sharp pixel-art style in full 3d. So nowadays its combination of 4 different layers - 2d interface, 2d game, 3d isometric for shadows and other 3d for dynamic objects (mostly vertex-lit). Perhaps one more layer for normal mapping is coming. Animation, explaining it:

Step 1: Hand-drawn isometric object. Filter mode - point, no texture compression. Step 2: 3D mesh of the same shape, so it fits drawn sprite pixel-perfect Step 3: No cascades for shadows, for sharp look Step 4: Combined As a final result, I am trying to achieve, so when you pause a game, you get a feeling, that there is no 3d at all, and lighting and shadows are drawn, not rendered.