You don't really need to use a graphics engine. I know 3D is very popular in modern games, but 20-30 years ago real 3D was very rare. Fake 3D made from 2D sprites was more common and is pretty easy to do today.

Fake 2D won't look as pretty as a propper 3D engine with a 3D world, but 2D engines could look good enough for target recognition and tracking.