Hex Endangered: Virtual Reality Escape Room Game

Narrative

The story (and gameplay) goes thus:

Embody a poltergeist specialist as she frees trapped ghosts from the mortal plane and thwarts those who would seek to use restless spirits for their own diabolical, greedy and sometimes just silly devices.

The city of Lagos is filled with opportunity and even more with crime. All gather from small rural areas to the big city in search of a better life and good fortune. Rumor has it that the rich bind souls of the dead to wide eyed new comers to make the latter more successful while the former reaps the profit. Could this be true? 

After sensing a strange outer plane presence at a party, you decide to unearth the truths about this rumor yourself.

In your astral projected form, use your right hand to weave spells, hold your palm out in front of an object and pull back on the thumbstick to drag it towards you.

Push forward on the thumbstick to teleport.

Use your wits, your gut and maybe even sheer luck to free trapped spirits from their vessels and win the game!

Tech Stack

• Platform: Meta Quest 2

• Game Engine: Unity

• Audio: Spatial Audio System

• Visual Effects: Unity Particle System

• Game Logic: Unity Events

• Lighting: Optimized Unity Lighting System

• VR Integration: Oculus Integration for Unity

Technical Challenges and Solutions

1. Performance Optimization

Challenge: Maintaining high frame rates on the Quest 2's mobile hardware while delivering immersive visuals.

Solution:

• Implemented aggressive LOD (Level of Detail) systems

• Used occlusion culling to render only visible objects

• Optimized lighting with a combination of baked and real-time lights

• Employed texture atlasing to reduce draw calls

2. Spatial Audio Implementation

Challenge: Creating a convincing 3D audio environment that enhances immersion without overloading the CPU.

Solution:

• Utilized Unity's built-in spatial audio system

• Carefully placed audio sources in the 3D space

• Implemented sound occlusion for added realism

• Optimized audio asset compression for mobile VR

3. Intuitive VR Interactions

Challenge: Designing natural-feeling interactions for puzzle-solving in VR.

Solution:

• Developed a custom grab system using Unity's XR Interaction Toolkit

• Implemented haptic feedback for tactile sensations

• Created a layered interaction system to handle complex puzzle mechanics

4. Smooth Game Progression

Challenge: Ensuring a seamless, linear story progression without breaking immersion.

Solution:

• Designed a robust event-driven system using Unity Events

• Implemented a state machine to manage game progression

5. VR Comfort and Accessibility

Challenge: Minimizing motion sickness and ensuring comfort for a wide range of players.

Solution:

• Implemented multiple locomotion options (teleportation and smooth movement)

• Added comfort settings like vignetting during movement

• Designed puzzles to encourage physical movement within play space

Game Design

Design Philosophy

My VR escape room experience is built on the following core principles:

1. Immersion First: Every design decision aims to deepen the player's sense of presence and engagement within the virtual world.

2. Intuitive Interactions: Puzzles and interactions are designed to feel natural and rewarding in VR.

3. Progressive Challenge: The difficulty curve is carefully balanced to provide a sense of accomplishment without frustration.

4. Narrative Integration: The story is woven seamlessly into the environment and puzzle design.

Key Game Design Elements

1. Environmental Storytelling

• Utilized visual cues, audio logs, and interactive objects to unfold the narrative

• Designed the room to reflect the story's progression and themes

2. Puzzle Design

• Created multi-step puzzles that require both physical and mental engagement

• (In progress) A hint system that provides progressive clues without spoiling solutions

• Ensured puzzles have multiple solution paths to accommodate different thinking styles

3. Pacing and Flow

• Structured the game with alternating high-intensity and relaxed moments to manage tension

• Designed interconnected puzzles to provide a sense of non-linearity within the linear structure

4. Immersive UI/UX

• Minimized traditional UI elements, integrating necessary information into the game world

• Developed diegetic interfaces for in-game tools and puzzle interactions

5. Sound Design

• Crafted a dynamic soundscape that reacts to player actions and game states

• Used audio cues to guide player attention and provide feedback on puzzle progress

6. Accessibility Considerations

• Included options for seated play and various comfort settings

• Designed puzzles with multiple sensory cues (visual, auditory, and haptic) to accommodate different abilities