Escape From the Lab is a VR escape room game inspired by Titanfall 2. Players can seamlessly travel between two timelines within a mysterious laboratory, uncovering clues and solving puzzles to ultimately escape the lab. Immerse yourself in a thrilling experience where time itself becomes your greatest ally and challenge.
2024
Game / Puzzle / VR
Unity, Blender
Demo Video
Time Travel Between Two Timelines
Time travel is the core mechanic and primary gameplay feature of Escape from the Lab. During the development of this mechanic, I considered the immersive and physical interaction characteristics of VR games. The time travel mechanism is triggered using a specially designed time travel glove: players tap the trigger device embedded in the palm of their left hand against the time travel device on their right hand, seamlessly transporting them between two timelines. This unique activation method establishes a deeper connection between the player and the game world. The prototype demonstrates this mechanic using two platforms differentiated by color. Players start on the red platform, while a clone character on the green platform mirrors their movements. By interacting with specific objects on the VR controllers (representing an early version of the time travel glove) such as cubes and spheres, players can initiate a swap with their clone. This seamless exchange effectively enables players to "time travel" between the two platforms.
The enhanced time travel mechanic introduces several new features to enrich gameplay. Added a hand model, along with an energy cell system that powers the time travel device. Each cell allows for up to five activations, and once depleted, players must explore the environment to find replacements. Additionally, a 3-second cooldown period follows each use of the time travel device, preventing immediate reuse. This system requires players to monitor capsule charges, carefully plan their time travel actions, and balance resource management with exploration. By limiting frequent time travel, the mechanic adds strategic depth and increases the overall challenge.
Escape from the Lab features three intricately connected levels, where items collected in earlier stages can be used to solve puzzles in later ones. This design encourages players to revisit previous levels, piecing together connections and enhancing the game’s replayability.
When players die or run out of energy and become lost in a single timeline, the game restarts. This mechanic pushes players to experiment and uncover the links between the past and the future through repeated attempts.
In the final level, successfully activating the reactor initiates a five-minute countdown visible to the player. As the countdown progresses, red lights flash and alarms sound, creating a tense and urgent atmosphere. Players must solve the final puzzle and escape the lab before the reactor explodes, delivering a thrilling and high-stakes conclusion to the experience.
Level Layout Sketchs
ENVIRONMENT CONCEPT & PROP MODELING
The scene design of Escape from the Lab is built around the interaction and
contrast between two timelines: the past and the future. Drawing inspiration
from games like Deathloop, which showcase the transformation of the same
object over time, I used lighting and atmosphere to create a distinct mood for
each timeline. Additionally, I utilized different textures to depict the laboratory's
gradual decay over time, highlighting the sense of aging and deterioration.
This contrast is reflected not only in the visual design but also in the puzzle
mechanics, which tightly link the past and future. Players must traverse
between the two timelines, gather resources, and solve puzzles, all while
experiencing the tension and immersion created by the varying environments.
state. Bright lighting, intact machinery, and orderly environments provide players
with a structured space for exploration. However, this timeline also contains
many incomplete mechanisms and uninstalled devices, hinting at the eventual transformations in the future.
The future laboratory, in contrast, is a depiction of decay and deterioration.
Broken power systems, collapsed bridges, missing tools, shattered ceilings,
and dim lighting create a hazardous and challenging environment. Players
must uncover remnants of clues amidst the ruins and reverse-engineer the
conditions of the past.