Signal Space Lab and Actrio Studio are pleased to unveil the first Dev Diary for their upcoming multimedia sci-fi interactive VR project Human Within, coming to Meta Quest 2 and 3 on January 9th, and coming soon to SteamVR. This Dev Diary, titled Human Within: An Innovative Interactive VR Experience, explores how the VR project transcends both video games and film through unique storytelling mechanics, and discusses the concepts behind Human Within: the effect of AI and advanced technology, and its impact, practicality and potential threats they pose on modern society.
Signal Space Lab’s debut Dev Diary directly addresses how Human Within transcends what it means to be either a film or video game by traditional definitions. As a project made specifically for VR, with the idea of evolving the format and storytelling capabilities in general, Human Within aims to raise the bar among interactive narrative, long-format VR experiences. Conceptually, Human Within was inspired not only by science fiction films like Lawnmower Man and Transcendence, but also by the striking impact of AI like ChatGPT, and other advanced technologies, on contemporary society. Set in a near-future dystopia, Human Within tackles the consequences of technological misuse and the impact of both selfish and compassionate decisions made.
Human Within: An Innovative Interactive VR Experience also discusses the different storytelling mechanics incorporated in Human Within, taking influence from other interactive films and narrative-based games. Combining a thrilling branching storyline with video game playability, Human Within differentiates itself with a unique integration of technical features that includes:
- User Involvement: Experiencing the story from Linh’s consciousness within a virtual internet space provides a unique way to observe the events taking place and have a level of participation unlike anything else.
- Point Cloud Interactivity: Explore environments in digital recreations. These sequences serve as pace-breaking moments where users engage with the story even further, bringing a whole new degree of interactivity to the mix.
- Style Variety: The story is told across a unique combination of three distinct visual styles: The Internet Space blending 2D film and 3D graphics, Flashback Scenes with interactive 360 degree stereo film, and Point Cloud recreations with 6DOF 3D environments.
- Choice and Consequence: At key moments in the story the events that take place are defined by the user’s choices. These moments define how events unfolded in the past and determine how it all ends in the present.
