Inspiration
I’m a big fan of escape rooms and puzzle boxes, but computer games don't give me that feeling of using your own hands to solve a puzzle. I wanted to see if I could replicate that feeling in VR with hand tracking.
That became Art of Unlocking: a collection of tactile puzzles built entirely around hand tracking.
Like an escape room, sometimes you need a well-timed hint before frustration builds. That’s where HelperHand comes in. Beyond showing you the correct hand gesture, it has a little personality, gives you encouragement, and celebrates a solved puzzle with a high five.
How I built it
The experience uses Unity, Meta hand tracking, and the Meta XR Interaction SDK for controller-free interaction.
I’ve used Unity professionally, almost every day, for over 15 years. This was the first project where AI could do most of the actual Unity work, while I focused on design, direction, testing, and polish. That combination let me achieve far more in the time available than I could have alone.
After spending so much of my career inside Unity, I now find myself barely needing to touch the editor. Watching that change happen is scary and exciting at the same time.
What I learned
I’ve been making VR experiences for a long time. I was a finalist in the very first Oculus VR Jam with Don't Let Go!.
But in all that time since then I had never really explored hand interactions. For years, I was waiting for the technology to become good enough for the kinds of experiences I wanted to make.
This competition felt like the right moment to dive in.
I learned that an interaction that sounds natural on paper doesn’t always feel natural in the headset. Testing with real people is essential.
The challenges
The biggest challenge was making puzzle interactions feel natural. For example, I wanted players to move the hands on a clock with their fingers. I couldn’t make that interaction feel reliable, so I replaced it with buttons.
Another challenge was offering help to players without taking away the pleasure of discovery. HelperHand became my way of exploring that balance: enough guidance to keep you moving, while leaving the satisfying part of solving the puzzle to you.
My favourite part
The most fun I had was making the intro song. I recorded hand performances for its animations, and those little performances give the hands personality. That captures my experience building this game: using powerful tools to create quickly, while making something that feels personal and truly mine.
What's next for Art of Unlocking
I’d love for Art of Unlocking to become a launch title for Meta VR Glasses. Next, I want to add more puzzles, an AR mode, and more playful interactions with HelperHand.
Built With
- claude
- codex
- elevenlabs
- suno
- tripo
- unity
