Dive out from the cocoon

wipe away your chaotic unconsciousness and embrace the the delight and peace of having a free mind.

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Inspiration

Dive out from the Cocoon is a VR game project aiming to free players from unrevealed depression hidden in the depths of their minds. we drew inspiration from the surreal experiences of the pandemic, where reality can feel as absurd as a dream, and invisible depression can overshadow people's spirits. In Chinese tradition, butterflies symbolize the blurred line between reality and dreams. We've crafted four game stages inspired by the butterfly's life cycle. Each stage represents the journey of being ensnared by depression, overcoming negative emotions, and ultimately embracing the freedom of a positive mindset.

The game begins with the player in their own room, where they are free to splash ink all over the room to release their stressful mentality via the function of MR. They then embark on a dreamy VR experience, gradually releasing chaotic mentality and breaking the grip of negative emotions. In the final part of this VR experience, they can collect the seeds of dream flowers. After returning to reality, the player can wash away previous chaotic graffiti in the room by planting and watering the seeds, thereby decorating it with delicate dream flowers.

Game Design

The VR experience is divided into four parts.

  1. Trapped: This stage uses line art to indicate the player's unreal dream, while an eye-shaped sky conveys a sense of being watched.

  2. Escaping: The focus here is on escaping, with branches signifying the cage and a puzzle representing negative emotions. By solving the puzzle, negative emotions are released, and the scene is illuminated with colorful lights.

  3. Quivering: After solving the negative emotions, the player must place the broken butterfly pieces in the right position, symbolizing the completion of a healthy mentality. Shadow and light art are used to create a relaxing and hopeful atmosphere for the puzzle.

  4. Fly.Free: After completing the butterfly-shaped pattern, the room collapses, revealing the beautiful scenery outside. The player is carried by a giant butterfly on the wall and hovers among floating islands, appreciating the growth of dream flowers and collecting seeds.

Challenges

The development of the game was one of our most challenging processes. Depression is related to negative emotions, and we identified five key negative emotions, representing them with five colors. We intended to design a puzzle that signifies the dilemma of being trapped by these five negative emotions. We researched and experimented with various puzzle formats. Initially, we considered using overlapping sticks, but its 2D mechanism conflicted with VR usage habits. Eventually, we drew inspiration from the traditional Chinese Kongming lock, leveraging its mortise and tenon construction of wooden sticks. Although there were few authentic blueprints available online, after extensive research of pictures and videos, we managed to recreate a Kongming lock in 3D software.

Until now, the project already went through tremendous progress. In the future, we still intend to launch public test and keep improving the designing and interactive experience.

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