I had the pleasure to work on an electrifying virtual reality game that was high on energy while promoting sustainable energetics. It was a fun-filled, rhythm-based arcade experience that challenged players of all ages to power a fictional town with clean electricity. The goal was to showcase the importance of sustainable energy practices while keeping players engaged and entertained. It was available to visitors of the CEZ Energy Zone at the Lipno Dam during the summer of 2022.
My role: Idea & concept, narrative design & vigorous testing
Art Direction: Daniel Kupr
UX Lead: Martin Malek
Sound Design: Martin "Bonus" Hula
Produced by: Brainz Immersive
Making Of
One of the biggest hurdles we faced was completing the project within a tight deadline. We only had five weeks to go from the initial brainstorming to installing the hardware on-site. As a result, we had to be extremely efficient in all phases of the development process. Instead of savouring the ideation phase I had to quickly come up with an intuitive game mechanic that would be both entertaining and tie into the narrative about the exciting elements of sustainable energy.
The concept was straightforward: the player would manage the energy needs of a small town named Greenville, which relied solely on sustainable energy sources. The player's objective was to collect various elements that were flying towards them, similar to the gameplay mechanics in Beat Saber, and sort them into the appropriate power plant.
When designing a project, I always strive to make it scalable in terms of assets, mechanics, distribution platforms, and storytelling. For instance, the base game for this project featured one day in Greenville, but if the client decides to publish it on the store, we have the potential to include additional levels with exciting events, sudden outages, or more energetically demanding cities.
To refine the game's flow and make it fun, challenging, and rewarding, we were testing the game tirelessly. On one particular day, I learned a valuable lesson: to always keep a pair of sneakers under my desk.
In the end the game was a tremendous hit, with more than 4,000 players attempting to surpass the score set by our UX Lead Martin during the two-day event.
