Hello and welcome back horror friends! Here's a long awaited updated regarding my Unity3D first person survival horror game 'The Hidden Labyrinth'! So much has happened, changed and been added to the game, where do I even start?? I certainly have not sat still, working on this project each day, and every day (except weekends and holidays! Come on! I need some time off too!)
Allow me to over some important key points:
Visuals have changed drastically, as it's safe to say this is the look I'm going for. Volumetric fog and lights have been added to the game, as well as a lens flare effect. Also the decision to include man made objects outside the labyrinth went through. At first I didn't think it was such a great idea, but then I started to include some of these objects (like the shed - as seen below), and decided it'd open up not only more depth to the story line - but also make thing look and interact (flow) a little better.
Here's another screenshot of The Hidden Labyrinth where you can clearly see the volumetric light effect, and ever changing fog effect hovering over the forest grounds!
Every good game has something special. It either gives the player a special ability or there is some feature in the game that makes the game unique! I've been thinking long and hard about what this special ability should be for my game. A few months ago I figured it out! And since I came up with it, I build my entire game design around it. Once I had that core element in place - I was able to move on and actually - that's when all the fun really began! What is it you wonder?
Well...
The Hidden Labyrinth first person survival horror game has a unique feature that I haven't seen in any other game. The player eventually will come across and incredibly powerful tool that can be used to see 'hidden' objects in the game.
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| Look into a different parallel universe with a special lens - once charged you'll be able to see things you need to see, want to see and perhaps never should see... cryptic enough? I hope so! |
A secret looking glass can reveal things that are not currently in the realm you're in! This opens up new paths to puzzles and other gameplay mechanics. In fact, in order to get into the labyrinth, one must first solve a puzzle involving this special tool. Once the looking glass has been equipped, its own crosshair lets players interact with hidden objects in the world. It also allows players to see in less illuminated areas in the game. This was actually based on an earlier idea where the player just had to push a button and the entire world would transition - I decided to make it a bit more interesting and only let players explore the hidden world with a special lens.
The Hidden World
The 'other realm' is actually called The Forbidden. Players must explore and progress through the game to find out why they're there - how it came about and discover its deepest and darkest secrets! You may have guessed it, it's inside a hidden labyrinth!
The image above shows a good example of the lens flare effect in the game. Thus far, all images have been from inside the forest area - the area the player must traverse through before finding the gate that leads to the actual labyrinth! This sequence - gameplay wise - isn't very long, but I'm trying to make it as immersive and spooky as possible!!
The forest scene at the moment, is nearing completion - finally! It has been a long journey to design the layout of the forest in such a way that it wouldn't be too big or small - but still incorporate some 'searching/exploration element to it.
On top of that, I haven't only been (re)designing the forest scene over the past couple if months. I've also included time to become more proficient in pure C# and have taken intermediate / advanced classes in Unity3D. This has led to a somewhat different unforeseen dilemma: being able to look at the THL project and realizing that structurally I had to overhaul the entire project and optimize it according to the new (more advanced) knowledge that I'd gained from taking these curriculums! Don't get me wrong, I love it! Thankfully I'm at a stage now where I'm able to implement all this things in my game. However that took a little more time than I had initially anticipated. It probably would've been better (time wise) to start from scratch again and implement and organize everything according to the new layout and game design doc. However - I already invested a lot of love in this project and I just could see myself re-doing it all over again.
The release date:
I hope to welcome everyone inside the Labyrinth in the summer of 2023!
Behind the scenes:
In the new year the Munnica YouTube channel is going to be more active and frequently updated with trailers, gameplay videos and more!
Stay tuned - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
~Marcus
Programmer and lead developer of 'The Hidden Labyrinth'.
