Pixel’s Escape

Created for Deakin University’s 2017 open day, Pixel’s Escape was an escape room / object-finding game designed for the HTC Vive. Running in a custom-designed structure with four 3m x 3m VR rooms, as well as an 8m x 3m entry / viewing room, Pixel’s Escape formed the centerpiece for the open-day attractions at both the Warrun Ponds and Burwood campuses.

The experience consisted of an introductory animated sequence in which Pixel, the mischevious robot, accidentally sets of an emergency discharge in the Deakin High Voltage Lab, destroying himself in the process. The player has three minutes to find Pixel’s body parts and reassmble him so that he can fix the Tesla coil before it’s too late.

A challenging element of the project from a UX standpoint was Deakin’s requirement that the experience be completed successfully only 70% of the time, meaning the difficulty had to be extremely precisely tuned. Through multiple rounds of user-testing we achieved this to within 5%.

Credit: Project Lead / Programmer / 3D Artist / Sound Designer

Deakin Media Release

Pixel’s Escape: A Case Study (video)

Pixel’s Escape: A Case Study (website)