Google – Blink Escape

Challenge

Create a comfortable mobile VR experience that showcased the features of the Google Cardboard v2 headset

Hardware

Google Cardboard v2 was introduced at Google I/O event in 2016, adding a physical button to the simple mobile VR headset

Build

Created in Unity in collaboration with Austella and Google Cardboard design team, Blink Escape allowed players to create their own dungeon map layout, with traps, noise emitters and colour-coded doors and keys and then share with their friends or other players of the app.

Players could then go into VR mode to try to solve the dungeon puzzle to get to the treasure, avoid the traps and more importantly, the ghostly sorceress who haunted the hallowed hallways, attracted to the noise of the player movement.

Movement was limited to 3DOF head tracking and a single button press, which made the player “blink” and move forward one tile in the direction they were facing. User tests showed that this was a comfortable locomotion mechanic not yet implemented in mobile VR experiences.

The app was released for Google Play and iOS App Stores in time for the Google I/O event