Signal Space Lab’s Human Within uniquely blends virtual reality gaming with interactive storytelling, creating a seamless transition between the two formats that is truly innovative for the platform. The game features traditional virtual reality segments that offer a high level of interactivity, engaging players in immersive experiences.
In a recent chat with Game Rant, creative director Avi Winkler emphasized the significance of impactful choices in Human Within and the realm of interactive media. He shared insights on how the logistical hurdles faced during live-action filming turned out to be advantageous for enhancing player decision-making.
Human Within’s Choices Are Quality-Over-Quantity
Human Within offers a unique experience by blending interactive storytelling with gameplay, resulting in a shorter duration compared to many mainstream VR titles that aim for extended play sessions. It feels more like a feature-length film, emphasizing a compelling narrative from start to finish.
While Human Within is a long-form interactive experience in the VR sense, it’s not a 15-to-20-hour experience. It’s about an hour to an hour and a half per playthrough. The time can vary depending on how long it takes you to solve puzzles, which scenes you watch, and what ending you get.
Because of the duration of Human Within, we have to be very selective regarding the choice opportunities in the story and the fact that it’s live-action. That all impacts the shooting schedule and production process. Filming a branching narrative in live action is a huge endeavor, so we are very selective about the opportunities. As a result, your choices significantly influence which ending you ultimately get.
The team behind Human Within had to weigh practicality heavily during its development. Introducing numerous branching paths and multiple endings could complicate an already challenging project, making it difficult to handle. The various aspects of production, such as filming schedules and scriptwriting, would suffer from an overload of content.
Human Within Isn’t About Good and Evil Choices
Game Rant inquired whether Human Within would categorize choices as ‘good’ or ‘evil,’ similar to the ‘paragon’ and ‘renegade’ system in Mass Effect. Winkler clarified that the decisions in Human Within will instead be split between selfish and compassionate alternatives.
Not good versus evil, it’s not quite like that. Everyone in the world is unique and makes choices in their life based on a variety of circumstances. The choices in Human Within are based on selfish versus compassionate options.
While these choices impact the events that follow their underlying themes, they also reflect the choices that are made behind the advancements of technology. “Is technology always created for the betterment of humanity, or are there sometimes ulterior motives behind their development?”
The impact of player choices on the narrative of Human Within is significant. The game features immersive 360-degree live-action scenes set in the past, allowing players to craft their character’s backstory and create a history that influences the ‘present time’ events. Rather than just making choices for immediate scenarios, players encounter decisions that can profoundly alter their future paths.