Everyone was excited.
A VR game wasn't much on its own, but this was the first VR project within Nebula Games!
Lucas had said it was just a demo, probably made because of a request from Game Division.
But no matter what, it was still a VR game.
Being part of the company's first VR project was a huge achievement and something worth remembering.
The two art team members looked thrilled.
Rachel was happy too—simply because it was her first time joining a VR project.
"Lucas, what kind of demo are we making this time?" Rachel asked in the meeting room, still full of excitement.
The two other art members also looked at Lucas expectantly.
"A story about family." Lucas thought for a moment and gave what he felt was the best description.
Family?
Could it be like It Takes Two?
The moment she heard the word "family," Rachel pictured two little dolls—one made of wood, the other of clay.
But then she saw the title on the big screen, the keywords underneath, and a simple concept sketch of Lisa. Rachel went silent.
So much for "wholesome."
On the screen were the words "Silent Hill PT," and beneath it, Lisa—missing one eye, the other rolled back, her face bloody with a mouthful of yellow teeth.
Rachel and the two art team members who had been so excited froze in silence.
"As you can see, this will be a horror-themed demo. Lisa will be the main monster, and in a way, the female lead." Lucas smiled at their stunned faces.
Just from the concept art alone, the impact was huge—even before being made into VR.
The design was just too terrifying.
But that was normal. It was a horror game. If it wasn't scary, how could it frighten players?
Imagine if the monster in a horror game turned out to be a tall, seductive beauty instead.
How would that be horror?
Players would already be waiting eagerly to "meet" those so-called scary ghosts.
As long as they had the guts, they'd be hoping the ghost could even go on maternity leave.
"… Lucas, this is our new game?" Rachel's voice shook a little as she looked at Lucas. The gap between reality and what she had imagined was just too big.
"Don't worry, it's not that scary. In the game, aside from Lisa, the only disturbing thing is a fetus. Oh, unless you're afraid of cockroaches—then you'll have to add that too." Lucas smiled as he said this.
Hearing Lucas' words, Rachel was speechless.
Seriously, she believed him!
But this time, Lucas really wasn't lying.
That was also what made the "Silent Hill P.T." demo so special.
In the past, many players, including people in the game industry, called this demo a near-perfect work.
And in fact, it really was. Nobody knew what the full version of the game would have been like, and there was no need to hype it up too much.
After all, even Konami and Hideo Kojima probably had no clear idea what the complete version would be, since it was canceled halfway.
But as a demo, it could only be described with one phrase—flawless.
It achieved everything a demo should, and did it perfectly.
The endless hallway gave a strong sense of space, pushing the player forward with the story while using darkness and repetition to overwhelm the player visually.
Even though the whole game was just one long corridor from beginning to end, it gave players a crushing sense of pressure.
And then there was the use of color. Whether in horror movies or horror games, color is always a key element.
This demo used a very unique style—a pale warm color tone. In fact, more than 80% of the scenes in P.T. were built with warm colors, except for the dim room at the start where the cockroach crawls.
The whole demo was filled with yellows, browns, reds, and dark greens, but the light sources leaned toward a colder palette, using bluish-white incandescent lamps.
The worst part was that the lights were dazzling bright, yet only lit up a few meters around them.
This strong contrast gave off a sense of cold violence and loneliness.
Feelings that couldn't be released, explained, or expressed all mixed together, raising the horror atmosphere to another level.
As Lucas explained the game's design choices and the symbolism in the art, Rachel and the others felt a chill run through them.
"Lucas, this will scare players to death," Rachel couldn't help but complain.
"Relax. The VR version isn't meant for players to casually try. Professionals will test it. And besides, we'll adapt it to fit VR hardware and work with the Game Division research lab for double safety." Lucas explained.
......
After Lucas finished explaining the P.T. design draft, Rachel and the two other members of the art team started their work.
Just as Lucas said, the workload wasn't heavy at all.
The game was set in a fixed scene, with changes only in atmosphere, lighting, and small details like photos, glass, and objects.
Meanwhile, Lucas focused on researching the new VR hardware and the game engine.
He had already tried the new VR tech at the research center before.
Of course, it wasn't anything like "subconscious implantation" sci-fi tech.
Players still had to stay focused while wearing motion capture suits, gloves, and similar gear.
Inside the VR pod, different sensors collected movement data. On one hand, this was for safety—cutting the connection if the player's condition fluctuated.
On the other hand, it made the game feel more real. For example, if a player tried to run, even slight movements of their feet would trigger matching feedback in-game.
But whether a VR game supported certain actions still depended on its design.
If the game didn't include running, then no matter how much you kicked inside the pod, the game wouldn't respond.
It might sound strange, but after playing for a while, people got used to it.
Just like how a mouse-and-keyboard gamer feels awkward the first time they try a controller.
But after enough time, it feels normal.
That was also why VR games were so mentally draining for players.
And why most VR games cost so much to make—the designers had to pack in tons of tiny details.
The more detail, the deeper the immersion. And details meant money.
After understanding the main differences between VR games and PC games, Lucas started designing the finer parts of Silent Hill P.T.
As for the motion capture, Nebula Games didn't need to handle it. Since the Game Division covered part of the cost, they just outsourced all of it.
That way, they could finish the demo as fast as possible. And honestly, it wasn't that big of a project anyway.
(End of The Chapter)
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