pr//WITNESS

pr//WITNESS is a cinematic-focused first-person narrative game developed by a team of six as part of a university storytelling course. The game explores the psychological journey of a character undergoing a clinical trial for schizophrenia. As the trial progresses, the character's perception of reality deteriorates, manipulated by a malicious doctor. The narrative unfolds through a series of motion-captured cutscenes and visually stunning hallucinations, with a focus on creating a cinematic, immersive experience rather than traditional gameplay. The game's aesthetic is heavily inspired by the datamoshing effect, which simulates the corruption of video encoding, causing objects and characters to appear and disappear unpredictably.

The design prioritizes cinematics, making Unreal Engine 5.5 the ideal choice for visual fidelity. Phone-based motion capture was used to create semi-realistic animations, supported by facial motion capture for detailed expressions and lip sync. As players experience the protagonist's deteriorating mental state, they encounter hallucinations that trigger unique cutscenes, each revealing more of the character's backstory, relationships, and the hidden forces influencing their life.

How It Works

The game takes place primarily in a hospital setting, with limited player interaction. Hallucinations are triggered at specific moments, using the datamoshing effect to distort reality. This effect simulates video encoding corruption, where pixel movement is incorrectly applied, making objects appear out of place. This immersive visual distortion mirrors the protagonist's fragmented perception of the world.

Motion capture was executed using Rokoko Studios, with a dual-phone setup for body movement and an additional facial motion capture system for expressive detail. Despite the inherent noise in the captured data, extensive post-processing was employed to refine and smooth the animations, resulting in believable cutscenes. Unreal Engine 5's facial capture tool allowed for realistic lip sync and expressions, contributing to the emotional depth of the narrative. These animations, paired with the datamoshing visuals, created a compelling and immersive experience that effectively conveyed the protagonist's psychological breakdown.

My Contribution

My work focused on the visual shading componenets that make up the datamoshing effect, as well as polishing the motion captured animations and creating the animations. Furthermore, I was also partially resonsible for the writing of the story.

Results & Takeaways

The game was highly praised for its unique approach to storytelling, with its powerful narrative and the use of the datamoshing effect. This technique not only contributed to the game's aesthetic but also effectively conveyed the protagonist's deteriorating mental state, enhancing the immersive experience. The performance of the datamoshing effect was smooth, even though it was based on a pre-existing shader.

This project gave me invaluable experience in balancing technical and creative aspects of game design. I honed my skills in visual effects, particularly in crafting unique shaders, while also refining my ability to collaborate across disciplines. The interplay between visual storytelling and gameplay mechanics was an exciting challenge, and I gained a deeper understanding of how to convey complex emotions and themes through interactive media.

Additionally, this project strengthened my ability to work as part of a team in a creative, iterative environment, further developing my expertise in cinematic game design and motion-capture integration.

See More

A playable version of the game can be found on this Itch.io page.