WONDERLAND ENGINE: THE ESCAPE ARTIST
Breaking through to break free
2024 Polys Awards
_ Entertainment Experience of the Year
_ Game of the Year
_ Experience of the Year
2024 Webby Award
Best Narrative Experience AI, Metaverse & Virtual
_ People's Voice Winner, 2024
Services
Original Concept, Art Direction, Brand Design
Studio
Paradowski Creative
Challenge
Wonderland Engine enlisted Paradowski Creative to craft a virtual reality (VR) game experience aligned with the increasingly popular 'escape room' gameplay genre. The objective of this collaboration was to extend the capabilities of Wonderland Engine and demonstrate its potential within the gaming landscape.
Recognizing the significance of a captivating narrative, our focus turned towards crafting storylines designed to achieve two primary objectives:
Generate tension and unveil a narrative that resonates with gamers, fostering engagement.
Cultivate a storyline that challenges us to push the boundaries of artistic expression.
These dual objectives served as the driving force behind the creation of an unparalleled and innovative gaming experience.
Approach
Embark on the role of an elusive muse trapped inside an artist's work undergoing their own struggle with creative block. Unlock inspiration amidst a surreal landscape. Decode hints, solve puzzles, and navigate through three immersive environments. Experience the thrill of "opening new doors" while igniting creative freedom in this captivating narrative that explores the creative process.
In our design process, we utilized AI platforms such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion to generate patterns, textures, and artwork, applying them to objects within each environment. This enabled us to realize our vision and art direction within the virtual medium. Additionally, we leveraged AI platforms to create music and the voice of our narrator.
Credits and Acknowledgements:
As the lead ACD Art Director, I was responsible for conceiving the original concept, naming, branding, and art direction of the game, ensuring consistency and vision in every detail from start to finish. I collaborated with our emerging tech team, gameplay programmers, 3D artists, developers, UI designers, and writers to bring this concept to life and further develop it as the game progressed. I am grateful to my incredibly talented team whose efforts, passion, and enthusiasm made this achievement possible.
Awards and Achievements:
Entertainment Experience of the Year
Game of the Year
Experience of the Year
2024 Polys Awards
2024 Webby Award for Best Narrative Experience AI, Metaverse & Virtual
Escape Artist Team:
Andy Wise / VP Creative Technology
Paradowski Creative
Ry Sonderegger / ACD, Art & Brand Design
Paradowski Creative
Caroline May / CD, Narrative Lead
Paradowski Creative
Emily Bihl / ACD, Writer
Paradowski Creative
James Kane / Director, Emerging Tech
Paradowski Creative
Kevin Olson / Lead Gameplay Programmer
Paradowski Creative
Ethan Michalicek / Gameplay Programmer
Paradowski Creative
Irina Fawcett / Gameplay Programmer
Paradowski Creative
Colin Freeman / Lead Technical Artist
Paradowski Creative
Ayushman Johri / Principal Environment & Dev Artist
Paradowski Creative
Noah Ilbery / Environment Artist
Paradowski Creative
Cameron Samimi / Environment Artist
Paradowski Creative
Corey Helling / Lead User Interface Designer
Paradowski Creative
Dan Rayfield / User Interface Designer
Paradowski Creative
Madeleine Sutherland / Game Producer
Paradowski Creative