At the Indiemegabooth at PAX EAST, a unique VR game caught my eye. It featured gorgeous water-color visuals and a mesmerizing world of humans and robots. That special gem of a game is Unbinary, a fascinating sci-fi VR game where a robot learns the important human emotion of empathy. I had a moment to observe Unbinary and I spent some time talking to the developers, Ludact.
In the world of Unbinary, an AI named Webby has been selected to help guide human civilization into the future, and whatever challenges they may face. It is decreed that AI should embody all of the best aspects and emotions of humans so as to make the best decisions at the right time. As a robot, players are tasked to assist Webby and ensure she is ready for the weight of the world to be placed on her shoulders.
Unbinary takes place across seven levels, filled with interactive puzzles. Each puzzle brings the player deeper into the heart and mind of Webby. To make matters more complex, Webby has learned the emotion of sarcasm and has also become far too sure about who she is and the true purpose of her existence. Each level takes place across an incredible kaleidoscope of watercolor paintings, a breath-taking and refreshing artistic choice that sets Unbinary apart from other dystopian, futuristic games.
I had a moment to talk to the developers, Ludact. Ludact is a Brazilian-based developer that believes in merging video games with relevant emotions and feelings to better understand the human condition, as well as to better understand how humans interact with technology. Unbinary began in 2015 as a series of ideas but was successfully funded in 2018. This allowed the developers to focus on what they call “critical entertainment.” Ludact defines critical entertainment as “full-blown independent games that will engage players and challenge their visions of the world while fostering meaningful emotions and reflections.” Unbinary looks to be a huge breakthrough in delivering this new take on intellectual video games, while also asking important questions in regards to our future with technology and AI.
Unbinary is set to launch on August 21st, 2020 on Steam for VR headsets with ambitions to move onto other VR platforms, such as PSVR, sometime later.
