Review: Human Within
Virtual Reality offers a fantastic platform for storytelling through engaging movies and experiences. I find Gloomy Eyes and The Line particularly impressive in this realm. Now, there’s a new contender called Human Within that aims to utilise VR for narrative purposes. But does it provide a story that’s truly worth exploring?
Release Date: January 9th 2025
Developer: SignalSpace
Publisher: SignalSpace Lab
Price: TBC
Reviewed On: Meta Quest 3
* Access Provided For Review *
The Dangers Of Technology
Human Within explores the impact of AI and cutting-edge technology on society, emphasising the dangers that can arise from its misuse. The narrative centres around Nyla, a cyber engineer, and her sister Linh, who work for Forward Industries. They are at the forefront of developing an innovative supercomputer, but when Nyla decides to step away from the project, both sisters find themselves in captivity. Trapped and unable to escape, Nyla is compelled to utilise the very technology she had dreaded.
A True Interactive Movie
Human Within breaks the story into engaging interactive scenes, where you can make choices that shape the narrative, tackle puzzles, and discover various aspects of the environment. This approach allows you to alter the story’s outcome while fostering a real connection to the unfolding tale.
In this engaging experience, you’ll find yourself in a vast digital environment, where a large screen displays the main movie view. Surrounding this screen, you’ll have access to additional information about the current scene and various camera angles. You can easily pick these up and examine them in your hands. I appreciated this feature because it allowed for a deeper connection to the scene and the narrative, giving you the power to control every camera throughout the city, whether you’re exploring outdoor or indoor settings.
At certain moments, you’ll be pulled away from the digital setting to enjoy a stunning 360-degree movie scene. Once these scenes conclude, you’ll face two choices, allowing you to steer the story. I was pleased to see that they achieved high-quality visuals for these segments, as 360° footage can often be subpar and might have detracted from the overall experience that Human Within offers.
While technology often runs smoothly, there are times when you might encounter obstacles that require some clever navigation. In these instances, you’ll be drawn away from the digital screens and into a physical space where you’ll need to solve a puzzle to move past the barrier. These puzzles involve matching patterns on blocks to create a light path; they’re not overly complicated but add a delightful element to the experience. Additionally, you may find yourself transported into a room from the scene you’ve been observing. The team utilises Photogrammetry to create a 3D scan of that environment, allowing you to explore the room and examine objects that contribute to the storyline. Both of these concepts seamlessly integrate with the narrative, enhancing your connection to the story and its world.
You have the opportunity to shape the story at key moments by making choices that influence the narrative. This leads to five different possible endings, providing a fantastic way for the player to feel in control of the story and encouraging you to come back and explore alternative decisions.
A Mix Of Mediums
When creating an interactive movie or experience, it’s crucial to ensure that the player remains engaged through top-notch recordings. Human Within offers both high-quality recordings for standard screens and impressive 360-degree recordings. While the 360-degree recordings may not match the flat scenes in quality due to their larger scale, they still represent some of the best 360-degree quality I’ve encountered so far. This aspect significantly kept me engaged from beginning to end.
As mentioned, the team has incorporated some Photogrammetry into the experience, and while the technology isn’t flawless yet, I had some initial concerns. However, they’ve cleverly replaced the textures with a TV static effect, allowing some items to retain their real-life colors. You might expect this to be visually straining, but it’s executed well and is quite comfortable to look at. This approach showcases the potential of Photogrammetry while avoiding the barriers it currently faces.
To create a captivating experience, it’s essential to have not only stunning visuals but also a talented cast that delivers strong performances, as poor casting can negatively impact the overall enjoyment. I was truly impressed by the acting in Human Within; the cast did an excellent job bringing their characters to life. You can rest assured that the acting will keep you engaged, complemented by the high-quality audio that enhances the experience.
Comfort
The Verdict
Human Within brilliantly utilises Virtual Reality to create an engaging interactive movie experience. It weaves a captivating narrative about the effects of AI and advanced technology on society, highlighting the potential dangers when such power is misused. The experience combines traditional movie elements with 360-degree visuals, allowing players to make choices that shape the story’s direction, along with some gaming features that enhance your connection to the narrative and its world. With five different endings based on your decisions, there’s plenty of incentive to replay the game. Players are likely to return, especially with the stunning visuals, immersive audio, and outstanding performances that elevate the experience.