LOOK: This VR Escape Room Drops You Into the Martial Law Era

(SPOT.ph) Remembering has always been a fatal human flaw, especially at a time when peddling revised versions of history is rampant. That reality prompted several researchers from Ateneo de Manila University to explore and develop more creative ways to help keep the truth alive, including one that gamifies history lessons.

Introducing Heritage Hero: Secrets of the ‘Golden Era.’ This new virtual reality escape room game places the player in an abandoned mansion connected to propaganda and controversies of the previous Marcos regime. Here's what you need to know.

Set during the Martial Law years (1972 to 1981), Heritage Hero: Secrets of the ‘Golden Era' is a single-player game designed for ages 15 to 25. Here, players navigate three rooms and interact with the vintage setting to solve puzzles and mysteries each representing a controversy from that era.

The game follows a non-linear narrative, requiring players to go back and forth between in-game spaces to complete objectives and ultimately, break free. Gameplay is expected to last between 30 minutes and an hour, with players using hand controllers to navigate the virtual environment and to interact with in-game objects to find clues and solve puzzles.

This involves working in the kitchen to cook "nutribuns," a nod to the Marcos government’s bread distribution program aimed at addressing hunger and malnutrition, or in a printing room where members of resistance groups assemble materials about press freedom. There are period-specific details woven in, like a manually cranked flashlight-radio—popular in the late ’70s and early ’80s—which picks up a “broadcast” that doubles as a clue to help solve the current puzzle.

Heritage Hero: Secrets of the ‘Golden Era' was developed by Ateneo’s Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VAMR) laboratory in collaboration with the Ateneo Martial Law Museum and Library. In a statement released to the public, the student researchers said this project goes beyond showcasing technological innovation; it aims to find a new and creative way for younger generations to connect deeply with Philippine history.

“Immersive technologies can provide the scaffolding that helps a student begin learning complex historical topics, with interactions that add an element of fun and engagement while gently assuaging students' fears, distress, or skepticism,” says Eric Cesar Vidal Jr., VAMR's Technical Head.

Preliminary game tests were also conducted with a small group of Ateneo students, which yielded promising results for this VR experience. Many participants reported feeling engaged and involved, and, more importantly, testers expressed interest in learning more about the historical issues introduced in the game. Suggestions to add more controversial topics, such as censorship and bribery, were also floated during testing and have since been added to the final game as optional quests.

The game was presented by its researchers, Vidal, Nicko R. Caluya, Johanna Marion R. Torres, Jesus Alvaro C. Pato, and Kenneth King L. Ko at the 33rd International Conference on Computers in Education, organized by the Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education.

It’s still unclear how Ateneo's VAMR plans to roll out the game—whether it will be accessible to the public or reserved for academic use within the university. Nothing is set in stone just yet, but using creative technology to make history more engaging is a promising step toward keeping the lessons of the past in the minds of this and future generations.

For more information, visit Ateneo De Manila University's website.

Also read:
GUIDE: Martial Law Movies, Documentaries and Where to Stream Them
Things to Do In Ateneo If You’re Not a Student