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Posted October 9, 2014 by Chloe Cabrera in Gaming
 
 

PGF 2014: KUNA Preview

Horror games and the Oculus Rift are well on their way to becoming a match made in heaven, and at the recently concluded Philippine Game Festival (PGF) 2014, locally-made video game prototype Kuna gave the Flipgeeks team an impressive and frighteningly immersive taste of the 3D gaming experience.

Created by Synergy88 Studios, Kuna is a local horror-themed survival game set in an abortion clinic haunted by the ghost of the “Reaper” and her unborn child. The player, armed with no weapons of any kind, must survive through the Kuna’s story while roaming freely around the clinic’s premises. The game makes use of Oculus Rift technology, and is currently under development for PC and Mac platforms.

Kuna Reaper

Kuna’s “Reaper” and her child

We chanced upon a short demo of Kuna at PGF 2014, and, while it was only a few minutes long, the demo managed to immerse us completely in its eerie, spine-chilling world.

Looking through the Oculus’ lenses, we found ourselves navigating through a few of the abandoned clinic’s dilapidated corridors and rooms – surrounded by ruined equipment and guided only by dim, flickering lights that shone against an unexplainable fog. The haunting cries of what seemed to be a woman and a baby occasionally echoed throughout the area, filling in what was otherwise an eerie tune of buzzing lights, creaking doors, and moving equipment.

Kuna_Oculus

Kuna’s Oculus Rift setup

Kuna fully immersed us into its intensely detailed atmosphere through the Oculus Rift, coupled with headphones that shut out the rest of the real world’s noises. The Oculus treated us to a 360-degree view of the area – allowing us to take a look at every crack on the ceiling, every blood stain on the floor, every slamming door to our sides, every split-second apparition, and the infinite darkness that swallowed the hallways behind us.

The game gave us something regular PC and console horror games do not – a sense of entrapment. Aside from having no weapons or means to protect yourself, there is no means to escape the area because looking to the sides will not take your eyes away from the screen. You stay trapped in Kuna’s world no matter where you look.

The demo culminated with a startling encounter with the Reaper, who quickly hovered towards us to give us that one final scare. And since the Oculus devices had the screen directly over our eyes, her blood-curdling apparition seemed to come straight at your face, instead of stopping at the screen of a computer like with regular games.

Kuna_Scare_Record

The Kuna team’s record of terrified testers!

According to Kuna’s developers, they plan to add more features to make the game’s overall experience even more terrifying. Still, as it is, Kuna’s demo is already a testament to the huge potential of local game development and 3D gaming technology – utilizing all of the game’s elements to deliver a uniquely effective gaming experience.

We here at Flipgeeks can’t wait to try the full version of Kuna! What about you? Share your thoughts on Kuna and 3D gaming with us in the comments section below!


Chloe Cabrera

 
Chloe is an ally of the Swarm and the Horde, loves video games, and is determined to help eSports grow infinitely stronger both locally and internationally. If she's not lounging about Orgrimmar, she'll be sipping tea or coffee at a cafe like any other college student - no plate armor, just dresses.