The Goldilocks Principle

The Goldilocks Principle is a short exploration-based game built using the Unity Game Engine and Wwise Audio Engine. The game consists of three levels, each containing their own unique ambiences which fit their visual aesthetic. These ambiences are purely diegetic, consisting of howling wind, ethereal gong beats, flowing water, and the player’s footsteps, among others. Thanks to the Wwise Audio Engine, the amplitude or “loudness” of each sound is heard differently based on the player’s location in relation to the sounds. This is the same for the panning of each sound, or where the sounds are heard in the stereo field in relation to the player’s facing direction. This helps to create a unique experience for each player as they move around the different levels, exploring different areas of the game.

While the game is meant to invoke a sense of wonder and free exploration, it needed some basic mechanics to be engaging. Without them, the game could run into the issue of becoming boring or dis-interesting to the player. It needed a central point or guide that would take the player from level to level. The artifact, the small cube the player interacts with, was created for this purpose. guides the player through each world, not only with its glowing appearance, but with its distinct audio footprint as well. It functions as a beacon, a tool, and a starting point for the player, respectively.

The design of the game is inspired by the astrological concept of the “Goldilocks Principle” as well as Buddhist cosmology. The “Goldilocks Principle” explains that a planet must not be too far away or too close to a star to become inhabitable. While Buddhist cosmology explores the idea that multiple “mental state” worlds exist in our universe. These ideas fascinated me, and so I sought to create a game where you could explore a series of dreamlike environments, which would seem both alien, and habitable.