Reading books in Dreadhalls

I’ve always liked games that offer you with opportunities to learn about their lore, the backstory of the place you are at and its inhabitants, and so on. Even when that doesn’t directly affect the gameplay or the main plot in any ways, it helps to ground the place and make the player feel more immersed into the world. I always wanted to do something like that in Dreadhalls, but it didn’t make it into the VRJam deadline when I was making the original version.

I knew that if I wanted to do that, I’d need a better way to deliver that information than the notes system from the VRJam demo version. That system was too rigid, with very limited space, hard to read text, and having the notes attached to your face, rather than fixed in space, means they are harder to read for some players.

So I decided to add a brand new book system into the game. You can see it in action in the video above, with placeholder contents. You will find books laying around, that you can pick up and read. The new system allows for much more content, illustrations, easier to read text (even with DK1’s low-res), and smooth transitions.

I hope you also like finding these pieces of backstory around. And remember, just because you are reading a book, that doesn’t mean you are safe! Time won’t pause, so you might want to keep an eye on your surroundings while you read :D