Vertical slice demo of City of Sand
Inspired by the true story of Bayocean, Oregon—a turn of the 20th century coastal resort town that was washed away into the Pacific when they built too much, too fast. On a stormy night in the resort’s crumbling old hotel, you discover how to use your grandfather’s magical “sandpunk” contraptions to travel through time and uncover the town’s lost secrets.
Project Highlights
2021 Oculus Launchpad Grant Winner - Selected from a competitive pool of VR creators
Inspired by real history - the tragic fate of Bayocean, Oregon
Unique “sandpunk” aesthetic blending magic and mechanical contraptions
Time travel mechanics that let players explore the town across different eras
Purpose Driven
At its core, a story about climate change and how unchecked development creates global crisis
Player interactions with the environment determine how the story unfolds
Explores possible approaches to existential problems through interactive storytelling
A world of curious contraptions, magical sand spirits, and time travel
Technical Details
Built for Meta Quest 1 & 2 standalone headsets
Utilized Unity’s XR Interaction Toolkit for hand tracking and environmental interactions
Designed branching narrative systems responsive to player choices
Update: While we successfully delivered this vertical slice demo, the full app was not completed due to differing team preferences and priorities. The demo above represents the culmination of our work together on the project.
