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Lab-1995 research facility
Case Study / 02

Lab-1995

Psychological horror built around the fear of discovering what the player already suspects.

Genre
Psychological Horror
Role
Game Designer / Developer
Engine
Unity
Duration
8 months / ongoing
Platform
PC / Steam
01 / The Vision

Make the player doubt the room.

Lab-1995 began with a fascination for spaces that look familiar until one detail breaks the story. We were chasing a player fantasy of being observant enough to uncover the truth, while never feeling certain that the truth was safe.

Lab-1995 interior prototype
Atmosphere became a playable question.
02 / The Challenge

Exploration felt quiet, but not yet tense.

Players could move through the facility without a reason to look closer. The challenge was to make small environmental changes feel meaningful before revealing the larger threat.

03 / My Responsibilities

Gameplay Design

Connected observation, movement, and consequence into one loop.

Systems Design

Structured the rules behind distorted spaces and unreliable signals.

Level Design

Used rooms and routes to control attention and unease.

Balancing

Tuned how often the world broke its own rules.

Playtesting

Listened for the moment curiosity turned into confusion.

Documentation

Kept the design language consistent as the world expanded.

04 / Design Process

Follow the feeling, then test the rule.

IdeaWhat should feel wrong?
↓
PrototypeCan one detail change the room?
↓
PlaytestDid players look closer?
↓
FeedbackWhat did they remember?
↓
Final DesignUnease with a reason.
Interactive Artifact

Player journey / curiosity to consequence.

The journey map shows how attention changes as the room stops behaving normally.

Open player journeyJourney map / annotated

Select a stage to reveal the design insight.

Lab-1995 early environment studyWireframe
Lab-1995 final environmentFinal
05 / Iterations

From atmosphere to authored attention.

Lab-1995 early environment iteration
Version 1 / A mood without a question.
Lab-1995 refined environment
Final / Space points toward a discovery.
06 / What Didn't Work

More distortion was not more fear.

When every room behaved strangely, nothing felt special. We reduced the number of disruptions so each one could carry meaning.

07 / Playtesting
08 / Production

Protect the central mystery.

Scope decisions favored the rooms and story beats that supported the player’s investigation. New features had to strengthen the feeling of uncertainty or make room for the ones that did.

Scope reductionStory prioritizationFeature cutsTrade-offs
09 / Lessons Learned

Lesson 01Silence needs a question behind it.

Lesson 02Players remember the detail they almost missed.

Lesson 03Restraint makes horror legible.

10 / Reflection

If I revisited this project today...

I would keep the focus on observation and environmental storytelling. I would improve the opening minutes so the player understands the kind of attention the world is asking for sooner.

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Status

Upcoming Steam Release

Type

Psychological Horror

Engine

Unity
About
Lab-1995 is a first-person psychological horror game set in a sealed government research facility abandoned after unethical experiments in 1995. You play as the son of a missing scientist, guided by a voice that seems to be your father but is actually Project HELIX, an AI that has absorbed fragments of his mind.
Project Info
  • Role: Game Developer
  • Genre: Psychological Horror
  • Engine: Unity
  • Duration: 8 Months (Ongoing)
  • Status: Upcoming Steam Release
Screenshots
Browse the screenshot section below for visual mood references and future gameplay captures from the project.
  • Gameplay
  • Environment
  • UI & Atmosphere
  • Story Moments
Vision
Lab-1995 explores themes of trust and betrayal through a narrative-driven horror experience. Survival depends on stealth, awareness, and choices that lead to multiple endings. No weapons, no combat—just psychological tension in a 1990s retro-tech atmosphere.
Key Features
  • First-person psychological horror: Immersive experience in claustrophobic corridors and labs.
  • Unreliable narrator: The "False Father" voice manipulates the player.
  • Stealth-focused gameplay: No combat, emphasis on awareness and trust.
  • Sanity-based distortions: Visual and audio effects tied to player choices.
  • Multiple endings: Based on decisions regarding Project HELIX.
  • 1990s retro-tech atmosphere: Authentic horror setting.
🔍
The Choice
In the end, you must decide: Submit and become part of HELIX, Escape knowing it may follow you, or Destroy it, erasing both the AI and the last trace of your father. Lab-1995 isn't about monsters—it's about trust, and what happens when it betrays you.