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DYSTOPIA

Year : 2022
Category : Spatial Gameplay & LBE
DYSTOPIA
Game Design & LBE In-Situ Scenography Unity Engine (C# Runtime) Show Control (DMX / Art-Net) 10,000+ Visitors IoT & Socket.io Shock-Resistant 3D Printing Sound Design & Light Steering Studio Crafteke 100 m² (Brussels)

Dystopia: Cyberpunk Escape Game & Immersive Scenography (100 m²)

Location: Brussels  |  Area: 100 m²  |  Studio: Crafteke  |  Co-creation: Pierre-Henri Wibaut  |  Role: Unity Technical Direction, Game Design, Show Control, Construction & Sound Design


Complete design, structural renovation, and full engineering of a 100 m² cyberpunk immersive experience in Brussels, produced with studio Crafteke. Built as a real-life video game, the installation is powered by a custom Unity (C#) runtime architecture synchronizing physical props, spatial sound design, and real-time phygital light steering.

+10,000
Visitors Hosted
< 1%
Unity Crash Rate
< 5 min
Room Reset Time
98%
Completion Rate

Le Soir (Geeko) - "A Cyberpunk Escape Room in Brussels"
Bruxelles Secrète - full experience review
EscapeGame.fr - listing & player reviews

Recognition & Reviews

TERPECA Badge
INTERNATIONAL NOMINATION

Top Escape Rooms Project Nominee

TERPECA Phase 1 Nominee, three years running (2023-2025). Voted by the international escape room enthusiast community.

View TERPECA Nomination →
EscapeGame.fr Badge

EscapeGame.fr

5/5 - leading French-speaking escape room media outlet.

Read the review →
★★★★★
Google

4.9 / 5 · 391 reviews

See Google Reviews →

Video Highlights

Pyramid Show: light and sound resolution sequence for the central puzzle.
Hacking Box: this small device triggers the ceiling puzzle - players must read the clues displayed on the ceiling to find the sequence to enter on the touchpad.
Communication Puzzle: one player describes a displayed symbol out loud from one room to another; the other must select it on the terminal using only that description.

Game Design: Real-Life Video Game Mechanics

The experience translates core video game design principles directly into a physical environment tailored for 1 to 6 players:

  • Zero padlocks, zero mechanical keys: Complete elimination of passive searching and traditional lockboxes in favor of active electronic props, custom interfaces, and diegetic puzzles.
  • Lore-integrated hint system: Guidance systems are embedded seamlessly within the narrative world without breaking immersion (no out-of-world displays or explicit Game Master interruptions).
  • Fail-safe automatic Bypass system: Hidden fallback logic enabling automated or remote puzzle bypasses during bottlenecks, maintaining a consistent 98% completion rate within the strict 60-minute window.
  • Instant visual and audio feedback: Every successful interaction triggers immediate, synchronized real-world responses (lighting pulses, sound cues) mirroring action-adventure game mechanics.
Mechanical puzzle wall, custom-cut metal plates
Puzzle case: custom-cut metal plates, under show lighting.
Transparent overlay puzzle with 3D-printed RFID cards
Overlay puzzle: transparent plates and 3D-printed RFID-tagged cards.

Light Steering, Acoustic Design & In-Situ Scenography

  • In-Situ Scenography & Structural Engineering: Complex architectural setup inside former historical ammunition storage vaults. The project required structural masonry and wall demolition to create the layout, moving far beyond basic drywall setups.
  • Spatial Guidance via Light Steering: Dynamic DMX lighting serves as the primary player steering tool. Brightness gradients and color shifts naturally direct player focus and physical movement across objectives.
  • Sound Design & Acoustic Atmosphere: Complete soundscape composition heightening dramatic tension while providing temporal and spatial cues throughout puzzle solving phases.
Lighting atmosphere of a room, technical netting and puzzle wall
Lighting atmosphere of a room: puzzle case.
Illuminated ceiling and session countdown timer, mid-game
Illuminated ceiling and session countdown timer, mid-game.
Central pyramid lit up, final installation
The central pyramid, final installation in operation.

Engineering, System Reliability & LBE Operations (Crafteke)

1. Central Unity (C#) Engine & Monitoring System

Intent: Ensure uninterrupted automated operations across thousands of public gaming sessions.
Solution: Deployed a central host application in Unity (C#) acting as a master server over Socket.io. The system monitors prop statuses in real time, maintains a crash rate under 1%, and provides full operational control to the Game Master.

2. Dynamic Light & Sound Show Control (DMX / Art-Net)

Intent: Deliver instant environmental changes synchronized with real-time gameplay logic.
Solution: Built a custom Show Control driver in Art-Net/DMX interfaced directly with Unity to trigger reactive lighting sequences, alarms, and victory climaxes based on player inputs.

3. Shock-Resistant 3D Printing & Sub-5-Minute Reset

Intent: Design durable physical interfaces built for intense public handling while maximizing daily booking throughput.
Solution: Prototyped custom 3D-printed enclosures engineered specifically for high impact resistance. Physical and virtual room resets were streamlined to complete in under 5 minutes between player groups.

Project Credits

Conceived, constructed, and engineered with studio Crafteke (co-created with Pierre-Henri Wibaut).

One Build, Every Hat

The building and the installation were built from A to Z by the same small team: a single day on site could go from soldering iron and code at the workshop, to jackhammer for structural work, to installation and calibration on site.

Building the wooden roof structure in the rain
Building the wooden roof structure, in the rain.
Electronics bench: soldering custom relay boards
Soldering iron and custom relay boards, at the workshop.
Night-time calibration of the laser puzzle on site
Late-night calibration of the laser puzzle, on site.