augmented reality horror game

Mixed Reality meets Métis lore 

Survival game blending spatial storytelling, Indigenous oral tradition, and real-time AR gameplay

Client: Hammer & Tong
My role: I worked as Creative Director

Valley of the Rougarou is a location-based augmented reality horror game built for iPadOS. Equal parts technological testbed and cultural reckoning, the prototype blends spatial computing, Indigenous storytelling, and real-world environments to immerse players in a hostile, haunted landscape.

Developed as a gallery-scale installation experience, and inspired by the folklore of the Rougarou - a shapeshifting, wolf-like creature rooted in Métis oral tradition, Valley is a proof-of-concept, designed to entertain, terrify and (gently) educate.

The Premise

You're alone. Unarmed. A faint trail leads into the darkness. Your only companions are a map, a glowing screen, and a voice whispering in your ear. Welcome to the Valley.

As players walk through a real-world installation space, their screen reveals the AR world of the Rougaverse: shadowy forests, flickering clues, and predatory creatures that are always one step behind. Survival demands stealth, scavenging, crafting, and learning - in both English and Michif.

AR Meets Oral Tradition

The game reimagines how horror can play out across real space, deploying:

• AR encounters with animated Rougarou creatures

• Spatial audio that builds dread and directs attention

• Voice-activated mechanics, including spoken Michif commands to unlock tools or banish enemies

• First-person flashlight play using the iPad as both lens and lantern

AR scenes were designed to be tactile and memorable, with mechanics like real-world footprint tracking, voice-activated medicine crafting, and moon-cycle-timed encounters. We activated 10+ AR interaction zones, branching audio encounters, real-world props, and a stealth system based on scent trails and shadow play.

Tech Stack & Innovation

The game was built using a tech stack optimized for immersive AR experiences on iPad Pro. Developed in Unity, the prototype utilized Apple's ARKit 5 and LiDAR capabilities to deliver accurate environment mapping, responsive spatial interactions, and object persistence. AR gameplay elements were enhanced with a custom voice recognition system, enabling players to trigger events and craft items using spoken Michif commands.

Spatial audio was integrated via ambisonic sound design, enveloping the user in a 360-degree auditory landscape. Down the road(map), we planned for game scenes to be dynamically rendered based on proximity cues, and a moon-phase system which would adjust the difficulty and behaviour of Rougarou encounters.

Supporting tools included Mapbox for real-world geolocation features, a custom UI built with Unity’s UGUI and Canvas systems, and motion capture pipelines powered by Kinect to animate Rougarou characters with performance-trained actors.