Mechanical Growth

Mechanical Growth is a story-driven VR experience set in Mine 3384. You explore the mine, gather resources, craft items and use weapons against the creatures inside. The experience is designed for standing play, but can also be played sitting down or in first person without a VR headset.

The story

More than 50 years ago, Unit Union, the world’s largest natural resource gathering company, lost contact with its largest mine, 3384, at Gaeyar Summit. A team sent to investigate also stopped communicating, and no one who has gone to the mine has returned. Its raw resources remain untouched.

The world is nearly drained of resources, the air is toxic and demand is high. Captains venture to the harvest reachers to find what remains, but keeping a crew and airship running is difficult. Your crew has dwindled to you and a small group of misfits, and you must decide whether to take the contract for Mine 3384 or give up your captain’s seat and find another job.

Your crew

• PAC: A Personal Assigned Carrier that follows you and carries items. It has limited carrying space, uses a lot of resources to run, is slow and glitchy, and is not much help in a fight.
• Jimmy Jim: Your last remaining faithful crew member, who runs communications when he can be bothered. The automation cannot fly the ship, so you are stuck with him.
• Bird!? You do not remember hiring this helpful crew member or know where they came from. They take over Jimmy’s work and keep you in the air.

Explore and gather

As you progress through the story, you find items along the way. A robot follows you around the play space and can temporarily carry items you drop onto it; storage locations around the map provide a more permanent option. You can gather resources and use workstations to craft items you need for the journey.

The mine is crawling with creatures. You pick up weapons like other items, aim and fire, and reload by bringing ammunition in your other hand to the weapon.

Contracts and information

Contracts become available at a terminal as you progress through the story. They provide optional side content and are not required to complete the main story.

An in-game data pad gives you access to your inventory, journal, contract details, help information and a location map, along with other information about your adventure.

Story progress

The game follows a linear story, with optional side content. It has one save slot, which you can save, load, delete or start anew through the menu.