I interviewed Ives Agemans about Wall Town Wonders on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 at Venice Immersive in Venice, Italy.
Here is the story synopsis for Wall Town Wonders:
- “Wall Town Wonders is a magical mixed reality experience where players discover a miniature town growing inside their living room walls. Through Meta’s latest mixed reality headset, the game blends real and virtual worlds using advanced room scanning and spatial awareness. Players interact with hand-tracked characters, construct buildings, and manage resources, all while discovering secrets hidden behind their walls. The story-driven gameplay unfolds in real-time, reacting to the layout of the player’s home. Detailed animations, expressive motion capture, and immersive sound design make the town feel alive. As players progress, they unlock new zones, residents, and stories, including quests from heroic mice, eccentric inventors, and mischievous goblins. Wall Town Wonders brings childhood imagination into reality, transforming ordinary spaces into enchanted environments filled with wonder, strategy, and storytelling. It redefines home-based gaming, inviting players to play, care, and connect with their tiny walldwelling neighbours.”
Here are the contextual domains that are explored:
- Building virutal homes [4] and neighborhoods [3] and analyzing the resulting community & culture [11]
Here is the Elemental Center of Gravity:
1st Center of Gravity of Fire Element / Active Presence: Casual Town Building Game with lots of minigames |
2nd Center of Gravity of Earth Element / Environmental and Embodied Presence: Mixed Reality, but also grinding activities to gather resources to build |
3rd Center of Gravity of Air Element / Mental and Social Presence: Dialogue amongst the characters – Sims-like relational dynamics |
4th Center of Gravity of Water Element / Emotional Presence: Not really story-driven as the story is not what sticks with me. But there’s a bit of timing and spacing that happens to force you to explore other aspects rather than endlessly spanning the mini-games |
Archetypal Themes and Character Explored:
- Building virtual infrastructure and a town, but also dealing with natural resources and constraints
Artist Statement:
- “I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of small people secretly living in our walls — a world just out of sight but full of life. With Meta’s mixed reality headset and precise room scanning, I finally had the tools to make that fantasy real. We focused on incredible detail in animation, handtracked interactions, and characters that feel alive in your space. This project is a dream come true — turning your room into a living, evolving miniature world where every corner hides a story. It’s about wonder, connection, and rediscovering your space with new eyes.”
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Music: Fatality
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