Martin Rumenov Montreal, Canada, April 3, 2025 – The groundbreaking virtual reality (VR) interactive experience Human Within is now available on SteamVR. Developed by Signal Space Lab in collaboration with Actrio Studio, this sci-fi narrative project is priced at $19.99 / £16.75 / €19.50 and comes with a 25% discount until April 17. Following its successful debut last month on Meta Quest 2 and 3, Human Within delves into the profound societal implications of artificial intelligence and advanced technology, emphasizing the potential dangers of misuse.
Directed by Avi Winkler and Anne Weigel, the story centers on Nyla, a cyber engineer, and her sister Linh, who work for Forward Industries. Together, they develop a revolutionary supercomputer powered by the human brain’s capabilities. However, when Nyla attempts to leave the project due to ethical concerns, the sisters are detained and forced to continue their work under suspicious circumstances. In a desperate escape attempt, Nyla must connect Linh to the technology in ways she had feared.
Innovative Gameplay and Features
Human Within offers players an immersive experience by blending storytelling with gameplay through unique technical features:
- User Perspective: Players experience the story from Linh’s consciousness within a virtual internet space, offering a distinctive level of interaction.
- Point Cloud Interactivity: Digital recreations of environments allow users to explore and engage with the narrative in new ways.
- Choice-Driven Outcomes: Player decisions shape past events and determine how the story unfolds in the present.
- Visual Storytelling Styles: The narrative is presented across three distinct visual formats—2D/3D blended Internet Space scenes, interactive 360-degree flashbacks, and fully explorable 6DOF point cloud environments.
The SteamVR version introduces achievements to enhance replayability. The experience supports English and French audio with subtitles in six languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Italian.
Critical Acclaim
Critics have praised Human Within for its innovative approach to interactive storytelling:
- Comic Book Resources: “A great VR experience & a scarily relevant story.”
- Press Play News: “A thought-provoking VR experience that pushes boundaries.”
- GamesHedge: “A thrilling VR experience that narrows the boundary between a video game and a movie.”
- DLH.Net International: “A successful game that makes you want to explore other endings.”
- MIXED: “A must-try for fans of experimental media in VR.”
Development Journey
The project began pre-production in 2019 under Avi Winkler’s creative direction. Principal photography concluded in December 2023 after collaboration with German producer Actrio Studio. Human Within premiered at international festivals like FIVARS in Toronto and Beyond The Frame Festival in Tokyo in late 2024. Supported by Meta, Canada Media Fund, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, and Filmstiftung NRW Germany, it aims to redefine interactive narrative experiences.
About the Developers
Signal Space Lab is an award-winning studio specializing in immersive XR entertainment and video games since its founding in 2014. Actrio Studio, led by Michael Geidel, has over two decades of experience producing innovative media projects ranging from films to XR content.
Creative Director Avi Winkler expressed excitement about reaching a new audience on SteamVR: “With Human Within, we wanted to explore how technology shapes humanity through an interactive medium. We’re eager to hear players’ thoughts as they experience this unique blend of storytelling and gameplay.”
