Artifice
You play as a museum curator, surviving the night from living museum pieces. Looming monsters will aim to increase your heart rate until you die — use your tools and listen to their audio cues.
Play on Itch.ioOverview
Artifice is a 3D survival horror experience set in a museum after closing time. The museum's exhibits have come alive, and the curator must survive until morning using a multi-viewpoint camera system, audio awareness, and limited tools.
The core tension mechanic: monsters don't deal damage through contact — they elevate your heart rate. Reach critical levels and you die. Managing stress, not health, is the key challenge.
Team
As Lead Programmer, I built the enemy systems, player interaction logic, and core survival loops — including the heart rate escalation mechanic and all three enemy behavior systems.
Enemies
Portrait Lady
Randomized spawn timing with visible warning cues. A clock display shows the next encounter schedule — players must plan their camera rotations accordingly.
Screaming Sculpture
Emits distorted audio at set intervals. Wearing headphones blocks the damage — but at the cost of hearing other threat audio cues, creating a risk-management dilemma.
Mannequin
Slowly moves toward players when they're not looking. Requires sustained visual attention. Sound cues indicate proximity — the classic observer-state horror mechanic.
Systems
- Multi-viewpoint switching system — camera management is core gameplay, not just convenience
- Heart rate escalation on contact with threats; death occurs at critical levels
- Audio-based threat detection for the Screaming Sculpture and Mannequin proximity alerts
- Jump scare triggers when Mannequin or Portrait Lady breach proximity thresholds
- Tool management — flashlights and headphones each counter specific threats with tradeoffs
Gallery
9 images — game icon, environment views, creature models, UI elements, death screens