VR Bomb Defusal Puzzle

Overview

VR Bomb Defusal Puzzle is an immersive virtual reality game built for the Meta Quest 3 using Unity 6000.0.35f1. Players must carefully cut color-coded vines in the correct sequence to defuse a bomb before time runs out. One wrong cut and it's game over!

Gameplay

The core gameplay loop is intense and satisfying:

• Observe the bomb and identify the vine cutting pattern
• Grab your blade tool using VR hand tracking
• Cut vines in the correct color sequence (e.g., Red → Blue → Green → Green → Red)
• Avoid wrong cuts - three strikes and the bomb explodes!
• Race against time to complete the sequence before the timer expires

Technical Implementation

Core Systems

Vine Cutting Mechanics

• Physics-based blade interaction using trigger colliders
• Velocity-gated cutting (minimum speed required)
• State management with idempotent Cut() operations
• UnityEvent system for modular feedback

Bomb Controller

• ScriptableObject-based pattern system for data-driven sequences
• Real-time validation of player actions
• Strike counter and timer systems
• Event-driven architecture for extensible gameplay

VR Integration

• Meta XR SDK and OpenXR for Quest 3 support
• XR Interaction Toolkit for natural hand interactions
• Input System for action-based controls
• Hand tracking and controller support

Key Components

// Vine.cs - Individual vine behavior
public class Vine : MonoBehaviour {
    public VineColor color;
    public UnityEvent onCut;
    
    public void Cut() {
        if (isCut) return;
        isCut = true;
        onCut?.Invoke();
    }
}

// BombController.cs - Game orchestration
public class BombController : MonoBehaviour {
    [SerializeField] private BombPattern patternAsset;
    [SerializeField] private int maxStrikes = 3;
    [SerializeField] private float timeLimit = 60f;
    
    private void HandleVineCut(Vine vine) {
        if (vine.color == targetOrder[currentIndex]) {
            // Correct cut!
            onCorrectCut?.Invoke();
        } else {
            // Wrong cut - add strike
            strikes++;
            onWrongCut?.Invoke();
        }
    }
}

3D Assets

I created custom 3D models for the game environment, including stylized vines and trees that fit the bomb defusal theme. The models were designed with VR performance in mind - optimized poly counts while maintaining visual fidelity.

Gameplay Demo

Watch the bomb defusal mechanics in action:

Architecture & Patterns

Event-Driven Design

All vine cuts trigger UnityEvents, allowing modular attachment of:

• Audio feedback (SFX)
• Haptic feedback
• Visual effects (particles, color changes)
• Score/progress updates

Data-Driven Configuration

Bomb patterns are ScriptableObjects, making it easy to:

• Create new puzzle sequences without code
• Test different difficulty levels
• Share patterns across levels

Clean State Management

void StartRound() {
    ResetRound();
    _active = true;
    // Subscribe to vine events in OnEnable
}

void OnDisable() {
    // Always cleanup listeners to prevent memory leaks
    foreach (var vine in vines) {
        vine.onCut.RemoveListener(HandleVineCut);
    }
}

Tech Stack

• Engine: Unity 6000.0.35f1
• Platform: Meta Quest 3 (Android/OpenXR)
• VR Framework: XR Interaction Toolkit 3.2.1
• Input: Unity Input System 1.13.1
• Rendering: Universal Render Pipeline (URP)
• SDK: Meta XR All-in-One SDK

Key Features

Physics-based cutting with velocity validation
Pattern-based puzzle system (ScriptableObject driven)
Strike counter and time limit for tension
Hand tracking and controller support
Extensible event system for feedback
Optimized for Quest 3 standalone performance

Future Improvements

Potential enhancements for the project:

• Object pooling for VFX particles
• Haptic feedback integration
• Progressive difficulty system
• Multiplayer co-op mode
• Level editor with custom pattern creator

What I Learned

This project deepened my understanding of:

• VR interaction design - Making actions feel natural and intuitive
• Event-driven architecture - Clean separation of concerns
• Unity optimization - Performance profiling for mobile VR
• XR development workflow - Building and deploying to Quest headsets
• Physics programming - Collision detection and trigger systems

The full source code and detailed setup instructions are available in the GitHub repository.