PRESS KIT
Title: Starfall - Demo
Platforms: Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, Meta Quest Pro
Price: Free (Demo)
Controls: Hand Tracking Only
Release Date: 19 May 2025
Full Game Release Estimate: January 2026
Developer: Mauro Badii
Publisher: Wave Engines
Store Link: "Starfall - Demo" on Meta Store
Website: http://wave-engines.com/starfall
DESCRIPTION
Starfall is a 25-minute mixed reality experience set in space, in a distant future, beginning with the provocative premise that the real world is a simulation, and the player has always been in space. The player’s physical room transforms into a spaceship arriving at a new planet, with the passthrough room still visible, serving as a reminder of the simulated reality within space.
Guided by an enigmatic AI voice, players traverse a gateway to explore a new planet. Using intuitive hand gestures, they manipulate particles to collect rare elements. The narrative deepens when a particular element triggers a flashback unknown to the AI, hinting at hidden layers beneath the surface mission.
To travel to distant destinations, players lie in a sleep chamber, experiencing an artistic, musical display that asks the mind to disconnect from the world.
Key Features
• Beautiful and Realistic Visuals
• Mixed Reality from an Inverted Perspective
• Ingenious Traversable Portals
• Artistic Musical Visuals at Chapter’s End
Developed by a solo developer and his AI companion.
Starfall leverages advanced hand tracking, realistic visuals, and walkable portals between worlds, allowing players to interact as one might on a future interstellar mission.
Sneak Peek into Upcoming Chapters
The journey continues as players explore new, increasingly realistic planets and zero gravity locations with additional dangers and uncover more about their mysterious past. Flashbacks become more frequent, revealing clues about the connection between the collected elements and the protagonist’s true quest. The duality of one cyborg and one human hand becomes central to the unfolding narrative, as players are drawn into a web of three competing realities and are forced to question which is real, whether to trust the AI, follow the flashbacks, or return to the simulation deciding this was all a mere VR game.
Developer Bio
I am an Argentinean and Australian Software Engineer and Artist based in Sydney, Australia. After more than a decade in software infrastructure engineering, I sought a creative break and became deeply captivated by the possibilities of space travel and alternate realities in VR. Starfall is my first project built in Unity and for virtual reality. From crafting the story and game mechanics to creating animations, composing original music, and recording my own sounds, I built Starfall for the joy of being transported into new realities every day.
Website: http://mauro.badii.art
Inspiration
Starfall’s layered realities are inspired by films like Total Recall and The Game, where the nature of reality is questioned until the very end, and beyond. The game’s space exploration sequences draw from the cinematic artistry of Interstellar and 2001: A Space Odyssey, embracing simplicity and powerful visual storytelling. The flashback mechanics are rooted in stories such as Arrival and The Time Traveler’s Wife, where involuntary memories gradually reveal the character’s backstory.
Much of the game’s exploration of AI, space, and consciousness is also inspired by ideas discussed on Lex Fridman’s podcasts, which sparked many concepts integrated into this experience.
TRAILERS
SCREENSHOTS
KEY ART
LOGOS
