Stem Laboratories

Targeted, but not limited to, a tween (ages 7-12) audience, “Stem Laboratories” is a fun and interactive way for kids to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S.T.E.M) topics while competitively learning essential teamwork skills. The game was developed following the ESRB rating standard of “E for Everyone”, abstaining from violence. Stem Laboratories, or Stem Labs for short, tells the story of two young kids trapped in an abandoned laboratory. The two kids must work together and complete different puzzles to escape the facility. Throughout each level, or room, the players will face three challenges that they must complete to progress to either the next challenge or the next room. Ensure all team members are ready to play since teamwork is vital to the quick completion of each level. 

“Stem Laboratories” caters to kids seeking a competitive challenge. Players are encouraged to grab a group of 4 players for the best experience of a full 2 vs 2 timed trial experience. Created with Unity version 2022.3.44f1 and built with fully custom C# code, animations, music, models, and UI elements to design a unique experience. While the game is meant to be semi-competitive, players should not forget the main goals: fun and education! 

How to Play: 

Upon opening the game, the users are presented with a main menu where they can choose to either play, enter the settings menu, or quit (exit) the game. Clicking the ‘Play’ button will bring the users to a level selection screen, initially the second and third levels will be locked; however, upon completion of the previous level(s) these levels will become unlocked and teams will now have the opportunity to replay levels to attempt to achieve a faster time. Once the players are loaded into the level, they will notice a ‘notecard’ on the top of their screen describing the current objective. Players can begin navigating the room using the W, A, S, D, and Arrow Keys, depending on which side of the screen they are on. Additionally, the left-hand player can use the ‘Space’ button to jump while the right-hand player uses ‘Right Shift.’ One of the most important binds in the game is grab. For the left-hand player this is achieved by pressing ‘G’ to toggle holding/grabbing an object, while for the right-hand player this is achieved by pressing ‘L.’ These are some of the more notable key binds for the game, however, the player will occasionally have a box over their head, known as a proximity prompt, when they are near an object that will present a key bind (either ‘E’ or ‘I’) to interact with certain objects and/or trigger cutscenes. Some of the mechanics featured in Stem Laboratories include: grabbing, shrinking (achieved in the science room by mixing a potion), a trebuchet (built by the players in the engineering room), a crank (used to power a battery), and many more features to discover when playing! 

Controls: 

Player Controls (Left-Hand/Right-Hand): 

• W/Up Arrow – Move Forward 

• A/Left Arrow - Move Left 

• S/Down Arrow – Move Backwards 

• D/Right Arrow – Move Right 

• Space/Right Shift – Jump 

• G/L - Grab and Drop

• Click – Place tile (science room flow game board only)  

• E/I - Interact (proximity prompts)