Legends live in imagination—but with VR, they can live around you. Legend of Kumari immerses players in the ancient Tamil underwater world of Kumari Kandam, transforming a centuries-old myth into an interactive adventure.

The project began with a broader goal: to introduce Tamil and Hindu mythology to a wider audience through an engaging, immersive experience. My initial concept was a VR escape room that combined gameplay with Tamil language learning, where players would match objects to words in a timed puzzle. After storyboarding and prototyping in Unity, I realized the mechanics were too complex for my current skill set—it required more advanced coding than I could implement alone.

Rather than abandoning the project, I pivoted to a scavenger hunt-style VR game, keeping the cultural essence of Kumari Kandam while simplifying interactions. The player’s mission became collecting bronze, silver, gold, and platinum medallions in the ruins before time ran out, with points tracked via a score system and a goal of reaching 100 points. The game included a five-minute countdown timer, start screen with instructions, VR hand interactions, animated medallions, sound effects, lighting, and background music to enhance immersion.

The development process involved building the environment from prefab assets, scripting game logic with a Game Manager, connecting UI elements like the start button to the countdown timer, and optimizing the game for desktop publication. Through this process, I gained hands-on experience with Unity, learning how to create UI components, enable XR interactions, animate objects, integrate sound and lighting, troubleshoot errors, and optimize for performance. I also gained a deeper understanding of hardware requirements for VR and game development, which will inform future projects in digital media.

The final experience blends 3D modeling, interactive gameplay, animation, and audio design into a cohesive VR adventure. Players can explore the sunken city, hunt for medallions, and feel fully immersed in a culturally rich environment. Beyond gameplay, the project taught me how to navigate technical challenges, adapt my design to constraints, and bring a personal vision to life—demonstrating how storytelling, technical skill, and user-centered design converge in immersive environments.