'The Cycle of Time' | KARTeX's first LBE experience

The immersive leisure revolution comes to Zaragoza

'El Ciclo del Tiempo' (The Cycle of Time) is the first VR LBE experience developed by DeuSens for KARTeX, as part of the launch of its first immersive entertainment center located in Puerto Venecia (Zaragoza). KARTeX, created with the aim of redefining family and multigenerational leisure, offers active, accessible, and technologically innovative experiences that combine physical exercise, storytelling, and technology.

To achieve this goal, KARTeX and DeuSens joined forces to conceptualize and develop an experience that integrates the exploration of virtual worlds with physical pedaling on real karts, in a controller-free gaming environment with total freedom of movement. The collaboration focused on designing an offering that would appeal to a wide audience—from children to seniors—while also offering high replayability, thanks to its competitive component and integrated narrative.

The result is an interactive adventure that combines immersion, physical activity, and storytelling in a continuous experience, transforming a 500 m² physical circuit into a virtual journey through time. A project developed from scratch, from the initial idea to its technical implementation, with an original narrative, unique mechanics, and a system optimized to work with wireless VR devices.

Immersive storytelling connected through movement

The experience was developed around a linear narrative with an adventure structure, transporting players through four interconnected scenarios: a swamp, an abandoned temple, a futuristic city, and an erupting volcano. Each environment presented a new visual and gameplay challenge, maintaining the pace and attention of users throughout the experience.

The common thread was the message that time is money, represented in the main mechanic of collecting gold and reinforced by the constant presence of a golden beetle, which acted as the player's guide and narrator of events. This figure, designed to generate an emotional connection, accompanied the user through each phase and contextualized events in a clear and dynamic way.

All interactions were designed to be performed without physical controls, taking advantage of the hand-tracking technology of the PICO 4 glasses. Players were able to collect gold, activate mechanisms, and repel enemies using natural gestures, which added a sense of freedom, immersion, and accessibility to the experience.

Integration of physical hardware with the virtual environment

The experience was integrated into a 500 m² physical circuit in which users pedaled on real karts. This movement was accurately transferred to the virtual environment, allowing for synchronized exploration between the physical and digital worlds. The system was designed so that up to 10 users could participate simultaneously, thus reinforcing the social and collaborative nature of the experience.

The technical development ranged from the design of the kart detection and positioning system to the implementation of mechanics that responded naturally to the pedaling rhythm. This direct connection between physical effort and virtual progress helped to increase player engagement, making movement an essential part of the narrative and gameplay.

DeuSens adapted all visual and interaction content to ensure smooth performance on wireless PICO 4 headsets, maintaining high visual quality and a cable-free, controller-free experience, which is key to user comfort and safety.

Competitiveness, replayability, and ranking system

With the aim of extending the project's life cycle and encouraging repeat play, a scoring system was integrated based on the amount of gold collected by each player during the experience. At the end of the adventure, a ranking was displayed with individual results, allowing participants to compare their performance and providing a clear incentive to improve in future sessions.

This mechanic added a competitive layer to a collaborative base, providing value to both casual and repeat players. It also facilitated the creation of dynamics among family and friends, turning the game into a shared challenge. The visibility of the ranking was designed as a gamification element aimed at increasing engagement and prolonging the life of the experience.

A scalable proposal for leisure centers

From its inception, El Ciclo del Tiempo was conceived as a solution that could be adapted to other entertainment centers. The modular development of the software, the independence of the experience from the specific physical space, and the use of wireless technology made it possible to configure a product ready to be scaled up in other locations, either as a franchise or as an individual installation.

The project demonstrated that it was possible to combine narrative, immersive technology, and physical activity in an experience accessible to different user profiles. In addition, the scoring and ranking system provided a useful tool for generating loyalty, increasing user retention, and expanding the project's return on investment in the medium and long term.