For many young Filipinos, the Martial Law era — the dark years from 1972 to 1981 whose shadow stretched until 1986 — is not a lived memory but a chapter in the nation’s history often encountered from a distance. Bridging the gap between knowing and understanding the hard-earned lessons of that period remains a challenge.

This challenge inspired Ateneo de Manila University’s Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VAMR) Laboratory to collaborate with the Ateneo Martial Law Museum and Library in developing Heritage Hero: Secrets of the “Golden Era,” an immersive virtual reality escape room. The game places players inside an abandoned mansion linked to the Marcos regime, inviting them to uncover clues, examine objects, and engage with one of the most complex chapters in Philippine history.

Rather than presenting history as a straight line of dates, lectures, and displays, the experience allows players to enter a simulated past and learn through exploration. It turns historical learning into an active process of discovery, combining storytelling with hands-on interaction. In doing so, the game encourages players to reflect on how promises of progress during the period were entangled with controversies, contradictions, and repression.

Designed for young adults aged 15 to 25, the 30- to 60-minute game unfolds across three rooms. In each room, players interact with objects and solve puzzles that reveal not only historical facts but also the hopes, fears, and tensions that shaped daily life during Martial Law.

“We believe that human learning benefits greatly from embodied cognition, as some forms of thinking are deeply rooted in bodily interactions such as writing and playing, as opposed to just reading or listening,” said VAMR technical head Eric Cesar E. Vidal Jr., PhD.

In one room, players assemble propaganda materials and operate a printing press, stepping into the world of the underground resistance that confronted censorship and fought for press freedom. In the kitchen, they make Nutribun, recalling the public health programs associated with the period. In the bedroom, they examine construction blueprints and government contracts, confronting the complexities of infrastructure projects that continue to invite debate today.

Preliminary tests with Ateneo students yielded promising results. Many participants said they felt engaged and involved, including those with little prior experience with virtual reality. Some also expressed interest in learning more about the historical issues introduced in the game.

“Immersive technologies can provide the scaffolding that helps a student begin learning complex historical topics, with interactions that add an element of fun and engagement while gently assuaging students’ fears, distress, or skepticism,” Vidal added.

At a time when conversations about the past remain closely tied to the present, the researchers hope the project will do more than showcase technological innovation. By bringing together storytelling, technology, and education, they aim to create experiences that help younger generations connect more deeply with Philippine history — not only through information, but also through remembrance, reflection and critical inquiry.

Eric Cesar E. Vidal Jr., Nicko R. Caluya, Johanna Marion R. Torres, Jesus Alvaro C. Pato, and Kenneth King L. Ko published the proceedings of their study, “Design and Testing of a VR Escape Room Game for Philippine Martial Law History,” in December 2025 during the 33rd International Conference on Computers in Education of the Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education (https://archium.ateneo.edu/discs-faculty-pubs/443/).