Gameplay mechanics can be defined as the ways in which a player interacts with the game world.  As such, the first-person VR perspective was chosen over the third-person VR perspective as the player perspective for a more immersive experience where the player experiences what the character of the game experiences.  The chosen perspective would not be changed mid-game, allowing the player to have full control of the camera.

The movement system of the game would be that the player in the real world would sit on a chair which would be mirrored in the virtual world and this chair would be located on a small boat.  The small boat would move through the virtual world with the boat additionally acting as a focal anchor “cockpit”.  The boat would move through animated water at a consistent movement speed in a linear trajectory which has the benefits of eliminating jumping/falling mechanics, avoiding aggressive acceleration as well as bypassing any stairs.  Moreover, the boat would facilitate the telling of the story of Homeward.

The design of the game mechanics would be that the game product would be more akin to Fantasynth than Beat Saber or Epic Roller Coasters, namely, limited direct player interaction with the game world and more of a passive VR experience. This design allows the story of the game to take more of the player’s attention, thereby immersing the player in the world. The length of the game aimed to be less than twenty and a pause system would also be implemented.