There is a PC game that offers an immersive experience for players sitting in a wheelchair rather than a traditional chair. This unique title,Shotgun Princess, was developed by the 6th batch of the Game Talent Institute under the team nameTeam: Santan Gongju.
From the 13th, the largest domestic game eventG-STAR 2025took place at BEXCO in Busan. Amid the vibrant booths of major game companies, one particular work drew attention due to the presence of a wheelchair instead of a regular chair in front of a PC. This game is among 10 works displayed at the Game Talent Institute booth. It was created as a mini-project by six first-year students and was also honored with thePublic Pickaward at this year’sBusan Indie Connect Festival (BIC).
The game begins with a‘common-sense-defying’setting. It follows PrincessBenelli, who has been cursed by a sorcerer and is unable to use her legs. She embarks on an adventure to defeat a boss alongside her butlerRemington, who has transformed into a shotgun. The symbols of‘princess’and‘wheelchair’, traditionally associated with weakness, are reinterpreted here as active agents.Lee Jeong-beom, 25 years old, the idea’s creator, said, “While wheelchair users do need consideration, they are often seen only as passive beings,” adding, “I wanted to overturn this notion.”
The game starts the moment you sit in an actual wheelchair. First, the wheelchair must be fixed to function like a chair. A rotating device using bicycle wheels is installed next to the wheelchair, enabling the character to move forward and backward. Rolling the wheels rotates a mouse wheel below, recognizing movement commands. Direction changes and attacks are controlled via keyboard and mouse.
Everyday challenges faced by wheelchair users are naturally integrated into the game. In most fantasy games,‘stairs’are simple passages, but for wheelchair-bound Benelli, they are inaccessible. Players must find ramps and take detours, and a puzzle where activating a hidden switch transforms stairs into a ramp is included.Leeexplained, “Stair obstacles were intentionally placed early to make players aware of the wheelchair.” Scenarios where front wheels get stuck in drainage gaps and a‘signal stone, inspired by traffic lights’requiring mission completion within a time limit also appear. This reflects the idea that “what is an ordinary crosswalk for the general public can feel like a time-limited mission for wheelchair users.”
Puzzle and action elements are robust. For example, pressing a switch rotates a drainage channel to open a path, or using the‘angle iron’equipment acquired midway enables a0.5-step jump. The game also adds scenes where players converse with the remains of the knight order throughout the dungeon to gain hints and story elements.
Details were not overlooked.Jang Hyun-jong, 25 years old, who tried the game, said, “The bullet and shotgun details show it was made by someone who knows firearms,” adding, “The cute art style and action are charming.”Kim Beom, 24 years old, said, “The puzzles and characters stood out and were fun. I would even want to invest.”Leestated, “The inconvenience from the controls is the game’s concept,” adding, “While commercialization in PC cafes may be difficult due to the wheelchair, it could be used as a console version like theNintendo Switch 2or an experiential game machine in hospitals and rehabilitation centers.”