How’s this for a thing? Art on The Run and Another World VR have created a game that’s a hybrid of film and interactive VR with Kobold. Set for launch this Halloween on the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift via VivePort, Kobold appeared at events like the Raindance Film Festival where it’s described as a “trans-media experience”. Prior to entering VR, viewers are shown a short film which serves as an introduction into the world and characters.
The story for Kobold has a boy named Kaspar dealing with the recent loss of his mother by pouring his imagination into Germanic fairy tales and by playing with his imaginary friend, Pixi. When Pixi offers Kaspar a way to see his mother again, the boy embarks on a journey that takes him into a nightmarish world.
In the VR experience, you play as an urban explorer investigating the mysterious case of the missing boy. Your search leads you to an abandoned villa in the middle of a German forest. The VR experience gives players a fully interactive universe, thanks in part to real-world locations having been scanned using photogrammetry. Your actions also affect how the story turns out.
I’ve said before that I’m not a VR guy, but this idea of blending film and VR into one experience is one of those “why didn’t anyone think of this before?” deals. Granted, I’m sure that some people have done this in the past, but it’s still pretty cool that home users can experience it.
Check out the experience’s official site for more info.