Let’s face it. There’s not a lot of great virtual reality out there. Often, user interaction is limited. Or the IPs they’re based on aren’t very established.
The upcoming DreamWorks Voltron VR Chronicles tackles both problems. An interactive experience based on a popular series with nearly 30 years of history, Chronicles represents a leap forward in VR storytelling.
FANDOM got a chance to demo DreamWorks Voltron VR Chronicles on Playstation VR ahead of its September 26 release.
A VR Experience That Honors Voltron
DreamWorks Animation — the studio behind Voltron Legendary Defender — and Digital Domain worked for over a year on the project. They even enlisted the voice talent from the Netflix show to add even more authenticity to the experience.
Players take on the role of Paladin Lance, first on the ground and later in the cockpit of the Blue Lion. These multiple interactive modes already set Chronicles apart from other VR experiences that have a singular point of view.
“Digital Domain took a lot of care with the animations and making it feel like you’re stepping into an animated episode of Voltron,” Universal Brand Development game executive Chris Heatherly explained. “You couldn’t have done that with live action.”
“That sense of scale — as a fan, you never seen the lions that way before in your life. You really appreciate how huge they are and how powerful they are. When you get put into that cabin, you experience that scale in a different way because now you’re inside it.
Pilot the Blue Lion
Indeed, after some initial puzzle solving on a frozen planet, players turn to the towering blue lion and hop aboard. It’s inside the cockpit that the action really takes off; players must navigate a treacherous asteroid field while taking aim at Zarkon‘s fighters. Luckily, teammates Pidge and Hunk are there to provide support. The pacing is balanced enough were players can take a moment to enjoy the vivid artwork, from Zarkon’s throne to a galaxy of stars.
During the climax of the first battle, which we won’t spoil here, some of the blue lion’s special weapons come into play, including the sonic cannon. While FANDOM only tried about a third of the experience, the developers hinted that players will also have a chance to combine with the other lions to form Voltron.
As impressive as the visuals are, getting the story right was equally important.
“[Chronicles] takes place in the timeline around Season 2 or 3. But it’s an original story, so it doesn’t affect the story in the show. But it is using those characters, true to who they would be,” Digital Domain’s Director of Digital Content Wayne Kennedy explained to FANDOM.
“We had our writers come up and develop stories, and DreamWorks was like, ‘that’s great, but that’s what we’re doing in Season 3. Or Season 4,'” Kennedy recounted. “We were very lucky we had one of the show writers come in and help us and polish the lines.”
What results is a self-contained but satisfying adventure told in a brand new medium.
“When embarking on something like this, we look at the franchise. What makes it work, what excites us about it. Because we want to keep the passion and energy and bring it into another medium. We loved the style that they developed on the show, we wanted to bring that into 3D and 360 VR,” Kennedy said.
Pre-order Dreamworks Voltron VR Chronicles on the PlayStation Network and you’ll receive a 20 percent discount on August 29, 2017.
The experience will be available for $14.99 on PlayStation®VR via the PlayStation™Network, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift via the Steam entertainment platform and Oculus Rift via the Oculus online store.
