Holospark is working on a ghost story for virtual reality, Séance: The Unquiet, and the company has released a 5 minute VR demo for free on Steam and the Oculus Store today. Ghost stories and horror could be a lot more electrifying in VR, since the medium is more immersive and in-your-face than a two-dimensional experience.
In Séance, you are in a haunted house where “a family confronts a tragedy not forgotten.” You can witness their fate through a virtual séance. The dramatic VR experience uses a combination of the Unreal game engine and performance-capture technology, the company said. The company is trying to create a cinematic story in VR.
“We wanted to create a VR film that was immediately accessible and entertaining for the Netflix generation,” said Holospark executive producer John Scott Tynes in a statement. “But using our experience as video game developers, we are able to dynamically craft emotional, cinematic moments in response to the audience’s attention and movements.”
The characters look you in the eyes. Dynamic music and sound design adapt to the audience’s gaze. And everywhere, your sense of immersion and presence with the characters in the unfolding story is absolutely transporting.
“Telling stories in this medium requires new tools and techniques,” said Bruce Sharp, art director at Holospark, in a statement. “But fundamentally we’re making an entertaining and frightening film with great characters and real emotion, using the very latest technology.”
Last fall, Holospark released The Impossible Travel Agency, and it is working on the upcoming PC game Earthfall.