This week we discovered Virtual Room, a new 250 m2 space dedicated to high-end virtual reality. Located on Place Broglie, it has 13 rooms where players of all them ages come to immerse themselves in collaborative adventures, using virtual reality headsets. Shooter, puzzles like an escape game, skill and adventure games, science fiction, survival, zombie: a whole range of immersive games is offered in different universes. We’ll tell you about it in more detail.
Inaugurated at the beginning of December in Strasbourg, Virtual Room aims tooffer new and above all collaborative virtual reality experiences (from 2 to 4 people).
Accessible to all profilesfor pro gamers and controller novices alike, the brand offers 4 cutting-edge adventures in technology and graphics, developed in-house.
To better tell you about it, we tested one of these adventures and we discussed with Thomas, a 40-year-old from Strasbourg who was behind the project Virtual Room, which started almost 6 years ago! Snothing spoiler for you (or almost), we tell you about our surprising experience at the heart of different worlds and universes inspired by gaming culture.
Virtual Room, a French brand that is exported all over the world
In 2017, after more than a year of development, a first Virtual Room center opened in the French capital. Since, the adventure continues in 17 cities in France and in more than ten countries.
The graphics and design, the puzzles, the characters and the worlds, the artistic component, the 3D computer graphics, and even the scene and the decor of the premises: all is made in the country of the baguetteand it is rare enough to specify it.
Leader of the collaborative virtual reality market, the brand is now present in Strasbourg and becomes the first room of VR to develop and exploit only its own games (cocorico).
And inevitably, when dealing with enthusiasts who master the project from A to Z, from the first sketch on paper to the final experience, the result is not the same.
Here, the developers have a blast creating the universes, they adjust the adventures according to their desires and the characters they invent, they propose and test different scenarios. They are totally free to surprise us with their own creations and that changes everything.
It is Thomas, the child of the country, who tells us about it best:” If we have fun and take pleasure in creating adventures freely, for others and for ourselves, the public will also take pleasure. We create worlds in which we travel and we imagine our scenarios around it, it’s a very special way of doing things, quite unique and above all freer. We’re having fun at 200%”.
The Pitch of the Press Start adventure? We embody a group of teenagers in the 80s, who get sucked into an arcade cabinet. In this one, we cross 4 universes of video games inspired by retro gaming. The goal: defeat the evil artificial intelligence that wants to get out of the way and destroy the 80s (nothing only that).
of a 45 minute duration, PressStart takes us into very different worlds with stunning graphics. One is inspired by Minecraft and of Spaceinvadersthe other from Zelda, a yet anotherinspired by Mario, and the latter borrows some elements from Doom and Halo.
When the adventure begins, we are immediately struck by the quality of the 3D graphics and the immersion that the helmet VR gives us, technology is changing so fast. We observe the decor, we raise our eyes to the sky, we are immediately inside, then the scenario sets in and the challenge begins.
(WARNING VIDEO SPOILER)
We immediately get into the game and handling is very easy(even for people who have never tested the VR). We have fun shooting(like a FPS) with a whole bunch of weapons and objects, we try to solve more or less difficult puzzles and we collaborate like in an escape game.
The adventures are playful, amusing, downright immersive, diversified and full of references. We are on the border between the video game, the escape game virtual and 3D cinema. In addition to that thehe scenario is gripping and we even find ourselves doing nothing and observing our environment as if we were there, it’s very successful.
We won’t tell you more so as not to spoil the surprise, but we can already say that it is one of the virtual reality experiences that has convinced us the most in recent years. And when we know that everything has been created by French developers free to have fun, the pleasure is even greater.
The immersion of adventure PressStartthe graphics, the diversity, it’s a real nice surprise
The adventures are accessible from 10 years old to 99 years old!(but not recommended for epileptics)
The location places Broglie is just perfect
The adventures will also appeal to those who have never played video games or put a virtual reality headset on the head
The music is essential and immerses us in an atmosphere particular
Technology has evolved, and the adventures found here no longer make you nauseous, the universes have been designed so that the inner ear is not disoriented
The place is pleasant, very well decorated and it has a real signature visual
A small space sofa is intended for debriefing and resting after a game and an picture booth is made available
We are greeted by a team more than passionate people, it’s a real pleasure to listen to them
The headsets, microphones and controllers are state-of-the-art, it’s pro gear!
Adventures are offered in many languages
The brand offers teambuilding personalized for each company, that change from bowling!
Virtual Room
What ?
Leisure room dedicated to virtual reality adventures
