Pixar have made a name for themselves with some spectacular movies lately: Coco, Cars, Planes, to name a few. Their original style of computer animation has defined a whole new generation of people.
Their first steps into VR have been, luckily, smooth. Coco VR is perhaps the only good movie tie-in that has existed in the world. It is, without a doubt, the most beautiful virtual reality experience based on a movie that I have ever experienced.
The moment you put on the headset you are greeted by Miguel, the main character of the movie, who is standing in front of a candlelit altar. Miguel explains the purpose of the altar, which based on Latino Tradition is meant to commemorate passed away relatives. He is then called out of the room. As he leaves you drift slowly after him. The change of scene is subtle and well thought out of. It would have been very easy for Pixar to create something simple or rushed just so they can capitalise on the cash from the Coco movie. They didn’t.
Besides meeting some of the main characters, you can walk around the fictional Land of the Dead and play a few minigames. Those range from taking selfies with fun hats, to visiting a museum dedicated to Behind the scenes content. Those are all very well thought out and fun. There are several others, but I’ll keep those a secret so you can find out for yourself (Tip – Singalong).
The art used in Coco VR matches the art style of the movie perfectly. Pixar have taken excellent advantage of the Oculus Go’s hardware capabilities. As much as we tried we couldn’t find one stutter or bug (for which we are very glad). This should be the standard for movie based video games. Even if this is a playable teaser that serves to entice you to see the movie, it still shines through.
