Hello, Vikings! You may have heard about the Hidden World virtual reality tour that just finished traveling around the Western and Southern regions of the United States. I was pleased to get to attend a few weeks ago; you can continue to the “Read more” for my review.
First of all, the production is the result of a partnership between the computer software company Spatial&, which pursues advertising through virtual reality technology, and Walmart to sell Hidden World merchandise. This arrangement carries with it an especially auspicious implication: the virtual reality experience is completely free! I will say that the tour is geared heavily toward younger kids with the main purpose being to sell toys and the experience conducted by actors playing Ruffnut and Tuffnut. This said, though, I found it to be a unique and highly enjoyable adventure.
Far before I met with any technological VR storytelling, I was immersed in the characters’ world by the visual design and details. In the parking lot of a Walmart store, of all places, I was immediately pulled into the environment of Berk. An eye-catching, inflatable Viking hut expanded to form the entrance structure of the setup, the first in a chain that guided attendees through the waiting area to a connected trailer where the actual virtual reality tour happened and then out through another atrium-style hut or tent housing the store. I loved these visual elements. The setup felt like a magical bonus tour of Berk with the ethereal Hidden World explored in between the dark passages that sandwiched the trailer. I found that different areas reminded me of different locations on Berk. For example, the cozy interior of the waiting hut with its fur-covered benches seemed to welcome me into the Great Hall or a Viking home while the transparent domed store with trailing vines, wood-styled supports, and miniature fake plants on the shelves reminded me of the Cove.
Photo courtesy of Rick Peetz
The first step required to embark on the tour was signing a waiver, which was conducted at a shaded table where fans could also test drive ; ) the new game Dawn of New Riders. The event had a small staff handling these and other tasks while attendees mostly interacted with Ruffnut and Tuffnut, who led the tours, did photo-ops, and occasionally made in-character jokes and banter. My guess from other photos I’ve seen is that these actors vary by location, but I would like to mention that I was especially impressed by Ruffnut’s spot-on voice impression.
In the entrance hut I met with another unexpected highlight of the trip: a large updated version of Hiccup’s map. Since the last time we had a good look at it in the beginning of the second movie, it’s gained locations from HTTYD 2 (Valka’s Mountain, for example), Race to the Edge, and HTTYD 3, including the Hidden World. Well, the flyer from the tour completes the HTTYD 3 portion when placed in the space off to the left of the map. My guess is that this may be the most complete version we see, so I was pretty excited to stumble upon it. (Although I did also see it in this year’s Berk’s Grapevine “Dragons” video, so I’m assuming there must be some other place where one can find a good image of it online.)
Photo courtesy of Richard Ashley Hamilton
I was also interested to find out that Richard Ashley Hamilton supplied writing work for the virtual reality tour, as he’s previously contributed to the franchise via Race to the Edge and Dragonvine.
And finally, the actual virtual reality review that you came for! We were led in small groups of about five or six through a dark passage into the trailer, where a corresponding number of red, egg-shaped seats stretched glowing in a line across the dark space. After being fitted with headsets and headphones, the VR experience began with a visual test. I was wearing glasses that probably slightly interfered with the clarity; I was told by one of the workers that they might. Although the tour was overall quite clear, I specifically couldn’t see Hiccup’s face very well in the following scene. That may be a reflection on my personal circumstances rather than the performance of the VR technology.
The beginning of the tour was a rush of storytelling excitement for me. Suddenly dropped into the Hidden World, the most character interaction occurred at this time. A rocky area met my view and enclosed Astrid and Hiccup, who stood with their dragons nearby. If you’ve ever played School of Dragons, it was pretty similar to one of those environments in appearance and character interaction. Okay, another point to know: this was my first experience with virtual reality. The transition delighted me. After noticing with alarm my human presence in the dragon sanctuary (giving us a clue to its setting sometime within the events of the third movie, although it conflicts with the canon storyline… it could also be an alternate view of the scene The Hidden World...), Astrid reached down to pick up the flyer that I’d been instructed to store next to my seat. She then read aloud to Hiccup of the twins’ latest antics, and, vowing to deal with the twins later, they reasoned that while I shouldn’t be there, it looked like I was going to get a tour of the Hidden World anyway. In a style reminiscent of Gift of the Night Fury, I was carried across the expanse in a boat pulled by Hookfang trailing the other two dragon riders. Here are two things that I wish were different. While I suppose in the advertisement, you can see a lower view of Hookfang that belies riding, I was rather expecting and hoping to actually explore the Hidden World from atop a dragon’s back and secondly to have more interaction with Hiccup and Astrid instead of just following from a distance. However, these are only small critiques that I can make in the stunning wake of a beautifully intricate journey into an otherworldly paradise. The virtual reality followed the movie scene closely enough, nodding to it, that I had some sense of inclusion in it while it explored the environment from an entirely different position and with new experiences crafted for viewers that marked the experience as a distinct rapture in my memory. As to details from the original scene, I was surrounded at one point by a colony of Fireworms, probably one of the most iconic images from the third movie due to promotional material. As for new experiences, well... Night Lights. Yup. Cuteness factor achieved. They came up and hovered in front of me, allowing for the experience to reach out and “interact” with them. I heard afterward from an employee working the store space that they would respond if you did so, but I can’t attest to that; I wasn’t really expecting to be able to since we didn’t have connected gloves. I could see a 2-D gray hand in my field of vision when I reached my hand out to pass under the belly of a nearby Fireworm (which was a mixed experience), but nothing happened, so I didn’t try with the Night Lights. That level of interaction with the technology was still pretty cool to me, especially since I don’t know how it works, but the hand’s appearance was also one of my least favorite parts about the virtual reality because it pulled me out of the world created by all the colorful detail building a beautiful illusion around my eyes and starkly reminded me that it wasn’t actually me touching a dragon (of course, the feel of empty air also contributed), but I realize that it would have been very hard to pull off without customized features… although maybe it would have worked if they designed the arm to be covered in a Viking-style bracer/glove, as if the guests were some character in the HTTYD world. Anyway, I realize I haven’t said much about the actual physical details of the virtual Hidden World. Frankly, it’s impressive how close it appears to the film environment. I thought that time and motion were the main features that enhanced the experience from its appearance on the cinema screen, with range of sight coming in close after. The nearly five minutes spent flying through the Hidden World over unfathomable drop-offs with a tingling in my legs as my body and mind wrestled with fantasy, cutting steeply-angled rises as rocks filled my vision and Hiccup shouted with urgency to the Monstrous Nightmare to pull up… it was breathtaking. I know I had a huge grin on my face for most of the time.
The end of the experience involved filling out a very brief survey and then walking out into the light of the kiosk tent, where I was met by an array of toys and a few other items arranged in a cozy display. (Sorry guys, no shirts in adult sizes 😕😉.) I left enraptured by the experience I had just gotten to be a part of and with my mind spinning with hopes of sharing my experience with you all here. And here we are! Did any of you get to attend the Dragons VR tour? If so, what did you think of it? I’ve been incredibly honored to contribute to one of my favorite places on the Internet and I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
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A sincere and special thanks to VingontheBackofaDragon for sharing this crazy and amazing experience with us! I for one am very jealous, but I'm glad she had such an incredible time!
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