System: Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift & Windows MR
Price at Time Of Review: £3.19
Comfort Rating: Green (No Movement)
Genre: Music and Rhythm,
Input: Tracked Motion Controllers
Best Playing Position: Sitting
Multi-Player: No
Age Rating: PG
Description: Enter a realm of enchantment with “FIREBIRD – La Péri”, and play the role of Iskender, a prince seeking the “flower of immortality”. You will appear on the stage, visit the ethereal world of La Péri, and witness a magical and poetic encounter as one of the characters… As you try to take possession of the precious flower, guardian spirits will gradually appear. Strive to get the petals of the flower from them and awaken La Péri, a mesmerizing feminine silhouette covered in light. Her dance will dazzle you, but will you be moved enough to give up immortality and let the Péri live?
“La Péri” is a VR experience based on classical music and ballet by composer Paul Dukas and starring John Rhys-Davies as the Narrator. It relies heavily on the Vive’s hand controllers and will enable you to interact directly with the characters and creatures which populate this world. In this unique and visually stunning production by the award-winning french VR studio Innerspace, choreography, music, story-line and the most high-end technology will merge into one, producing an extraordinary audio-visual experience.
Review: FIREBIRD – La Peri is pretty much an interactive ballet all played out in VR. Playing the role of Iskender, a prince seeking the “flower of immortality”. You must do this by capturing 4 petals of the flower. Each one will dance and fly around you in animals as well as humans, each one being more and more demanding until you finally have all 4 petals of the flower and need to make the ultimate decision.
While the controls are basic and the interaction is limited I found myself joining in with the emotion and the style of the ballet. Waving the wand around and really enjoying myself. The end scene is simply awe-inspiring and while it might not be everyone’s cup of tea it was most certainly mine.
With sharp, stunning visuals this is a feast for both the eye and the ears. While a very short experience, it is a very enjoyable one all ending in an epic sequence with the human dancer that is deeply emotional. For me, it perfectly illustrates the potential of performance art within VR and I am sure there will be many more of this sort of experience to follow. But FIREBIRD – La Peri was the first and it sets a high standard for others to follow.
