Colosse: A Story in Virtual Reality

Telling stories in video games is not a difficult task anymore, and it never really was to begin with. Good writing trumps everything else, which is why even text-based adventure games had the potential to draw people into a magical world and completely obscure their sense of reality. However, it’s a lot nicer to do it with a combination of good writing and exquisite artwork.

Colosse: A Story in Virtual Reality is a non-interactive story game in which you play the role of an observer with nothing to contribute to the plot. You cannot talk to other characters, not even move around to examine the world. Despite all this, you can still sort of steer the story in the desired direction, except in a way more literal sense. Hence, things happen by gazing at them, although it’s not that straightforward either.

The developers tried to create something unique, and it’s because of this that you may find yourself unable to figure out what you should be doing. There’s no actual tutorial or guidance on how to play the game, but then again it should come naturally. Hence, everything unfolds in front of your eyes, but you might have to turn your head to make sure that the action keeps going.

As for the actual story, it’s still a little bit fuzzy, but the name of the game should tell you a few things about it. Huge spirits known as Colosse are the main focus of the plot, but they’re not exactly the main characters either. Instead, you’ll witness a struggle of sorts between them and regular people, although the whole thing is a bit too symbolical sometimes.

The graphics play an important role in the experience, as it’s always the case with virtual reality, but raw quality was not a concern in this case. Everything is designed to look as though you have stepped into a different world, yet the actual 3D models are very rough and low-poly. It’s by design, on the other hand, and it truly looks dreamy. This also makes it easier to run the game on slower computers.

While Colosse: A Story in Virtual Reality is a tad too experimental for now, the game is certainly a pioneer that may inspire others to take things one step further. Not only that, but it’s also a powerful artistic statement.