Many countries, certainly those with a very long history have a number of tales that you can class as myths or as legends. For Europeans perhaps the two countries that spring to mind most readily with these are Greece and Italy. Italy’s Roman Empire co-opted many such myths from Ancient Greece, yet its most famous one – that of Romulus and Remus – is Roman in origin. Ancient Greece is positively littered with tales, such as those of the heroes Theseus, Perseus and Odysseus. And others featuring the gods themselves, such as Heracles (known more popularly as Hercules in Roman mythology and his twelve labours. Even the UK has what could be classified as myths and legends, for instance the tales of King Arthur and Camelot although these originated in part from Welsh poetry.
For China one such character of legend is the 16th century story of Sun Wukong, known as the Monkey King. Now the first three chapters of a virtual reality (VR) series based around this character and developed by production house Digital Domain have been released onto the PlayStation Store. You can purchase these now for $9.99 (USD).
“For several decades, Digital Domain has been an innovator in the entertainment industry by creating content that fans want to consume. ‘Monkey King is the first of many pieces of original content to leverage our in-house visual effects artistry, 360 experience, and interactive technologies.” Explained Digital Domain’s North America CEO Amit Chopra. “Immersive storytelling is the next level of transportive experiences, and Digital Domain, once again, is leading the industry.”
“To build on Digital Domain’s legacy, the studio’s first piece of original content needed to be an impressive mix of all our in-house talent and capabilities,” added Director of Creative Development Wayne Kennedy. “Upon considering many great stories, I was most inspired by a childhood favorite of mine, the fabled story of Monkey King. Our team adapted the fantastical tale with some originality and are excited to introduce the story to western audiences. Bringing a cinematic experience to an immersive world will open up the possibilities of virtual reality to a more diverse audience.”
Digital Domain’s Monkey King is also set to come to the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive PC-based head-mounted displays (HMDs) and both Google smartphone-based HMDs, the Daydream View and Cardboard. VRFocus will bring you more information on the release date of these when available. You can see a trailer for the series below.
via Mint VR