There were several virtual reality (VR) titles at Gamescom 2019 that VRFocus was very interested in seeing, one of which was Paper Beast by Pixel Reef. With some beautiful screenshots and trailers having been released over the past few months as well as details regarding the narrative, it was still unclear what the goal (if any) was. So VRFocus sat down with Pixel Reef CEO and Paper Beast creator Eric Chahi to hopefully understand more.
When looking at screenshots they often only tell half the story, and on some occasions distort the truth as to the quality of the experience. Paper Beast doesn’t suffer from the latter, in fact, the videogame looks even more spectacular in its VR form than as a 2D image. The former issue, on the other hand, is a different conundrum altogether and one that will never truly be understood until the final release in Q1 2020.
Paper Beast is a title about animals but these are no ordinary creatures. Because they and the world around them are born from big data, or more precisely an ecosystem formed out of lost code and forgotten algorithms. Just as data is constantly in flux so is the environment in Paper Beast. Players will be able to form bonds with the creatures around them interacting with these strange abstract creations made of paper – picking them up and throwing them into the distance is one avenue VRFocus tried.
VRFocus’ recent preview of Paper Beast said: “Paper Beast is a delight of design and imagination, beautiful to look and puzzling to experience. Hopefully, the final version will develop those interactive elements rather than purely being an elaborate art piece. Whatever happens Paper Beast is going to be one of the more intriguing VR titles to emerge in 2019.”
In the interview below, Chahi goes into more detail about the creation of this surreal world and what players can expect from this PlayStation VR exclusive.
From this initial first look, Paper Beast is going to be one of the more unusual VR titles to arrive early next year. As further details are released including a confirmed release date, VRFocus will let you know.
via Mint VR