A free roaming, narrative VR documentary with light interactivity. Guilford Castle has been built by William the Conqueror or one of his barons around 1086, making it one of England’s oldest castles. Although it was more royal residence than military structure, it was still a fortress and strengthened at various times.
The interior had a great hall, apartments for the king and queen, and chapels among other rooms. To achieve an authentic reproduction of the castle in its current state, parts of the location were digitally scanned via photogrammetry and post-processed for VR, while other were built straight as 3D models.
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When you launch Guildford Castle VR, you’re standing in a tunnel with an opening ahead leading towards the castle. Stepping out into the garden and looking up the hill you can see the castle keep with beautiful flowers and paths everywhere. You can explore the garden, the tower outside and interior, plus a bit of a medieval village nearby.
There is a time-jump mode in some places that let’s you compare the place today versus its original appearance in the 14th century, along with typical sounds and music of the time.
On some occasions, there are emblems in the shape of the developer’s logo near the ground. Activating them let’s you listen to narrated information about your surroundings. Movement is done using teleport or free-walk with the mini sticks on your controllers. Push the the trigger button for the few places that offer interaction.
Screenshots
Developer’s Description
How the developer summarizes the experience (quote): Built in the wake of the Norman Conquest, Guildford Castle was one of England’s first castles and has stood for over 900 years. Visit a hyper-realistic digital double of the castle as it stands today, created using state-of-the-art 3D scanning techniques. Step into the distant past and discover the royal palace and medieval town.
Travel back in time to 14th century England and see what the former regional palace and town would have looked like in the late medieval period. Experience the sights and sounds of the era, with meticulously researched historical reconstructions, medieval soundscape and dynamic day-night cycle lighting.
Quick Facts
| CATEGORY: | ARCHITECTURE, MUSEUM | |
|---|---|---|
| RELEASE DATE: | March 24, 2022 | |
| DEVELOPER: | Historic VR | |
| PUBLISHER: | Historic VR | |
| PLATFORMS: | PCVR | |
| SCREEN MODES: | VR ONLY | |
| PRICE: | FREE |
Opinion
Loved the feature of being able to go back and forth in time to compare the tower and its surrounding of now and then.
This experience is well worth your time, not only if you're into historic 3D reconstructions."
