Colosseum VR Virtual Tour
• 3-star rating
• PCVR
• Education, History, Travel
• Comfortable, Stationary
Kicking things off with a four minute Roman history introduction might not immediately inspire confidence, but it's a trick used well in this experience to impress us with the revelation of the world's largest amphitheater. Even for us who use virtual reality every day, it was enough to inspire awe as the towering edifice appeared before us.
Thorough inside and out, this depiction of a complete furnished Roman Colosseum is well suited to illustrate this twenty minute narrated tour. Though the graphics won't be winning any awards, the visuals are effective with a fair amount of animation and some fine lighting and shadows. The guided tour is accompanied throughout with a narration that struck a good balance between content and keeping the viewer interested, though the voice-work is somewhat dry and uninspiring.
The single thing that disappoints is the inability to explore this model of the Colosseum on your own terms. This experience is on rails - slowly moving around, raising to provide a birds-eye perspective then moving inside the amphitheater model, timed to the steady narrative of the tour. Although it's great to have VR to freely look around, it's more than a little frustrating that we can't fly around the model and appreciate it from any perspective. Initially the automated movement also feels a little disconcerting, but that's quickly overcome and the pace of the movement always remains slow and steady.
Animated figures illustrate different types of gladiator.
An opulent entrance fit for a Ceasar.
A dilapidated arena viewed from the upper levels.
✅ Informative tour of an iconic Roman monument
✅ Plenty of graphical detail
❌ Dry yet effective narration
❌ No independent exploration allowed
• Languages: Cantonese, Czech, English, Japanese, Mandarin
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