Way back in 2015 VRFocus reported on Rime developer Tequila Works announcing plans to develop a virtual reality (VR) experience. Today the studio has now revealed the project, a murder mystery narrative called The Invisible Hours.
Designed as a non-linear, story driven experience, The Invisible Hours features an intricate web of interwoven stories within a sprawling mansion, which players can unravel how they please.
Inspired by classic murder mysteries, like Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None as well as Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige, the experience takes ideas from immersive theater mixing it with the real-life rivalry between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.
Tesla is murdered, and the mansion has seven suspects. Players are invisible to the characters, able to move around the mansion, watching the story evolve whilst discovering clues to the murder. As a non-linear experience, where players go and what they witness can be different with every playthrough.
The story description reads: “A group of strangers receive a curious invitation from enigmatic inventor Nikola Tesla, offering each of them the chance to make amends for their darkest wrongdoings. When the last guest arrives at Tesla’s isolated mansion laboratory, they find him dead – murdered. Disgraced Swedish detective, Gustaf Gustav, vows to find the killer amongst the other guests: a blind butler, a convicted murderer, the world’s most famous actress, Tesla’s former assistant, the son of a wealthy railroad magnate, and rival inventor Thomas Edison. But none of these people are what they seem.”
Tequila Works will support all the major VR headsets, including Oculus Rift and Touch, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR. Full motion controls will be included as well as gamepad support.
Currently no specific release date has been announced, just that it’ll be this year.
Checkout the first trailer for The Invisible Hours VRFocus below, and for further updates on the project, keep reading .