In March VRFocus reported that Apelab would be releasing a new story-driven experience called Break a Leg for the launch of Samsung’s new Gear VR controller in April. That didn’t happen with the title getting delayed, but as it turns out not for long. The developer has just announced that Break a Leg’s first chapter will be coming to the mobile head-mounted display (HMD) later this month.
Benefiting from the latest version of Apelab’s SpatialStories toolset, Break a Leg aims to bring interactivity and a polished storyline to the mobile platform revolved around performing magic. Players have been kidnapped by an unknown entity that wants to unleash the ultimate power of the galaxy, which turns out to be unlocked by performing tricks from The Ancient Book of Stellar Tricks written by Houdini’s great great Aunt Maggie. They’ll need to learn close-up tricks, misdirection, levitation and more to succeed.
“I absolutely love stage magic performance and always have”, said Emilie Joly, CEO and Director of Apelab in a statement. “Tricking the mind into believing something is real is what makes VR unique and illusionists have done quite a bit of that. Break a Leg is an homage to those performers of the 19th century. I had studied the link between stage magic and interaction design in the past and Break a Leg was the perfect project to apply this research. I also draw my inspiration from iconic stories of my generation like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Beetlejuice, The NeverEnding Story or even The Monty Python movies. You’ll also notice some hints as you go along the adventure at pieces like Fantasia and amusement park rides like Disney’s haunted house or the older Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Break a Leg premiered at the Future of Storytelling and won an honorable mention at GDC 2017. An exclusive sneak-peek of the upcoming Oculus Rift version will be shown at the Art of VR on 23rd June at Sotheby’s NYC.
The first chapter of Break a Leg will be released for Gear VR on 29th June for free, with the full experience coming out Q3 2017.
For further updates on the title, keep reading VRFocus.