Virtual reality (VR) animation has come a long way since early shorts like Lost. Titles such as Crow: The Legend by Baobab Studios and Axis Studios’ The Bond have learnt from years of experimentation, providing richly immersive experiences that are only possible in VR. So when Japanese studio Spicy Tails announced that it would be making a VR version of novel series Spice and Wolf it caught peoples attention. So much so that Spice and Wolf VR’s Kickstarter campaign raised the required amount in one day.
Spicy Tails looked to secure ¥8,000,000 Yen (£55,194 GBP) over 40 days and has so far rocketed past that to ¥11,259,550 (£77,683) in just 24 hours.
Backing tiers start from ¥3,000 (about £21), which will net you a copy of the title – in either VR or non-VR if you don’t own a headset – plus an original desktop wallpaper. As with any Kickstarter campaign the more you pay the more goodies you’ll get. The funding tiers are quite extensive for Spice and Wolf VR with the highest retailing for ¥400,000 (about £2,760). For that much cash you’d expect something pretty special and Spicy Tails do have something original in mind. Alongside everything from previous tiers, this top pledge will allow the backer to ask Wolf Holo one question, to which they’ll get a response via an original short movie.
As with all the funding tiers, Spicy Tails expects to be able to fulfil and ship pledges in May 2019.
The original Spice and Wolf story follows a 25-year-old travelling merchant called Kraft Lawrence. After stopping in the town of Pasloe, he comes across a wolf-deity named Holo who is over 600 years old. Taking the form of a 15-year-old girl – except for a wolf’s tail and ears – she wants to join him so she can see the world and eventually return to her homeland.
The Kickstarter also reveals the additional headset support Spicy Tails plans on adding. Previously only confirming Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, the studio has now added PlayStation VR, Oculus Go, and Oculus Quest to the roster. The studio does note that download codes for Oculus Rift, Oculus Go and HTC Vive will take priority, with the PlayStation VR and Oculus Quest versions taking a lot longer. As further updates are released for Spice and Wolf VR, VRFocus will keep you updated.