Category: Flight School Studio

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Flight School Releases Ominous VR Train Journey Manifest 99 on PlayStation VR in EU

In September, Flight School Studio launched its first virtual reality (VR) experience Manifest 99 simultaneously across Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR headsets. Except that didn’t quite happen for one set of consumers, European PlayStation VR owners. With no mention of why this particular section of the community has to wait, Manifest 99 has now arrived on the EU PlayStation Store.

Manifest99 screenshot

Manifest 99 isn’t a videogame as such, it’s actually more or an interactive story which you can enjoy either seated or standing. It requires no controller as all the interactions are gaze based, from movement to interacting with characters and objects.

The ominous and eerie story is all about finding redemption in the afterlife. Most of the experience is set on a mysterious train inhabited by a murder of crows, and as you travel through each carriage you assist four travel companions on a journey to their final destination. You gaze into the eyes of crows to move to their perch, viewing the world from their scale and perspective. When you find each travel companion you must look into their eyes to uncover their backstory, with each one leading you closer to the reason why you’re  on this train traveling into the great beyond.

Manifest 99 is one of those titles that might not instantly seem to be a compelling experience yet it perfectly showcases a unique approach to VR storytelling. The Raindance Film Festival named Manifest 99 the Best Interactive Narrative VR Experience at the 2017 VRX Awards and VRFocus awarded it a five star review, saying: “The story has a much deeper meaning than just a few travellers hitching a train ride – which VRFocus isn’t going to spoil here – safe to say that’s it pulls on the heart strings as a memorable VR experience. If you enjoy short VR animations then Manifest 99 is up there with some of the best.”

Manifest99 screenshot1

You’ll be able to find Manifest 99 on the EU PlayStation Store for £4.99 GBP. Via the American PlayStation store it’s currently $4.19 rather than $5.99 and on Steam for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift it’ll cost you £4.79. When Flight School Studio reveal details about its next project, VRFocus will keep you updated.

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Review: Manifest 99

Virtual reality (VR) experiences, just like their interactive videogame cousins, have come a long way over the past few years. Not only have they delved into subject matter that’s thought provoking or emotional, this content has explored what can actually be achieved with a linear, story-based narrative in virtual worlds where users have the freedom to look anywhere. The latest comes from Flight School Studios, an eerie and somewhat surreal story called Manifest 99.

The adventure unfolds as an old school steam train rattles through an ever changing countryside. Along the way you find that this train isn’t empty, with four mysterious companions located throughout the carriages. As the story progresses you learn about each individual, why they’re on the train and how they got there.

Manifest99 screenshot

As with any experience of this ilk, Flight School Studios sought a way of progressing the story in a way that’s both timely and supportive of the narrative. Rather than just using audio or a few visuals cues like those seen in Penrose Studios’ Allumette or Oculus Story Studios’ Dear Angelica, Manifest 99 features much more interaction with movement controlled by your gaze. Throughout the experience you’re accompanied by a murder of crows, and at certain points along the journey the birds land to give you a teleportation point. Whilst a good portion of Manifest 99 is certainly creepy the crows definitely add to that factor, with plain white eyes that you have to look into to teleport.

The same goes for the individual characters, each has deeply haunting white eyes with no pupils to speak of. Looking at them is almost like peering into their soul, unlocking short cut scenes of their home lives. Just to keep things interesting – and to make you really look around each carriage the studio has created – there are three objects to find belonging to each character, again these are picked up just with your gaze.

Because of that interactive element Manifest 99 can enjoyed at your own pace, there’s no need to rush through it at breakneck speed. If you do you’d miss some of the wonderful landscape art as it changes through the story. From war torn waste lands with twisted piles of scrap metal and crumbling buildings, to moments where you’re under the sea – or inside a giant aquarium – watching goldfish swim by. Such is the ambiance of Manifest 99 that you could just pretend you’re on a real train, just sitting there watching the world go by.

The story has a much deeper meaning than just a few travellers hitching a train ride – which VRFocus isn’t going to spoil here – safe to say that’s it pulls on the heart strings as a memorable VR experience. If you enjoy short VR animations then Manifest 99 is up there with some of the best. It provides a strong, engaging storyline with a nice level of controllability that’s not often seen, great for VR enthusiasts as well as a prefect experience for VR first timers.

100%

Awesome

  • Verdict
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‘Manifest 99’ Takes You on a Train Ride to the Afterlife, Launching on PSVR September 12th

Manifest 99, a new release coming to PSVR on September 12th, is being described as an “interactive narrative VR experience” that “straddles the line between dream and nightmare.”

Manifest 99 is the first PSVR title from developer Flight School Studio (though they have worked on on VR projects), and aims its focus more at narrative than gameplay. The title will be played without a controller and rely entirely on gaze-based input. You’ll hop between the perspectives of Flight School Studios’ interesting animal-characters as you watch the story unfold.

Creative Director Adam Volker of Flight School Studio explains:

Manifest 99 is an ominous, eerie story about finding redemption in the afterlife. Set on a mysterious train inhabited by a murder of crows, you assist four travel companions on a journey to their final destination. You play Manifest 99 without a controller: gaze into the eyes of crows to move to their perch, viewing the world from their scale and perspective.

In addition to the murder of crows, you can also use your gaze to connect with your fellow passengers. The weary ghosts of a bear, doe, owl and crow ride the train with you as well. As you lock eyes with each character, you’ll discover more about their personal journey and what brought them to the train. Each passenger represents a chapter of the experience and while aboard, you must uncover why they – and you – are on the train.

Read the rest of the announcement over at the PlayStation Blog.

The post ‘Manifest 99’ Takes You on a Train Ride to the Afterlife, Launching on PSVR September 12th appeared first on Road to VR.

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Board the Soul Train with Manifest 99 on PlayStation VR

Independent developer Flight School Studio have announced that it is bringing its first title, Manifest 99, to the PlayStation VR, for release on 12th September, 2017.

Manifest 99 takes place on an eerie journey to the afterlife, set largely about the train that carries souls to the land of the dead. The train is inhabited by a murder of crows, who act as the players eyes and ears. Curiously, no Dual Shock or Move Controller is required, as head movement controls everything. Players gaze into the eyes of a crow to move to its perspective and explore the world around them. Along the way, the player meets four travelling companions, attempting to unravel their stories and bring them some measure of peace and uncover the reasons why they, and you, are about the train.

The art style is slightly washed out, soft-edged and almost abstract, adding a misty, dreamlike quality that is designed to be a good fit for interacting with characters such as the Bear, a forlorn, reserved soul who as he lived his life as a solider, lost much and experienced much horror. Other characters you will meet include Doe, Owl and Crow, all of whom have their own stories.

Alex Volker of Flight School Studio said on the PlayStation blog: “Our team has created a rich, immersive world with Manifest 99 and we are excited to have y’all play it on PS VR. It’s been a journey creating an experience that straddles the line between dream and nightmare. We hope you’ll join us on our winding train trek through the great beyond.”

A price point for Manifest 99 has not yet been confirmed. A trailer is available to view below.

VRFocus will bring you further information on Manifest 99 as it becomes available.