Final Fantasy Creator Square Enix Launches Its First VR Manga On Rift

Final Fantasy Creator Square Enix Launches Its First VR Manga On Rift

Square Enix’s next VR experience isn’t what you’d expect, at least from a videogame company.

The publisher this week released a new app that explores the world of Japenese manga in VR. Named Tales of Wedding Rings VR, the app recreates an existing comic strip in VR, giving viewers the chance to step inside the medium for the first time with a mix of moving panels and fully 3D scenes that you can explore for yourself. It features full voice acting.

The story sees viewers follow Satou, a high school boy that joins his childhood friend, Hime, on an adventure into another world. In this new land, Hime becomes a princess that Satou marries, though in doing so learns he must marry four more princesses in order to defeat the Abyss King. Look, it’s manga, we didn’t write it, okay?

Tales of Wedding Rings VR is now available on the Oculus Rift via Home for $19.99 and supports the English language. A HTC Vive launch should be coming next month.

This is far from Square’s first experiment with VR. The company’s already published VR ports like Hitman Go and implemented optional features in games like Rise of the Tomb Raider. Last year it also released two original VR games in Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV and Million sen Arthur. We’re also hoping to see some new VR content from Square at E3 in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

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Square Enix’s First Oculus Rift Title is Manga Experience Tales of Wedding Rings VR

When a company as prestigious as Square Enix says it’s going to make something in virtual reality (VR) it makes a lot of gamers take notice. Last year the studio collaborated with HTC Vive on exclusive Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur VR. Today, Square Enix has launched its first VR experience for Oculus Rift, Tales of Wedding Rings VR.

Previously called Project Hikari when Square Enix first showcased the title during the Tokyo Games Show (TGS) 2016, the experience mixes both traditional Japanese manga with immersive VR tech to offer a new way of experiencing Maybe‘s  Tales of Wedding Rings.

Keeping with the iconic monochrome world, Tales of Wedding Rings VR tells a story about an average high school student name Satou, who receives an unexpected email from Hime, the mysterious girl living next door, which of course leads to an adventure of a life time.

The development team has ensured that even a 2D manga like Tales of Wedding Rings can be immersive in VR, creating fully realised 3D worlds, faithfully reproducing the environments and characters. Plus, there’s LiveWindow view, described as: “a unique technology that renders 3D content in separate frames that allow multiple viewing angles, and also dynamically animate to achieve a unique narrative style like never before.”

Available in both English and Japanese languages, Tales of Wedding Rings VR has currently only appeared on the Oculus Store, although Square Enix has previously confirmed support for HTC Vive. It retails for £14.99 GBP. For any further updates from Square Enix on Tales of Wedding Rings VR, or anyother VR projects, keep reading VRFocus.