Hands-on: Wallace & Gromit VR feels like it’s in the movies

Wallace & Gromit in Grand Getaway captures the essence of Aardman’s films at their Venice Immersive premiere. Here’s our full hands-on preview.

Like many Brits my age, I enjoyed watching Wallace and Gromit as a child. Starting with the original moon cheese quest, the duo’s next adventure went to many unfamiliar places. Between rabbits, robot dogs, and a certain round-eyed penguin, it’s still fun decades later. The Grand Getaway convinced me that I was going to be in another movie.

Split into 12 chapters, this latest adventure begins with an unexpectedly silly move. When Wallace realized he was messing up the dates for his upcoming vacation, the famous duo used the iconic orange Rocket to make it in time. In a hilariously preventable way, they quickly go astray and the two find themselves stranded on Mars.

The first chapter begins with piloting a golf-themed Robo Caddy. Using its extendable arms, this involves some unique packaging. To retrieve items with motion control, you must place them near your head so that Robo Caddy can “spit” them into the suitcase. Is this realistic from a game perspective? Not completely. Is it happy? Absolute. Because none of Wallace’s inventions are simple. Robo Caddy feels at home in this world and stars Beryl, an AI bot charmingly voiced by Miriam Margoyles.

Aside from where your feet can physically move, there’s no freedom of movement in the game through smooth motion, although Robo Caddy can teleport to set locations. It’s not exactly “on the rails” but The Grand Getaway keeps the scenes in a particular street, which I assume for narrative reasons. It helps maintain comfort while watching movies and also reduces the risk of nausea, so it’s friendly to VR newbies.

Before long, I was playing Gromit. Naturally, he can’t teleport or extend his grip but I find myself preparing for the rocket to take off through a small set of puzzles, fixing things like gears and brakes. This requires searching for items in the environment, and Grand Getaway doesn’t guide you too much. Beryl gave me some small suggestions after I got stuck, and I quickly discovered what I had overlooked.

The puzzle solving is fun but the real highlight is the very well integrated humor. I won’t detail the exact jokes, as that would take away the fun, but I have laughed many times. Comedy isn’t easy in a user-controlled, time-critical setting, but The Grand Getaway works well, and the interactions give it a brand-appropriate feel with the series’ signature humour. movie.

We expected this to be a short two-hour adventure, and overall, its visuals fit well with Aardman’s stop motion style. Everyone looks great and the strong sense of humor immediately attracts. I’m enjoying the interactivity that Grand Getaway brings to this world, and so far, Aardman and No Ghost seem to be handling this new medium well.

My demo ended after reaching Mars and it left me wanting more. While I wasn’t able to test this at Venice Immersive, I’d love to try it with manual tracking controls as Aardman confirmed it will be included at launch. I can see Wallace and Gromit persuading VR newbies to either Mission 2 or Mission 3, and if the game as a whole keeps this momentum we’re in for a treat.

Wallace and Gromit in Grand Getaway will launch this year on the Meta Quest platform. If you want to know more, check out our full interview with Aardman, No Ghost, and Atlas V below: