How Wallace & Gromit VR pays homage to a great day out

Wallace and Gromit in The Grand Getaway marks the duo’s first VR adventure, paying homage to A Grand Day Out. Released this year on Quest, we spoke to the developers to learn more. Read on for our full interview.

Developed by Aardman, No Ghost and Atlas V, Wallace and Gromit in The Grand Getaway resurfaced in June after being announced last year. With Wallace confusing the dates for their upcoming vacation, the famous duo used the iconic orange Rocket to make it in time. Predictably, it’ll go awry and you’ll soon be stranded on Mars.

We embarked on the Grand Getaway during the world premiere at Venice Immersive in Italy. We’ll be announcing our impressions soon, but in the weeks before that, we’ve also interviewed these three groups to learn more through an email Q&A session.

Starting with the development history of The Grand Getaway, Finbar Hawkins, Aardman’s director and screenwriter, told me the idea came from a meeting with No Ghost. He explains that the studio is looking to develop “high-level” concepts with Atlas V, advising Meta to commission an already reputable IP.

“After the success of Madrid Noir, [Atlas V] really wanted to find celebrities to create a bigger experience for their next project,” said Joseph Bell, producer at Aardman, who later confirmed Grand Getaway would be separate from the upcoming film. Aardman’s director, Bram Ttwheam, also stars Merlin Crossingham, series creator Nick Park has helped expand the concept even further.

Wallace & Gromit in the Grand Getaway screenshot

When asked about the Martian setting, Bell said The Grand Getaway pays homage to A Grand Day Out and compares it to old-fashioned great adventures. “With VR, we take the audience to a new virtual space. Parallel that idea by taking our duo somewhere less familiar – just like they did in the first movie. we meet them – that seems like a strong starting point.”

Ttwheam said that he and Hawkins were keen to do the “Full B Movie” with a signature Jules Verne feel. “You can imagine Wallace being inspired to build his rocket after watching Forbidden Planet,” Ttwheam tells me, while Hawkins further explains.

We may also soon see how interesting these various scenes will be in the VR scene – going from the iconic dining room and Rocket to strange, unknown locations. Bram and I were keen, as B-movie enthusiasts, to give this movie a lovely flair of 50s/60s sci-fi. We feel this is particularly relevant to W&G’s vintage style and it connects well with other films.

Given that Hawkins and Ttwheam had worked on The Big Fix Up, I asked if the AR project influenced the development of The Grand Getaway. Ttweam calls it a “great introduction to world-building” which makes them see the audience as active participants in the story.

Bell tells me Beryl, an AI bot from the AR game, has also been brought back. “She was an early decision because she was so helpful in The Big Fix Up… we invented Beryl to aid the user experience,” Hawkins said in a face-to-face meeting. “We thought that with one character not speaking and the other being a bit goofy, we would need help here.”

But is adapting this series to VR difficult? Unnecessary. Bell calls VR an “asset” when looking for humorous opportunities that complement the script. “Wallace & Gromit exists in a tactile and well-perceived world. Even on a normal screen, you want to see it all… Scaling it up so it becomes a world you don’t. being able to step in and enjoy discovery appropriately would make it a perfectly fitting world.”

Hawkins explained that both studios found the scenes and interactions between elements in VR gave them freedom. Ttweam says that Wallace and Gromit’s age-old universe has given them a lot to draw from. “There are certain rules about humor that translate very well; if you stick to them then everything will work,” he replied, referring to the duo’s character motivations.

The game swaps between many characters in different chapters. No Ghost gameplay director Lawrence Bennett said: “You’re going to do all the things you see the guys do in the movies.” “Repair, launch, tune and eat cookies of course! There will be some more mechanical gameplay as well as a focus on skill, timing and puzzle solving.” Although my demo used a controller, I later learned that manual tracking controllers will be supported at launch.

Bennett makes narration the main focus but says the gameplay has to support it, and tells me why The Grand Getaway doesn’t support free movement. “Exploring the environment is something we’ve always wanted to do, but it’s important for the characters to be themselves,” he advises. “Once they’re in the scene, stepping up and waving is a big deal.” Hawkins agreed, saying both groups approached the issue from a filming and staging perspective.

I also wonder if we should expect a shorter experience like Madrid Noir or something more. In an email Q&A, Antoine Cayrol, Co-Founder of Atlas V and executive producer of Grand Getaway, said it takes “2 to 2.5 hours” and is divided into 12 chapters. As for other platforms, The Grand Getaway won’t be leaving Quest anytime soon, but Cayrol claims that the door isn’t completely closed yet.

Our partnership with Meta is more than just financial; they really resonate with our vision for Wallace & Gromit, which makes the collaboration all the more meaningful… Although I can’t go into specifics at the moment, there are It can be said that we are always considering how to expose our work to a wider audience. The idea of releasing on other platforms, such as PSVR 2, is definitely on our radar.

With Quest at the heart, I questioned the potential performance boost on Quest Pro or Quest 3. Cayrol explained that the focus was on ensuring the best possible experience with Quest 2 but they didn’t mention it though. any Pro enhancements, but playing on Quest 3 yields “improved resolution”. , texture quality is smoother and overall performance is smoother with higher frame rates and reduced load times.”

Wallace and Gromit in Grand Getaway will launch exclusively this year on the Meta Quest platform. We’ll bring you full impressions of Venice Immersive this weekend.