Put together a list of famous poems, and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven will likely feature somewhere. The iconic text has inspired many works over the years, and has itself been reworked and visualised by creators. The latest comes from Producto Studios and Iron Monkey Games, with the teams releasing The Raven. 131XR has decided to review The Raven, finding an interesting, yet short VR experience.
Edgar Allan Poe’s Famous Poem
First published in 1845, the poem is a story about a narrator grieving the loss of his loved one, his beloved Lenore. Visited by a mysterious raven at midnight, as it perches on a bust in his study, it continually repeats the word ‘Nevermore’.
A poem tackling topics such as love, loss, despair and madness, The Raven has continued to entertain and enchant for over 150 years. Now it’s made its way into VR as a short, immersive VR experience.
The Raven Review
As 131XR mentions right away in its review, The Raven is not a game and shouldn’t be considered as such. This is a piece of VR entertainment where you are merely the viewer, with no interactive elements whatsoever. As the poem is narrated over its nine-minute run time, the experience will unfold with you sitting in a chair the entire time.
Offering a dark, forboding setting inside a dimly lit study, The Raven is atmospheric but not scary. Supernatural events do occur as various objects move about to add an extra dimension to the narration. 131XR notes that both the visual delivery and voice acting of Paul J Rose are excellent, creating a compelling experience.
However, the review does find that The Raven is somewhat hampered by the lack of switchable subtitles. These are always on, drawing your attention to the words rather than the visual effects taking place. That seems to be the main negative point of The Raven. Many may find that its price in conjunction with the short duration isn’t value for money, especially with no interactive elements. Yet 131XR argues that The Raven isn’t aimed at the gaming crowd, more VR aficionados looking for new and interesting content.
An Experience Short and Sweet
The Raven continues a trend that has largely died out in VR: short cinematic VR experiences. These were hugely popular when VR began reemerging as a consumer product 10 years ago. Titles such as Spheres, Gloomy Eyes, Henry, Dear Angelica, Paper Birds, Baba Yaga, Wolves in the Walls and many more showcased an exciting era of creativity.
However, while these mini-movies are beautiful, thought-provoking and a joy to watch, they don’t make much money. Turning a profit from games in VR is hard enough, but when you’re talking about a VR experience that has little to no interaction and tends to last no longer than 20 minutes, consumers want more bang for their buck. So hopefully The Raven will find an audience.
