VR game developers used to be far more inventive and experimental than they are today. But occasionally, a project pops up that actually deserves the term ‘original’. That game is Actors by Skeldal Immersive, where you actually have to act, remember lines and play multiple roles. But is VR acting all it’s cracked up to be? As our friends over at 131XR have found in their review, Actors shows great promise yet can’t be called a feature-length film just yet.
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Can you act?
Not everyone can act, and many actors never make it onto the silver screen. Thankfully, you don’t need to worry about any of that, as Actors throws you into a dress rehearsal like you’re a modern thespian.
Available in Early Access for Meta Quest, Actors is quite literally an acting simulator. You’re a movie star with a script to learn, moves to master, as well as the chance to add your own improv on occasion. As you might expect, you start in rehearsals where you can chat to the director, talk to the other actors and go over your lines. Once the rehearsals are complete, you get to shoot the scene for real. Any mistakes, and you’ll have to reshoot, just like a real movie!
However, unlike a real movie, which can take weeks or months to shoot, in Actors it’s all over in an evening.
Actors Review
The game revolves around shooting a selection of scenes for a movie. You work your way through each in order, but rather uniquely, you can play all the characters in each scene. While earlier (easy) scenes may only have one or two characters, later scenes have multiple characters for you to embody.
As mentioned, you conduct rehearsals and then shoot the scene for real. This means learning the lines, as you don’t have them available in the final cut. Thankfully, these lines aren’t too extensive; you won’t have to remember an epic monologue, for example. And while there are certain key aspects you have to hit to complete the scene in a satisfactory manner for the director, there is some freedom of expression to be had. Then at the end, you can watch the ‘dailies’ – recordings of your performance – which can then be shared online.
There’s a lot to like, and the idea is very innovative. However, as 131XR explains in its review, Actors has some improvements to make. The dailies, for example, only show the character you’ve just embodied. If you’ve played all the characters in a scene, there’s no way to mash up those performances into one narrative.
Like many an Early Access game, the biggest issue Actors faces is that of content. With only one movie and a select number of scenes available, this is an experience you’ll finish in an evening. Watch the full 131XR review of Actors for all the details.
More Scripts Please
When releasing a game into Early Access, there’s always the issue of how much content should be included, especially when it’s still in development. Most do tend to fall short, promising more updates down the line. It’s whether the available content can sustain players long enough to get to that first content drop.
Actors is no different. You have one movie, ‘Hellcab’, to star in, which is then broken down into 10 scenes. It’s a logical setup and one that’s easily navigable. Unfortunately, as the game is a fun break from a lot of the average titles on the Meta Store, you’ll find completing those available scenes goes quite quickly. And while XRSource would expect Skeldal Immersive to be preparing more content, at present, what that might be or when it might arrive.
Do you like the idea of Actors? Have you played it already? Let us know in the comments!
