Screaming at inanimate objects never felt so good.
Available now on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, and Valve Index, Ravenclaw Common Room VR is a fan-made demo experience set within the Wizarding World of Harry Potter that allows users to navigate the confines of the Ravenclaw Common Room and experiment with a variety of spells and objects.
For those of you unfamiliar with Harry Potter lore (I’m so sorry), Ravenclaw is one of the four houses that comprise the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Along with different aspects and looks, each house has its own Common Room, a place in which students of that group can relax and study between classes.
While not the most exciting location to set a VR experience—especially when you consider the many fantastic locales we’ve visited throughout the series—this large open space serves as the perfect sandbox environment in which to experiment with powerful spells made famous throughout the series.
While exploring the Ravenclaw Common Room, you’ll come across several textbooks containing the instructions for a variety of spells you can cast. All the classics are here: Wingardium Leviosa (basic levitation charm), Engorgio (causes target to swell immensely), Lumos (produces a blinding flash of light), and Reparo (instantly repair damaged objects), as well as several other prominent charms and incantations.
You can select each spell by simply tapping your wand on its corresponding page, after which all you need do is touch an object of your choosing and watch as your spell takes effect. The real magic, however, is in the voice commands. By utilizing your headset’s built-in microphone, you can actually trigger each charm by simply stating its name out loud; further immersing yourself in the shoes of a wizard/witch enrolled in what is clearly the coolest house at Hogwarts #RavenclawForever.
Despite being presented as a simple demo project, Ravenclaw Common Room VR is currently one of my favorite magic-based experiences available on a VR headset. The spells, while simple, feel surprisingly satisfying when activated by my voice, and experimenting with the effects each spell had on the many objects scattered throughout the room left me with plenty to discover.
Using the Reparo spell, for instance, I was able to go throughout the room and repair various broken bottles; a simple task, but one that felt natural and engaging thanks to the motion controls and voice activation. At one point I spent a solid ten minutes simply teleporting throughout the room lifting books in the air with Wingardium Leviosa spells, every second of which a joy.
Developed by Colin Cody-Waters, Ravenclaw Common Room VR is available for free on major PC VR headsets here.
*This project is in no way associated with Warner Bros. Entertainment or J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.*
Featured Image Credit: Colin Cody-Waters
