Battle alongside friends as a warrior, priest, or mage in this immersive reimagining of the hit 1986 JRPG.
Since first opening its doors to visitors of Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward back in 2016, VR Zone Shinjuku has attracted international attention thanks to an impressive selection of exclusive location-based VR experiences.
This catalogue expanded even further this April as Bandai Namco’s massive VR arcade added Dragon Quest VR to its line-up of impressive multiplayer experiences. Stepping into the role of either the warrior, priest, or mage, players can team up with three other friends for an cooperative adventure through the exciting, monster-filled world of Dragon Quest.
As hordes of monstrous Slime and Dracky descend upon you and your team, it’s up to the warrior to defend the group using a sword or rod and shield while the priest and mage inflict offensive damage and heal the party.
It all ends in an epic final showdown with the end boss, Zoma.
“After the VR ZONE facility launched last year, we’ve been looking at ways to take advantage of the open space, and this space really goes well with the concept of the role-playing game,” said Yukiharu Tamiya of BANDAI NAMCO Amusement Inc., who oversees the facility. “The DRAGON QUEST games are about adventure, so going into a VR world and being able to walk around can give the players the sense of traveling through an unexplored land.”
Dragon Quest VR’s portable VR system includes a combination of custom HTC Vive headsets and PC backpacks. 40 Vicon V5 motion tracking cameras capable of tracking 150 different objects at 180 fps. Players are free to explore an empty 240-square-meter room as customized handheld controllers allow players to interact with the virtual world.
“To see groups of people yelling, shouting and fighting virtual foes while being lost in the experience was amazing,” said Vicon’s Asia Pacific Sales Manager Alex Muir. “We were there at the beginning of this with Bandai Namco as a technical partner, and to see the realization of being immersed in the game – not the technology – was mind blowing.”
Tickets are available for ¥3,200 (around $29 USD) here.
Image Credit: Bandai Namco
