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Psychedelic Choose-Your-Own VR Adventure ‘Terminus’ Available Now On Oculus Rift

Explore five mind-bending realms that will have you questioning your reality.

Commissioned by the National Gallery of Australia, TERMINUS—a five-part VR experience developed by New Zealand-based artists Jess Johnson and Simon Ward—is now available on Oculus Rift and Oculus Rift S, offering a truly bizarre psychedelic experience in which players explore five other-worldly realms filled with impossible architecture, unsettling digital creatures, and a whole bunch of WTF visuals.

TERMINUS was originally intended as a touring exhibition; partway through its multi-city tour, however, the outbreak of COVID-19 forced the team to end its run early, cancelling upcoming showings at various major events, such as the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. Before ending the tour, the duo managed to showcase their project at the Heide Museum of Contemporary Art in Melbourne, the Jack Hanley Gallery in New York, and the Nanzuka Gallery in Tokyo.

Now the team has released their five-part adventure on the Oculus Store, allowing anyone the chance to hop into the “interesting” minds of the artists. Throughout their psychedelic journey, players will visit five distinct locations, each more confusing than the last. This includes Fleshold Crossing, the tower of Gog & Magog, Known Unknown, Scumm Engine, and Tumblewych.

“As an artist, I’m really excited by the psychological implications of being able to position an audience essentially within my artwork,” said Johnson in an official release. “I think VR is the most effective conduit from one brain to another that’s ever existed. With VR you can seduce someone into accepting an entirely new reality.”

“Instead of using VR to simulate reality we’ve tried to make Jess’s world a dream space where the rules of reality don’t apply,” added Ward.

Terminus VR is available now for $7.99 via the Oculus Store. For more information visit jessjohnson.org/terminus.

Image Credit: Jess Johnson and Simon Ward

About the Scout

Former Writer (Kyle Melnick)

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