Groove Jones + Royal Caribbean Launch Swashbuckler - the First 4D Multiplayer VR Game on the Sea
Dallas-based Extended Reality & immersive tech hot shop Groove Jones has created a new experience that pushes the boundaries of VR gaming. Adventurers on Royal Caribbean’s innovative cruise ship, Odyssey of the Seas, can experience SWASHBUCKLER, a custom-built, dedicated LBE (Location-Based Experience) VR game within Royal Caribbean’s Virtual Adventure Zone. The first fully immersive, 4D, virtual reality experience at sea transports you to dimensions you never dreamed existed.
Groove Jones worked with Royal Caribbean’s Product Development and technical teams to bring the 4D adventure to life. The leading cruise line’s commitment to delivering the most memorable vacations to travelers of all ages aligns well with Groove Jones’ agile approach to developing next-generation experiences for world-class brands.
The Swashbuckler game is a walkable VR universe within Virtual Adventure Zone where four players will step into a 12-minute steampunk pirating adventure. Innovative thinking and collaboration between Groove Jones and Royal Caribbean, physical props, wearable haptics, and a play space create the most realistic sense of immersion available anywhere – on land and at sea. Untethered, you’re free to roam, explore, and physically interact with the environment around you. The game focuses on teamwork, combat, cinematic moments, and thrilling VR interactions to create an experience that is challenging, fun, and rewarding for everyone
Guests set off on their adventure as agents of the Interdimensional Security Agency, a special unit tasked with protecting different worlds and timelines. Once they put on the VR equipment in the headquarters – Zone Zero – players are briefed on their training simulation. What starts as a training simulation becomes an actual mission to recapture a mythical treasure stolen by the mysterious enemy known as the Kraken.
The pirating adventure begins within the Captain’s Quarters. Each guest selects a proxy avatar, a unique physical character in the alternate dimension. Each character has their special weapon and style. Guests can use their time in the Captain’s Quarters to familiarize themselves with VR controls and check out their character’s outfits in the mirror. Once players have assumed their character, a companion accompanies & guides them throughout the journey.
Outside of the Captain’s Quarters, players can look around and steer the ship to its destination, Skull Island, by taking the helm and turning a physical ship wheel. As the ship nears Skull Island, the players are attacked by a fleet of flying Skeleton Monkey Pirates. Players can use the ship’s cannons to take out the enemy ships in the distance and fight with the minions being cannoned onto the deck. The combat intensifies as enemy ships, and skeleton monkeys continue their attack.
The players’ airship is inevitably destroyed beyond a sailable state, and the players must use an escape vessel to get away. Guests eventually escape to Skull Island on their search for the Kraken.
