I often talk about Breaking Fourth’s Ctrl as one of the first examples of a VR movie moving away from the initial wonder of putting on a headset and actually focusing on deep, engaging storytelling. It’s a memorable experience that’s not to be missed and, fortunately, it’s getting a second wind.
Breaking Fourth is remastering Ctrl as a free release to launch within the next few weeks. The core story remains the same but, as technology has moved on in the 18 or so months since we first saw it, the foundations of the piece are being improved. The resolution, for starters, is crisper and there’s far less blur as the viewer moves around the environment. The screens around the virtual arena you find yourself in also have new graphics to make things a little clearer.
The biggest improvement, though, is to the eSports-style videogame that protagonist Liam is competing in. The chess-themed shooter has been reworked to make it a much clearer experience and add some new effects to take advantage of VR. I saw the first five minutes of the piece remastered and it’s much clearer and easier to follow and a bit more immersive thanks to the smoothed out visuals.
Ctrl’s remastered version will be rolling out across multiple platforms as a free release (Breaking Fourth charged for the original version). It’s really something you should see; the piece tells a dark, impactful story that I still remember to this day.
Next up, Breaking Fourth is working on a new VR drama named Lucid. Look for more on that experience on Upload next week.
