Gargoyle Doyle crosses mixed reality museums with comedic VR storytelling, and it's out today on Quest.
Produced by easyAction, Gargoyle Doyle is a 40-minute VR movie that begins in an MR museum. It tells the story of a gargoyle stuck on the wall of a cathedral and his ill-matched companion, gradually watching the world change around them over 800 years. Directed by Ethan Shaftel with Astrea Immersive (Gundam: Silver Phantom) distributing, the voice cast includes Jason Isaacs as Doyle, Haley Joel Osment as Chet, and T’Nia Miller.
“Gargoyle Doyle is created to be just as accessible to a cinema audience as turning on your TV or sitting down in a movie theater, yet offering something special that can only be experienced in a virtual world,” says Shaftel in a prepared statement. "Comedy is a great genre in which to integrate novel elements of spatial storytelling, changes of size and scale, and elements of interactivity, in a way that delights and engages the audience.”
We went hands-on with Gargoyle Doyle during Venice Immersive 2023 on Quest Pro. At the time, we called it "an intriguing experience" and while we had some visual quality criticisms, Shaftel states the character animations have been updated for the Quest release.
It’s a fun narrative that doesn’t overstay its welcome and there's some enjoyable character dynamics between these clashing personalities. Some good but occasionally self-referential humor helps maintain a lighter tone, boosted by lively performances from the voice cast.
Gargoyle Doyle is available today on the Meta Quest platform.
Henry Stockdale
