Everything We Saw At Venice Immersive 2024

Venice Immersive returned once more with the Venice International Film Festival, and we went hands-on with a number of projects from creators worldwide.

As someone who's traditionally been nearly exclusively focused on video games, I'm slowly finding my feet with film festivals. Venice Immersive 2023 was my first time exploring this space, followed by April's NewImages Festival. These festivals aren't geared to consumers directly. Instead, they usually offer stages for projects and their creators to gain momentum toward longer-term aspirations.

Much like before, 2024's lineup is also home to the 'Venice Immersive World' in VRChat with a Worlds Gallery inside. Here's everything we saw.

My festival began with two projects on the first day. The Art of Change is a made in VR experience using Quill that presents a short but poetic experience with a great narrative. It weaves a series of recorded messages from one woman across the different stages of her life, presenting as an audio-visual adventure reflecting on how we change as people.

Oto's Planet involved more interactivity with hand tracking, letting me pick between an MR mode or VR mode. I opted for VR and, using a pinch motion, I could spin this planet around as the story unfolded to see what's happening in some locations. The visuals are nice, and some of the narrative tricks surprised me, but I also struggled to engage with the wider experience.

Day two involved three new projects. Pudica is a mixed reality experience that provided my first time trying out Sony's new standalone enterprise headset. My experience was purely hand-tracking in a room-scale environment, so I didn't test the controller. There's an interesting musically-focused audiovisual adventure here, but the headset's limited field of view hampered my immersion significantly.

My next appointment was Marvel's What If - An Immersive Story, one of my most anticipated bookings as someone who enjoyed ILM Immersive's previous work on Vader Immortal. Seeing this for myself was entertaining and I found the hand tracking worked better than I anticipated with certain actions, leading to a satisfying conclusion. It's an experience I'd happily recommend to anyone trying Apple Vision Pro for the first time.

I then moved to Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom which showcased the opening segment but not the MR mode. I can immediately see why Atlas V and Bandai Namco Filmworks have been calling this an interactive VR movie. You won't find a full game here, and that's certainly not a bad thing.

There are times when I wish you had more freedom with interactivity, and swapping from 1st person gameplay to watching scenes in 3rd person isn't as natural as I'd hope. Still, the storyline currently has me invested, and it's looking great on Quest 3.

My third day kicked off with something rather different, Ceci est mon coeur. This didn't take place inside a headset or use AR, so I'm not giving this a dedicated write-up, yet this narrative tale held my interest and I participated with five other people. Wearing a blanket-like garment that lights up during this story offered a sense of connection with other participants, and the story of self-acceptance ultimately resonated with me.

My next stop was Project: Lost Worlds, the latest VRChat world from Fins (Complex 7), and I'd consider this my daily highlight. Playing Complex 7 last year was an eye-opener as to what VRChat creators can do with these worlds, and that feeling only persisted with Lost Worlds. Aided by two tour guides with a small group of others, I'm impressed at the depth of this experience.

My journey began at home before entering a space station, fading between scenes like I was falling asleep and subsequently waking up. Seeing the prehistoric planet below was impressive in a way I didn't anticipate; the floating islands reminded me of Avatar's Pandora, and being able to pet dinosaurs was a lovely touch. I'm told the full release won't be ready until next year, but I'm looking forward to it.

I then moved on to Impulse: Playing With Reality, which explores the lives of four people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The subject matter is handled carefully, and though I have some issues with the wider execution, there's a strong narration from Tilda Swinton as these stories unfold. You can find my impressions below.

Fragile Home kicked off day four with some heavy subject matter. Focused on the Russo-Ukrainian war, it questions what you would do if your home was suddenly in danger. From before 2013's Maidan Uprising to more recent events, this mixed reality experience sees your surroundings transform from more peaceful times to a highly turbulent present.

I also went hands-on with A Cure For Straightness, the next project from 'Body of Mine' director Cameron Kostopoulos. This new immersive project used wearable haptic technology to highlight the cruelty behind electroshock conversion therapy used against the LGBT+ community, telling the harrowing story of a transgender survivor who underwent such treatment from the UK's NHS.

My final day saw me explore two additional projects, starting with Earths To Come. This short project aims to take a philosophical look at the concept of desire through a multi-user VR theatre, intending to "salve the last wounds on our post-pandemic hearts." It's designed to be collaborative, but beyond sitting in a room with others, that feeling isn't well reflected by the experience.

My last stop was Address Unknown: Fukushima Now, which explores the long-term impact of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 through an immersive documentary. That's achieved using volumetric capture and photogrammetry, revealing some heartfelt tales of how the community cannot return to their former homes, though some pacing issues let it down.

There are a few highlights I couldn't unfortunately fit in. Uncanny Alley: A New Day is interactive digital theatre where the audience participates. Mamie Lou looks at life and death, Une eau la nuit invites you to be transformed by water, and The Guardians of Jade Mountain from Innerspace (A Fisherman's Tale) focuses on Ushinosuke Mori during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan. Finally, Project_Y: Working Title is a 360° horror game that uses live-action VR footage.

Some experiences present I've previously tried, like Astra, and I shared my Tonight With The Impressionists thoughts during the NewImages Festival. Venice Immersive also showcased some big games that we've reviewed in the past, like Riven and The 7th Guest VR. Still, the wide range of titles being showcased was impressive, and I'll be keen to see what next year brings.

Venice Immersive 2024 ran from August 28 until September 7.