Viveport Review: Dreamworks Voltron VR Chronicles

The iconic 80s cartoon series comes to life in virtual reality! Command the Blue Lion and help defend the universe.

By Desmond Madison, Greenlit Content

Dreamworks and Digital Domain have teamed up to bring classic 80s cartoon action series Voltron to life, in a virtual reality experience that neatly ties into the Netflix Voltron: Legendary Defender series. Anyone who grew up watching Voltron (or is a new fan!) has probably dreamed about what it would be like to pilot one of the mechanized space lions across the cosmos - and now you can do it.

With a unique blend of 3D and cel-shading animation, along with the magic of VR presence, the developers have managed to pull off an incredibly convincing feeling of actually being inside the cartoon itself.

That wouldn’t matter if the story weren’t there, but thankfully the cast and writers from the show have joined forces to present an experience that’s unique and authentic to the series, giving fans a real taste of what it would be like to be inside the show itself.

This playable episode allows fans to control Lance from the cockpit of the epic Blue Lion, solving puzzles, blasting down enemies and asteroids, and teaming up with the crew to take down Zarkon as the experience weaves between arcade action and 360-degree cut scenes that absorb the player in the story.  The sheer size of the universe really shines in VR, as the sense of scale of each ship is truly felt within the cockpit. Some puzzles are easy to figure out, but others may slow down the pace if you aren’t fast enough to figure out the solution on the fly. While the shooting itself is on rails, it keeps the action fun and focused in a way that won’t slow down players new to playing these type of experiences in VR.

While it may not be the longest experience from start to finish, the level of polish and production value is really what shines the most overall. Few games have really been able to capture exactly what it feels like to be inside of an established animation series as much as Voltron VR Chronicles has, though many fans may be a bit disappointed that you aren’t necessarily given the opportunity to pilot Voltron itself… just a single part of the robot.

That said, what’s on offer here is something that marks a true milestone for VR experiences based on Saturday morning cartoons, and it’s absolutely essential for fans of the Voltron series old and new. If you’re looking for a showpiece experience to onboard newcomers to virtual reality for the first time, even if they aren’t big fans of the show, Voltron is still a prime candidate to demonstrate the level of Hollywood caliber storytelling that can enrapture a player in an animated universe unlike any other medium.

Dreamworks Voltron VR Chronicles is available on available on Viveport.