SDCC 2017: ‘Monkey King’ VR Defies Expectations

When VR first came out, I thought it was just a cheesy gimmick to suck more money from gamers. My first experience with VR, a roller coaster ride and ocean diving experience, while fun, didn’t justify the cost of getting a VR accessory.

Then I tried the Monkey King at SDCC. 

Monkey King is a virtual reality experience (not interactive, but so beautiful and well thought out that it makes up for it). Created by Digital Domain, Monkey King is an immersive story experience that puts you in the Chinese folktale of Wukong the Monkey King. Each of the three, 8 minute long episodes gives you a 360° look into this version of the tale, and is so detailed, sometimes it’s hard to stay focused on following the main characters. You feel like you’re actually part of the story through the whole experience.

I was really drawn into the story of Wukong, which is a very popular legend in China. I had never heard of the tale before hearing from Digital Domain, and their VR experience is an amazingly beautiful way to be introduced tp the story. 

This is Digital Domain’s first foray into a direct consumer experience, and as far as I’m concerned it’s a very successful one – like I’m considering getting PlayStation VR so I can watch the whole story, and any more that Digital Domain comes out with. The three part story will be available July 26th for PlayStation VR, and will be available in Mandrin and English.

What do you think of the Monkey King? Let us know in the comments below!