With Ralph Breaks the Internet opening in theaters this week, Disney wanted to celebrate the lovable Disney characters by having the fans be part of the Internet experience. Located at the VR experience hub The Void, Disney teamed up with ILMxLAB, Lucasfilm’s award-winning immersive entertainment division, and The Void to create Ralph Breaks VR, an interactive VR gaming experience you can have with friends and family.
In Ralph Breaks VR, you and three of your friends will break into the internet with Wreck-It-Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz disguised as characters from the film called “Netizens” to play the newest, coolest video game ever. In the world, you will find two new locations — Dunderdome and Pancake Milkshake Diner (like in the Ralph Breaks the Internet teaser). There, you will be introduced to the new antagonist “B.E.V.” aka “Built to Eradicate Viruses,” who you must battle with your milkshake/pancake guns!
The Nerds of Color were invited for a sneak peek into The Void’s headquarters to play the game, alongside three other journalists. Users can pick their Netizen that they’d like to portray in the story. There are a lot of options and the one you pick has no bearing on how you play. It’s all an aesthetic thing. Of course, I picked the one who looked like a martial artist, because she carried ninja stars. I like ninja stars.
Similar to The Void’s iconic VR game, Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, you’re fitted in a body suit and headgear (sights and sounds), where you can fully immerse into the game. With the gear, you can hear and see your colleague’s avatars that they chose in the beginning. You can also see your own movements with your arms and hands. Your avatar will have a watch on the left hand, which tells you the scores between your colleagues. We then enter the Void and are transported into the WiFi hub. There, we meet Ralph and Vanellope as we travel together to THE INTERNET.
Our first game is trying to break into the internet by using our hands to press buttons, but the wrong buttons cause a little shock (it’s just the armor vibrating). If your teammates get it wrong, you also get shocked. So, you could imagine us all yelling at each other to get it right. We finally do and enter the beautiful world of the internet seen in the film. It’s bright and magical with tons of Easter eggs around from the film. We are taken to the first gaming location — The Dunderdome, which looked like a 3D version of Space Invaders. We have to shoot the aliens and everything flying around us for the most points. There are buttons to press to shoot like in Space Invaders. For those who wanted added points, you can also use your hands to swat at flying avatars around you.
Then, chaos breaks loose! The game shuts down and we find out that the villain, BEV, has taken over the internet and made our beloved Kitty and Bunny characters from the Pancake Milkshake Diner go nuts. So, we must gear up with our pancake/milkshake guns and take them down. We enter the diner and shoot at them using either the milkshake or pancakes (which were able to be switched on the gun). This was really fun because they were everywhere and it felt like a massive food fight. After we defeated them in the diner, we moved on to the roof where we were faced with more Kitties and Bunnies… and eventually BEV, herself. In the end, the final scores are tallied and the gear comes off.
It was extremely satisfying to be in this world and feel a part of Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet. Fans of the beloved characters will love this interactive experience. ‘Ralph Breaks VR’ officially launches tomorrow, November 21, at local The Void locations. Pre-sale tickets are now available online at www.TheVOID.com.
Ralph Breaks VR Official Story Overview:
It’s time to break into the internet! Join Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz, your favorite misfit friends in a brand new hyper-reality experience by ILMxLAB, The VOID, and Walt Disney Animation Studios. In Ralph Breaks VR, you and your friends will sneak onto the internet disguised as Netizens to play the newest, coolest video game ever. Shoot retro alien spaceships, squash pixel bugs, and fend off hordes of bunnies and kitties in the Pancake Milkshake Diner while you team up with Ralph and Vanellope in a race against time to see who can rack up the highest score! It’s all fun and games until an evil security system shows up and threatens to take you and your new buddies offline… permanently.