I’ve been diving back to the early days of VR – PSVR specifically – to enjoy some of the more cinematic and sedentary edutainment experiences that VR ushered in. Apollo 11 is like a documentary, transporting you back to the mission to land on the moon. Oddly, it isn’t so much the VR immersion that draws you in but the use of historical artefacts that brings integrity and gravitas to the title. I think this is edutainment done right.
There are two modes to play Apollo 11 VR, one with some limited interactive elements and one that is totally cinematic. Either way you’ll be watching far more than playing and the documentary length experience will kick off with you sitting in front of an old CRT TV watching the evocative mission to the moon speech, getting you into the mood. From there you’ll see Apollo 11 on the space pad, climb aboard, launch into space, land and bounce around on the moon before returning home. Each scene has a sense of increasing drama – especially when landing as it uses the real NASA radio recordings to bring all the technical wizardry to life. The graphics may be a bit flat and barren in 2023 but they do the job. The PSVR version I have has since been HD upgraded on PC so I’d imagine that looks more detailed and immersive.
A lot has gone into the Apollo 11 interior and what I love about this experience is that less is more. There is no overblown orchestral soundtrack blaring at you. No crazy camera angles trying to hype it up. Instead, you are strapped it, shaking around watching the sky to darkness whilst hundreds of switches blink around you. It doesn’t need all the cinematic drama and relies on the sheer grandeur of space itself. I think its a wise decision but I can see some younger gamers maybe feeling its a bit straight laced. I think it adds integrity and respect in trying to recreate the actual event, so when you hear the presidential phone call on the moon, it carries all the weight its supposed to.
I didn’t run into any issues or bugs but having played this versus say the Titanic VR experience, Apollo 11 VR is smaller in scope and lacks more varied details and historical deep dives. Other edutainment offers more information outside of the main event where as Apollo 11 VR leaves you wanting more details on the spaceship itself and some of the key personnel. That’s really my only criticism. I wished that more of these VR edutainment experiences were being made today as there was a mini boom for about 2 years and then they all stopped being made. I really enjoy the sit down and immerse yourself in a topic experience and I hope they come back to prominence again soon.
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