Launched as part of Basemark’s VRScore benchmarking software, the Crytek developed VR tech demo Codename: Sky Harbor, is one of the most visually impressive examples of VR cinema around.
Direct from our time with Basemark’s promising virtual reality benchmarking suite, VRScore, here’s a full play-through of the included Crytek developed demo Codename: Sky Harbor, a sci-fi fantasy mini-epic that demonstrates what high production values and a keen sense of design can bring to an immersive experience. The VR short film puts you in the body of a lowly maintenance droid as he’s flown through the chaos of a hectic sky battle, before crash landing, becoming trapped – witnessing a series of impressive set pieces before he’s freed.
It’s a reminder that Crytek, and its Cryengine, have been behind some of the best looking VR out there. From the company’s early VR experiments with tech demo Back to Dinosaur Island through to Robinson: The Journey they certainly have a way of building virtual environments with scale and presence. It also makes me long for more short, cinematic experiences like Sky Harbour, a genre of VR which feels shamefully underpopulated right now.
As of now, Sky Harbor is only available as part of Basemark’s VRScore benchmarking software, which is available to corporate customers now but will arrive in its free and professional guises in Q2 2017.
