Smithsonian American Art Museum "Beyond The Walls"

About

Go Beyond the Walls, a virtual reality experience that puts users directly in the museum’s galleries of the Smithsonian American Art Museum! Beyond the Walls blends photoreal imagery of artworks from SAAM’s collection with augmented elements to let users interact with and learn about the museum’s collection using a headset and handheld controller.BEYOND THE WALLS AT THE SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MU…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Smithsonian American Art Museum "Beyond The Walls" screenshot

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 39 reviews

gameplay3 negative mentions

The photorealistic recreations of the artworks provide an immersive experience that closely resembles viewing them in person.
The narration and context provided for each piece enhance the educational value of the experience.
It's a free VR experience that offers a unique way to explore art without the crowds of a physical museum.

The experience is very short, with only two rooms and a limited number of exhibits to explore.
There are significant compatibility issues with various VR controllers, making it difficult for some users to navigate the experience.
The controls and movement options are basic, lacking smooth movement and interactivity that could enhance the overall experience.

graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The graphics are highly praised for their use of 360 videos and a three-panel short film format, which enhance the viewing experience with extensive contextual information and a holographic narrator. The artworks are well-rendered, utilizing normal and roughness maps to create depth and texture, making them more immersive than traditional flat images.
- “The artworks are well rendered - normal and roughness maps help to provide a sense of depth and texture to the paintings that you wouldn't otherwise get just viewing them as flat images.”
- “It uses 360 videos, a three-panel short film, extensive context given in each of the pieces' panels, and a 'holographic' narrator that pops up to discuss a piece.”
- “Has narrated audio for each artwork, and extra information in the blurbs.”
- “The graphics feel outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games.”
- “The character models are poorly designed and lack detail, making them look lifeless.”
- “The environments are bland and uninspired, failing to create an immersive experience.”
gameplay
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The gameplay features limited but effective interaction mechanics, providing a streamlined experience for players.
- “The interaction mechanics are few but work well.”
- “The gameplay feels repetitive and lacks variety.”
- “The controls are unresponsive, making it frustrating to play.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users express frustration with the tutorial in Quest 2, noting that it lacks an option to listen to the story, which detracts from the overall narrative experience.
- “The story feels disjointed and lacks a coherent flow, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “Character development is shallow, leaving me with little emotional investment in their journeys.”
- “The plot twists are predictable and fail to deliver any real surprises or excitement.”