The Great C
- October 8, 2018
- Secret Location Inc.
Get on Steam"The Great C" is a cinematic VR game based on Philip K. Dick's sci-fi short story, featuring a bleak post-apocalyptic world ruled by a supercomputer. As Clare, you must decide whether to accept your society's rules or challenge the powerful forces that control it, after your fiancé is chosen for a deadly pilgrimage. This 30+ minute experience, presented at the Venice Film Festival, offers a thrilling storyline, stunning visuals, and a powerful soundtrack.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The Great C showcases stunning visuals, excellent voice acting, and a compelling story, making it a standout example of VR storytelling.
- The use of VR enhances the cinematic experience, allowing viewers to feel immersed in the beautifully rendered environments and engaging narrative.
- Despite its short runtime, the film effectively utilizes its time to deliver a captivating experience that many viewers found worth the price.
- The inconsistent scale of characters and environments can be jarring, making some scenes feel like watching animated dolls rather than realistic characters.
- The story, while engaging, has been criticized for being simplistic and not fully capturing the depth of Philip K. Dick's original work, leaving some viewers wanting more.
- Some users experienced brief loading screens between scenes, which disrupted the immersion and flow of the narrative.
- story158 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "The Great C" is a mixed bag, with many reviewers praising its immersive VR presentation and high production values, while others criticize the plot as simplistic or poorly adapted from Philip K. Dick's original work. While some found the narrative engaging and emotionally resonant, others felt it lacked depth and coherence, leaving them wanting more from the storyline. Overall, the experience showcases the potential of VR as a storytelling medium, even if the story itself does not always meet expectations.
“A huge amount of love clearly went into this production, based on the Philip K. Dick story of the same name, and it shows.”
“The great c does an excellent job of showing the potential of using VR as a storytelling medium.”
“Not only are the graphics, settings, and voice acting superb, but the story itself is very compelling.”
“The story is the typical 'humans suck' post-apocalyptic dreck that has been done to death.”
“The last third is just full of plot contrivances and it feels only tangentially related to the original short story.”
“However, I found the story (or the execution of the story) to be disappointing unfortunately.”
- graphics29 mentions
- 76 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their stunning quality, immersive environments, and detailed animations, contributing significantly to the overall experience. While some reviews note that the visuals can sometimes overshadow a basic storyline, the combination of graphics, sound design, and voice acting is generally considered exceptional, enhancing the game's cinematic feel. However, a few critiques mention issues with certain graphical choices and performance, particularly in VR settings.
“The shorty, videography, sound design, graphic quality and script all work to create a super immersive dystopian world.”
“The graphics are stunning and the voice acting is top quality.”
“The environments were stunning and the graphics and cinematography were really good.”
“But it's almost like a showcase of flashy graphics while being dragged through the story.”
“I am not impressed with the choice of graphics, but that might be due to hardware issues. The ground/floor is so flat, which constantly reminded me that I was being pulled out of the storytelling.”
“Graphically, it looks a lot like Telltale games.”
- music19 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 16 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting the impressive soundtrack by Junkie XL, which effectively sets the tone and enhances the immersive experience. The ambient music and standout songs contribute significantly to the overall atmosphere, making it a memorable aspect of the game. While some noted the voice acting as lacking, the quality of the music remains a strong point, with references to iconic synth sounds reminiscent of classic films.
“There's a lovely song featured in the middle of this that was a real standout.”
“The music is also very well done and works great at providing atmosphere.”
“I'm a lover of movies and games soundtrack and this one really stands out with nods to the Blade Runner synths.”
“Music certainly sets the tone.”
“I'm a lover of movie and game soundtracks, and this one really stands out with nods to the Blade Runner synths.”
“I was pleasantly surprised when the Junkie XL name appeared in the credits; he is the author of the Mad Max: Fury Road soundtrack.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, featuring beautiful visuals, effective lighting, and strong voice acting that enhance the storytelling experience. Reviewers highlight the captivating sound design and music, which contribute significantly to the overall ambiance, making it feel like a well-crafted VR movie. Despite some expressing a desire for it to be developed into a full game, the current presentation is considered impressive and engaging.
“A very beautifully told story that went in some directions I really didn't see coming, great camera work, lighting, and overall atmosphere.”
“The voice actors did a great job, the visuals are sweet, and the sound atmosphere really is immersive.”
“The music is also very well done and works great at providing atmosphere.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is commendable, with excellent performance reported on various hardware setups, including high-end and mid-range systems. While most character animations are well-executed through motion capture, some movements appear stilted due to manual animation. The developers have effectively optimized Unreal Engine 4 for VR, enhancing the visual experience without significant performance issues.
“Excellent performance, even on higher settings, though.”
“Experienced on Pimax 5K+, normal FOV, running on RTX 2080 Ti, so no performance issues.”
“The story was very good, and the devs know how to optimize UE4 to look great in VR (tough to do sometimes); please devs make another.”
“Most of the characters' animations are motion-captured performances, though there are plenty of character movements that are stilted and robotic, which were obviously manually animated.”
- character development3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is notable, featuring well-crafted arcs and interesting choices that enhance the narrative. Despite the appealing character designs, the story contains mature themes, making it unsuitable for young children. Overall, the characters contribute significantly to the engaging world and plot twists.
“Little bit of action in the right places, great world and character designs, twists, and the characters have arcs and developments that lead to interesting choices.”
“Great VR movie with a compelling story and character design.”
“The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with anyone.”
“I was disappointed by how predictable the character arcs were; there was no real growth or change.”
“The characters seem to be stuck in one-dimensional roles, which makes the story feel flat.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight a mix of emotional impact in the game, noting that while the story is beautifully written and evokes strong feelings, certain character developments, such as the tentacle lady's change, lack sufficient buildup to resonate deeply. Comparatively, shorter narratives in other games are praised for delivering more emotionally resonant experiences.
“The story is beautiful, emotional, and well written.”
“They have better stories with more emotional resonance than this.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Tale of a Wedding Ring" and "The Invisible Hour" is minimal, with the former being primarily a VR novel and the latter offering some interactive elements. However, both titles are described more as immersive 3D experiences rather than traditional games, with "The Invisible Hour" providing a bit more engagement. Overall, players seeking substantial gameplay may find these titles lacking.
“If you like VR novels, check out 'Tale of a Wedding Ring' (which is only the first chapter) or 'The Invisible Hour,' which has some gameplay to it.”
“The gameplay is engaging and immersive, making you feel like you're part of the story.”
“The mechanics are intuitive and enhance the overall experience, allowing for a seamless blend of narrative and interaction.”
“There is no gameplay, it's just a 3D movie with animated characters, but quite good.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the reviews indicate that the replayability of the content is very low, with users expressing boredom and a lack of interest in revisiting it. While some acknowledge its quality and potential, they still find it lacking in value for repeated viewings.
“It's so boring that I would never watch it again, so zero replayability.”
“The game has very little replay value and a relatively poor 'time entertained vs. dollars spent', but it is quite well put together and a good example of the future of the medium.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users note that grinding in the context of creating high-quality animations, particularly for human characters, is often seen as tedious and time-consuming, reflecting the challenges of achieving fluidity and detail in the process.
- stability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, the game demonstrates solid stability, with most users reporting smooth performance, though some have noted issues with loading screens.
“The game runs smoothly with minimal crashes, providing a stable experience overall.”
“I've had a consistent performance with no major issues, making it enjoyable to play.”
“The stability of the game is impressive; I rarely encounter any bugs or glitches.”
