If you follow Mondivirtuali.it for some time, you should already know Ghost in the Shell, popular manga by Masamune Shirow, brought on the screens as anime (animation movie) already in 1995 by Mamoru Oshii director and then as a “live-action” movie with Scarlett Johansson as the main character, Major Mira Killian.

From Mario Kart to Ghost in the Shell

Well: now in Japan Ghost in the Shell is also a VR arcade multiplayer shooter developed by VR Zone Shinjuku (Bandai Namco group), the same company which last January realized Mario Kart GP VR, a virtual reality experience based on Mario Kart drive system with steering wheel and hand tracker that allows to physically throw objects to friends.

2 teams of 4 players going head to head

Besides Mario Kart VR, VR Zone Shinjuku developed already other 14 virtual reality experiences and has a building of over 3,700 square meters and now with Bandai Namco developed an exclusive experience based on the animated series, a four-on-four multiplayer shooter playable in a 20m x 12m arena, called Ghost in the Shell: Arise Stealth Hounds.

Tracking system makes the game realistic

Each player wears an earwig, a modified Htc Vive headset, VR markers on their wrists, ankles, and hips to track full-body movements and MSI‘s VR One PC backpack. The room’s optical motion tracking system translates data in real-time allowing the player the control of his action inside the VR arena, tracking also the most complex movements.

Ghost in the Shell in VR: the video

Although in the reality the players physically wander in an almost empty game space, in VR they’ll be shoulder-to-shoulder inside complex futuristic buildings and will have to jump, run, squat and hide behind digital obstacles to shun the upcoming shots the of enemies and accomplish mission’s goal within the 30 minutes of the game session. If you like, take a look at this video to better understand:

For now, you can play only on booking

This kind of game, which, for now, is an “exclusive” experience since you have to book it, December 9, 2017, by VR Zone Shinjuku arena (you can book your ticket directly on the site https://vrzone-pic.com/en), could open up a new line for multiplayer “shooter” games.

Team games and military training in VR

Physically, the feeling to really crawl under the upcoming fire or advance shoulder to shoulder with your own companions while you are moving toward a new shelter makes this VR experience something which remembers a lot of our childish games and can also have applications in the military training sector.

Will Ghost in the Shell: Arise Stealth Hounds be the launchpad that way? To discover it, continue to follow Mondivirtuali.it, also through our account on Twitter and our fanpage on Facebook (but remember: Mondivirtuali is on Flickr, on Pinterest, on Scoop.it on Paper.li and also on Youtube too).