ImaginaryPark2070 features four out-of-this-world areas to explore in VR.
The popular Japanese animation studio Toei Animation recently launched “ImaginaryPark2070,” a massive virtual world located inside the popular VR social platform VRChat.
This enormous “multiverse” theme park features a variety of immersive entertainment, official Sony characters powered by conversational artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and a whole lot more.
The world is composed of four primary areas to explore at your leisure. The 1956 Oizumi Gakuen Area is a virtual recreation of Toei Doga Studio and the 1999 Akihabara Area features the GE999 train and characters from Galaxy Express 999.
Then there’s the 2017 Haneda Airport Area—an area dedicated to Kado of Kado: The Right Answer, an animated series produced by Mr. Koichi Noguchi, who also serves as the leader of this project—and Near Future Shibuya Area, a place where you can interact with the Arhan, an exoskeleton suit from Expelled from Paradise.
That’s a lot of virtual ground to cover. Thankfully, we’re here to give you the scoop on the coolest locations and activities to check out in VR.
The first thing we noticed upon entering ImaginaryPark2070 was the artificial intelligence (AI) concierge. Visitors are greeted by Memory voice actor, Momo Asakura, or En voice actor, Aya Yamane, whom they can chat with about virtually anything.
It’s important to note that these characters speak exclusively Japanese and will only appear in specific instances, so don’t be surprised if they don’t appear the first time you log in.
That said, despite not being able to speak Japanese, we were still able to appreciate the combination of technology powering these talkative characters. Using AI to chat naturally with your favorite fictional characters is an incredible concept, one I hope to see extended to English-speaking users at some point in the near future.
The second thing you’ll notice about ImaginaryPark 2070 is its incredible size. This world is big, and I mean really big. Thankfully, you’ll find golden beams scattered throughout each location which can be used to zip around the world at incredible speeds.
I had a ridiculous amount of fun flying over the tarmacs at Haneda Airport, navigating the rooftops of a post-apocalyptic Shibuya City inhabited by giant robots, dropping in for a show at the main stage, and chatting with various non-playable characters (NPCs). Speaking of NPCs…
As you explore ImaginaryPark2070 you’ll come across a healthy variety of faceless NPCs casually strolling through virtually every corner of the world. Some NPCs are just there to chat, while others hold the clues to various interactive Easter Eggs littered throughout the world, from lightsticks and balloons to an adorable pooch carved out of stone.
For example, after approaching a large pond located near the center of the map, a nearby character informed us that someone may have accidentally lost their light stick in the water. Curious, we took a quick dip, only to discover a secret underwater performance featuring a pod of virtual dolphins.
We found cute Easter Eggs like this throughout the map, so keep your eyes open, and don’t be afraid to chat with other characters to gather clues. Here’s a hint: search the alleyways in virtual Akihabara to discover a certain train conductor in need of assistance.
We won’t spoil anything for you here, but let’s just say these small activities had us exploring the world for hours and are definitely worth searching for.
All-in-all, ImaginaryPark2070 is an incredibly well-made virtual space that should keep you more than busy. From the incredible locations to the live events and hidden activities, ImaginaryPark2070 is an absolute must-visit for any self-respecting anime fan. Heck, just about anyone with a VR headset will have a good time navigating this sprawling virtual theme park.
ImaginaryPark2070 is open now free to the public via VRChat. For more information visit here.
This virtual world is just the latest in a series of interactive experiences released as part of Toei Animation’s ONN’ON STUDIOS campaign. The first project, “DogaStudio1956,” featured an incredible scale model of Toei Doga Studio.
The second project, “Nostalgia1999,” was developed in collaboration with Sony Music Solutions and immersed users in the nostalgia-inducing bedroom of a 90s “Otaku.”
*This sponsored post was created in partnership with Toei Animation*
Feature Image Credit: Toei Animation
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