Shaun Munro reviews Cocos: Shark Island…
Alchemy VR’s Cocos: Shark Island is a 2D, 360-degree documentary short film set on the shark-infested Cocos Island, 340 miles off the coast of Costa Rica. Though moderately intriguing, the low-fi production and over-the-odds price make this a hard sell to all but the most ardent travel enthusiasts eager to wring every last ounce out of their PSVR headset.
First off, though Alchemy clearly prides itself on delivering premium VR experiences with state-of-the-art camera technology, this one is ironically hamstrung by its wholly unremarkable visual acuity.
The overwhelming majority of the 10-minute film takes place underwater, and though the murkiness of this coverage is both expected and understandable, viewers who turn their heads to look behind them will find a distracting, immersion-breaking seam resembling a screen tear, as though two cameras have had their perspectives crudely pasted together in post-production to form the full 360 degrees. Judder is also frequently present during the underwater exploration, which may produce motion sickness and headaches in even hardened VR veterans.
Some cool sights do at least abound intermittently; the initial wow factor of being dunked underwater for the first time is momentarily awe-inspiring enough to paper over the middling video quality, there’s a frantic and vaguely terrifying shark feeding frenzy, and the gorgeous sight of a giant Ray fleeing from a fleet of Hammerheads.
Unfortunately, though, there’s little justification here for the £3.69 asking price, especially considering the glut of free VR video content available for PSVR of similar or even superior quality. Furthermore, only eight of the film’s ten minutes are actually a fully 360-degree excursion, which makes it feel even less worth that price. In terms of immersive VR shark experiences, PlayStation VR Worlds’ magnificently unsettling Shark Encounter remains to easy go-to.
Pros:
+ The initial “wow” factor
+ Will have a novel appeal for travel and nature enthusiasts
Cons:
– Poor video quality
– Not recommended for those prone to motion sickness
– Short length for the price
Rating: 4/10
Reviewed for PS4.
Cocos: Shark Island is available now.
Shaun Munro – Follow me on Twitter for more video game rambling.
Originally published April 24, 2017. Updated April 15, 2018.
