Breathtaking! The horizon of Khufu is undoubtedly one of the most gripping virtual reality experiences, on a narrative, sensory and cultural level. Helmet screwed over our eyes, we are ready to go back in time to the third millennium BC, when reigned King Khufu who had one of the seven wonders of the world built near Cairo: the great pyramid of Giza. At the foot of it, we meet the talkative Egyptologist Mona, who will be our guide for this extraordinary, slightly fantastical expedition, before meeting another guide, Bastet, a rather reserved but no less majestic goddess. .
More than simply telling a story straight from ancient Egypt, the French company Emissive, at the origin of The horizon of Khufu thanks to its Excurio branch, has given itself the mission of guiding us on a truly unique journey. “For 45 minutes, we move and even walk several hundred meters,” reveals Fabien Barati, co-founder of this pioneering company in virtual reality. The characters, the staging, the sound and even the lighting… everything becomes material to guide us as we have just entered the enclosure of the Cheops pyramid. And we believe it.
“The reconstruction of the ancient pyramid was made based on current surveys and research by experts who explained to us in particular what the monuments and furniture were like,” confides Fabien Barati. Not only do we have the privilege of spending time within the pyramid, but we can also learn a lot, since the experience The horizon of Khufu is intended to be educational. “Everything that is said by Mona and by Bastet has also been validated by the experts, to best transcribe the atmosphere that reigns on site,” he underlines. In fact, the immersive expedition is a sharing of knowledge offered by the Egyptologists concerned.
To do this, more than two years were necessary, including multiple exchanges with the emeritus Egyptologist, Peter Der Manuelian, archaeologist and professor at Harvard University. “With Peter, we participated in numerous workshops and meetings in which, initially, he provided us with a lot of documentation,” remembers Fabien Barati. Once the scenario was put together by the Excurio team, Peter Der Manuelian helped create the Cheops pyramid and the characters in virtual version. “We submitted all our visuals to him and he told us what was working or not,” adds Mr. Barati. From clothes to gestures, including the unfolding of the rituals and ceremonies of the time, everything has been carefully validated so that the professions mobilized during production (graphic designers specializing in the environments and characters, animators to make them move , programmers, etc.) bring life to The horizon of Khufu.
Strong sensations
The immersive expedition is also all the more remarkable because it makes us experience strong sensations – dizziness – and illusions – feeling the night air of Cairo on our skin. “Just through sight, we can have sensations of movement or touch, such as heat for example. We even had people who had the impression of feeling particular things, but in fact they didn’t. It’s the brain! », Enthuses Fabien Barati. Ultimately, it’s a bit as if we were on a stationary train, another one passed by and we had the impression of being in motion ourselves. “In virtual reality, we play a lot on that,” he explains. In addition, the underlying technologies developed over the years by Excurio make it possible to experience the immersive excursion with others, in small groups, almost like in real life. “It had to be as pleasant as possible for visitors,” he emphasizes.
Even more, and beyond technological prowess, The horizon of Khufu stands out for his humor. “This virtual reality format gives us freedom of tone,” says Fabien Barati. And to continue: “We wanted to have a relationship and a certain complicity between the two main characters who are a bit antagonistic, Bastet and Mona. » This is therefore a bias in order to make the story gripping. As for the specific choice of the goddess Bastet to guide us during the adventure, the explanation can be summed up in a few words. “She seemed the most likely to take us discreetly into the experience compared to other gods who would have been more visible,” laughs Fabien Barati.