Paper Birds: Part 1 Oculus Quest Review

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Fast Facts

Paper Birds: Part 1

Title: Paper Birds: Part 1
Developer: 3DAR
Publisher: 3DAR
Website: https://www.3dar.com/
Genre: Art/Creativity, Movie, Narrative
Platform: Quest
Audience: Everyone
Release Date: December 10, 2020
Price: £3.99

A World Building Around You

Paper Birds is a VR narrative story experience with limited interactive moments that has you following the young Toto in his search for his sister. As you watch the story unfold around you, the world fades in revealing more of Toto’s surroundings as he navigates over bridges and walkways and through his grandfather’s house and more. The way the world opens up is reminiscent of a small diorama where the light guides your eyes as you turn your head and body in real life to examine the locations.

A Slow Build-Up

Paper Birds: Part 1 is a short, twenty-minute, introduction into Toto’s life and his journey, which helps to establish him as a character as well as some of the supporting characters. Toto, voiced by Archie Yates from “Jojo Rabbit”, delivers each line of dialogue with care and curiosities that establish the mystery around his missing sister as his main quest.

Light Interactivity

There are a few moments where you will interact with the world around Toto. One place, in particular, stands out to me as you move your hands in the sky and draw the lights around you. These moments are sparse within the first chapter of Paper Birds, but they help to engage the viewer. I imagine more of these moments will come in the following chapters and open up more possibilities of interacting with Toto and his world.

A New Form of Storytelling

VR opens up so many doors to telling stories in new and unique ways. Paper Birds: Part 1 engages the user as it builds the world around you, where you are the central eyes in a 360-degree world. Much like playing games like Moss or Ghost Giant, Paper Birds allows you the freedom to look around the world and see things you wouldn’t necessarily see in a flat-screen movie or theater experience. Toto’s story is off to a great start and I look forward to seeing the story build over the next parts later this year.

Rapid Reviews Rating

You can purchase Paper Birds: Part 1 from the Oculus Quest store here.