Raawr’s Horror Hideout˸ Remastered

I am giving this world an eight, but the reasons are complicated. I think from a technical perspective, the authors did an excellent job of providing a show for the viewers/riders. As in the description, the world is very much like a motion projection ride at a theme park: seats move around in front of a large screen that lays out a show which you cannot just watch within the FOV of your own natural eyes. You HAVE to look around to witness all of the details, just like those rides where the action is large and in your face. I believe that this design choice is deliberate and it captures that experience perfectly. There are plenty of horror inspirations that were clearly drawn from to tell the story. I think through set decoration, lighting, and effects the world is a real visual treat.

However, you have to know that this plot is… wild. That’s as much as I’d like to say. There are some… large thematic promises made, which makes me somewhat unclear whether those parts are deliberate. Something a lot of those motion shows delivered were super cheesy plots; low budget acting and voice work from even big Hollywood talents; bad directing; cringe dialogue, and a conclusive “feel-good wrap up” to the story being told. Back To The Future: The Ride was one example of this. Check it out in VR if you’re unsure of what I’m talking about, or just to get a re-view of what I’m mentioning here.

Were the authors/writers and voice actors ironically meta in their presentation because of this self-awareness? Or was it pure aim-for-the-moon naivete that by sheer coincidence managed to deliver the same kind of tropey nonsense that these often major budget motion thrill rides tried to offer? It’s hard to say.

My conclusion is: go visit the world, ride the ride, see the story, and just speculate on your own if it was because of, or in spite of. Either way, I guess the answer is yes.

(Rating: 8)