A new virtual reality escape room video game is now available in Save Notre-Dame on Fire. This multiplayer VR experience has players take on the role of firefighters and challenges them to extinguish the flames and rescue holy relics before time runs out. It's made possible by Ubisoft in partnership with Annaud and Pathé Films.
The game is based on the actual fire that happened in Notre-Dame de Paris back in April 2019. As a result of the actions of the firefighters, the fire ended with most of the cathedral intact and no loss of life. The event was recreated in the film titled "Notre-Dame Brûle" (Notre-Dame on Fire) directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud.
Each session is meant to be played for an hour at most where players need to work as a team not just to put the fire out but also to solve puzzles to find the Crown of Thorns. It goes without saying that they need to escape the cathedral after the spire collapses.
Talking about the game, Ubisoft SVP Deborah Papiernik shared in an interview that it was director Annaud that contacted the studio to make a game about the fire. This was after he learned about the involvement of Ubisoft in the reconstruction effort. The studio had shared more than 5,000 hours' worth of research on the building's structure, which was previously used to recreate the cathedral in Assassin's Creed Unity. Papiernik went on to say that they went with an escape room experience because they had the Notre-Dame in VR and three VR escape games.
When asked about why Ubisoft opted for a VR escape room instead of a home VR experience, Papiernik revealed that they wanted something for the larger public. They wanted more people to play the game and so they made the decision to have location-based VR. That means even if players don't have the equipment, they can still play the game. Papiernik added that "the social aspect is central to the experience."
To see if you can play the game, check out the locations here. These locations not only have Save Notre-Dame on Fire but also have other games, such as Escape the Lost Pyramid, Beyond Medusa’s Gate, Prince of Persia – The Dagger of Time, and Huxley VR.
