Designed to be played while wearing a virtual reality, Oculus Quest headset, Supernatural is a subscription-based game of choreographed, high-intensity workouts in incredible worlds – both alien and Earthly. Samuel Ballard reports
As Globetrender predicted in its 2020 Travel Trend Forecast, Cyber Worlds is a big trend for the new decade, as virtual and mixed reality entertainment reaches new heights of sophistication. In this case, we are looking at a game called Supernatural that is played while wearing the Oculus Quest headset. It is designed to get you fit, while transporting players to some of the most beautiful places on Earth – and beyond.
One of the many downsides of life under lockdown has been the seemingly endless ways in which we’re being told to keep fit while staying indoors. However, in terms of imagination, none of them can come close to Supernatural.
Developed by Within, a virtual reality studio, Supernatural is a fitness platform that uses the Oculus Quest virtual reality headset to create workouts that look more like you’re in an RPG (role-playing game) blockbuster.
“When my Within co-founder Aaron Koblin and I realised we had developed dad-bods without having any actual children, we knew we had to do something,” he said.
There is also a companion app that connects with your calendar and lets you challenge other friends with the app. A 30-minute session on Supernatural is the equivalent of half an hour of snowboarding in the Swiss Alps.
“That reality is possible if you introduce VR into the equation. That’s the emotion we were chasing – something that gives you the physical exercise you’re after, but in a fun, joyous, exhilarating way, and most importantly, you can do it in your home.”