Review: THE LAST STRONGHOLD, Excurio

Set in the bustling medieval castle of Carcassone, Excurio’s The Last Stronghold drops us into the midst of political intrigue, a budding romance and a nightmarish encounter.

Excurio are international experts in the field of creating virtual worlds for people to wander around in. In London, they are known for the VR-powered adventures Horizon of Khufu: A Journey Into Ancient Egypt, Life Chronicles (which goes from walking around underwater to running into huge dinosaurs) and their current parallel offering Machu Picchu: Journey To The Lost City.

As with those experiences, The Last Stronghold has a family-friendly story that, while it won’t win any writing prizes, effectively leads us through a series of gripping episodes. Our companion on our journey is the young noble Simon de l’Estang as he travels into the castle to meet his uncle Geoffroy de Varenne who happens to be its Constable (commander).

We may be in a large bare room within a Shepherd’s Bush shopping centre but all that is forgotten once we get going. Excurio previously required customers to wear a backpack and deal with pesky wires but all that has gone now and been replaced by a lightweight HTC Vive headset.The tech is about as comfortable as it has ever been and copes with all sizes of heads and glasses with ease. 

The tech may be much smaller but the sense of perspective (a killer feature of all things Excurio) is even better now. There’s a real sense of height when we peer over a cliff to look hundreds of feet down or are lifted high into the air on a platform. And a slight chill runs down the spine from the ramparts when we gaze into the distance over a windswept French countryside. When walking through low doorways, there’s an irrational urge to bend down in case we bump into the virtual walls.

The character work is above par and soon enough we are introduced to a range of people living through one of French history’s key moments. In 1303, the residents of Carcassone rebelled against both the King and the Medieval Inquisition. Holed up in a castle that boasted three km of double defensive walls and 52 huge towers, they awaited the backlash. The Inquisitor Geoffroy d’Ablis has arrived and is on the prowl for heretics; based on information from a corrupt trader, he has his eye on the local herbalist. Meanwhile, Simon has his eye on the feisty Agnès, granddaughter of the herbalist.

One of the strongest elements here is how the common folk we meet are more than just background extras. Jostling through a busy marketplace, we can eavesdrop on conversations, watch as a man looks this way and that for his lost hog and see just how scared everyone looks when the Inquisitor makes an appearance. Later, a well-directed sequence of events places us with the soldiers as they learn sword-fighting and unleash the awesome power of a trebuchet. These aspects have echoes of other VR shows like Colosseum: The Legendary Arena but the thoughtful art direction embellishes everything we see with atmospheric designs, sounds and dialogue.

The Last Stronghold continues at Excurio, London