It’s likely that a majority of us associate Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody with the classic 1992 hit movie Wayne’s World. Whether or not that might make late lead singer Freddie Mercury turn in his grave, a new Queen-backed interpretation gives fans a new way to experience and remember the song.
Enter The Bohemian Rhapsody Experience, a joint collaboration between the band, Google Play, and Enosis VR. Yes, you heard that right: it’s a virtual reality representation of the song, and is being dubbed as “a journey through frontman Freddie Mercury’s subconscious mind.”
Guitarist (and astrophysicist) Brian May appears to have spearheaded the project on the band’s side, and he recently demoed a prototype of the game at Google I/O. “Bohemian Rhapsody is unusual, isn’t it?” he mused. “Because even 40 years later — or whatever it is — it still sounds innovative. But the framework is Freddie’s incredible imagination.”
A neat aspect of the game is that the song itself plays in a spatial manner. This means as you move around and toward objects in the virtual reality experience, the verses will seem to be emanating from a fixed point. “[The game] is going to be an immersive and interactive VR experience,” said Gareth Hornberger, Google Play product marketing manager.
Indeed, the song itself is just part of the experience — portions of the virtual reality world will include vignettes similar to what Google is already doing with Spotlight Stories. “It’s showing a glimpse of what music and VR could look like,” Hornberger explained.
Like Spotlight Stories, The Bohemian Rhapsody Experience won’t be limited to just Google Cardboard or other VR headsets. A “flat” version of the experience is also included so that those without VR equipment can also enjoy the experience. Those with an Android device can download the app for free from Google Play immediately.
The group says an iOS version will be released soon.
