Kismet VR

Mission ->To design reimagine the tarot card deck’s major arcana.

Shall we ask the Cards or the Stars?

Kismet is a VR fortune-telling experience inspired by the mystic arts of tarot and astrology.

Rather than pilot spaceships or shoot monsters, Kismet uses VR as a bridge to a more contemplative, spiritual place. Kismet was designed as a broadly inviting experience meant to provoke thought and discussion and appeal to a wide audience who may otherwise find VR overwhelming. — Psyop LA

Check out the Making Of Kismet VR. The cards are only a mere third of the entire experience. Get Kismet VR on Steam, PS4, or Oculus and see for yourself!

VR Experience
Design of Cards | Edmund Liang
Director | David Chontos

Concept Art

It never, ever gets dull with David Chontos. He brought me onto this project to design the 22 Cards of the Major Arcana. The result was a whimsical take on Victorian puppet theaters that gave the cards an extra dimension of Z-depth—similar to that of museum dioramas. It was a delight to watch players engage the cards with a such curiosity—holding them close, listening to them, and peering into them.

22 Major Arcana
3D Models / These took forever to illustrate and separate into layers for 3D. It was totally worth it.

Back of Cards
Concept Painting / Based on Kismet herself.

22 Major Arcana
Concept Sketch / These sketches were later used as guides for the paintings.

Kismet’s Mask
Concept Painting & 3D Model / It’s faster to sketch different variations and cycle through them to compare.

The Cards In VR

Notice below how the cards are arranged in layers. When you hold them up and lean into them in VR, you can actually hear faint voices and music playing. Chontos designed it to feel like these little characters are trying to talk to you through their looping animations. It’s a remarkable and clever use of technology to create a sense of immersion.