How a Rainstorm in 1914 is Now One of WebXR’s Most Haunting Stories
Before the storm hits, there’s silence. An artist steadies their breath in the shadow of a manor. Branches twitch in the wind. A shape disappears beyond a hedge and, behind the stillness, the music swells.
That mood drives everything that follows.
Welcome to In Tirol, a WebXR narrative game built in three months by solo creator James C. Kane.
What began as inspiration from his time in Austria grew into a 15-minute immersive experience now played by tens of thousands across the world. No download. No install. Just a story you step into through your browser.
From Vienna to In Tirol
Living in Vienna as a student of journalism and music, James eventually found himself walking the same manor paths that would inspire and shape his game’s setting. He studied the art that would influence its color and texture; he listened to the music that would become its emotional spine.
In the story, In Tirol takes place in 1914, just before the outbreak of World War I. You play an artist trying to outrun a coming storm. The visuals are inspired by Vienna Secession paintings and German Expressionist films. The soundtrack includes public domain recordings of Gustav Mahler’s symphonies from the 1920s, complete with analog crackle and historic weight.
For further insights, spend some time with In Tirol’s soundtrack, with curated Mahler pieces that James selected and worked with for his project.
Made by One. Played by Many.
James didn’t just write and design In Tirol; he built the world from scratch. Not only did he voice its characters, he also created and incorporated the theremin puzzle that players solve using live-modulated audio. He worked with PlayCanvas, a WebGL/WebXR engine that let him test scenes directly from the browser.
Next, he recorded voice lines and ran them through ElevenLabs to create distinct character voices, then used the Web Audio API to shape sound-driven gameplay. Finally, for lighting, he mixed real-time shadows with hand-painted vertex emissives. All of it designed to run smoothly.
“I assumed it would take years to realize this vision, but fortunately I found the VIVERSE Creator Program…”
– James C. Kane
Released to the Web for the Web.
When James felt that the world he’d crafted was complete, he uploaded it to VIVERSE, HTC’s host for 3D and XR content. And within seconds, In Tirol was live globally. No app stores. No platform fees. No barriers. Just a link.
In addition, James created intirol.game, a custom domain that iFrames the VIVERSE-hosted build. The game debuted at the Game Developers Conference (GDC 2025), where James was one of our speakers. Weeks later, it appeared across the Meta Quest browser homepage under “Best of the Immersive Web.”
In Tirol isn’t just a game; it’s inspired by memory and refracted through code, painted in light, and shared with the world. As a result, it favors mood, momentum, and music over explanation. The entire experience is less than 15 minutes. But it lingers.
The WebXR Renaissance
James believes the 3D web is entering a golden age. Powerful engines. Better devices. Instant access. Lower costs.
In the meantime, 3D and XR continue to expand and evolve, and creators like James will continue to experiment and find new ways to tell stories that stick with us.
The Tools Behind the Story
James built In Tirol entirely in the browser using open web tools and AI-assisted workflows:
- PlayCanvas for 3D worldbuilding and WebXR publishing
- ElevenLabs for AI voice transformation and character delivery
- Web Audio API to enable real-time, sound-reactive gameplay
- Public domain sound and art to ground the game in historic texture
- VIVERSE for free hosting, instant publishing, and global reach
No expensive software. No massive team. Just the open web, and a creator with something to share.
Explore the Experience
Want to dive deeper into James’s creative process and In Tirol’s origins? Read The Road to ‘In Tirol’.
