A new way to experience true crime podcasting.
Crafting Crimes by Targo, is a new experience for the Quest series of headsets.
Releasing the first episode for free Oct. 1, this mixed reality (MR) immersive storytelling app takes those who love true crime and sends them on a journey to experience what really happened, during the course of the crime in question.
In Crafting Crimes, you’ll join host Carol Rasaphangthong, as she guides you through the details of the case before you. From there, you’ll work to put together a miniature model of the crime scenes, getting a chance to go deeper into the mystery with every item you place.
In the first episode, you’ll rebuild the Borden House, site of the famous “unsolved” murders of 1892.
“Our goal is for people to engage actively: by stepping into these miniature reconstructions, you’re not just hearing about a crime — you’re piecing it together, questioning it, and reflecting on it. The miniature worlds create distance from the brutality, allowing you to better grasp the spatial configuration of the crimes. Ultimately, Crafting Crimes is about discovering new ways to experience stories we think we already know, while keeping empathy and respect at the core,” said Aurore Kinzonzi, creative producer on Crafting Crimes.
In this experience, the story comes to your space thanks to the colour passthrough MR on Quest headsets. A high-quality video screen appears before you as the story begins, transporting you right to the heart of the case.
Rasaphangthong’s voice is your guide, giving you details of the case as you get ready to start building the crime scene.
The entire experience is meant to be played with hand tracking – which works incredibly well here. Controls are as simple as push a virtual button, grab a piece of the model, and place it where it needs to go; the overall mechanics are easy to understand, as it’s clear Targo wants you to focus on the story before you and made this as realistic as they could.
As you begin to put together the models, the story continues to unfold; placing each room, each piece of furniture, adds extra details to the crime as it happened. It also allows you to go at your own pace, letting you examine the models and come up with your own true crime theories.
Once you’re done putting the model together the story takes you deeper into the scene, at one point taking you right into the room to see recreations of the murders, that some still believe were perpetrated by Lizzie Borden.
Because this is such a straightforward experience, there’s not much to talk about in terms of gameplay or mechanic – but this is a remarkably stunning experience that anyone even remotely interested in should try.
There were no bugs or glitches encountered during the first episode and from the quality of the Borden House there is no reason to think there may be issues with the rest.
Graphically this is probably one of the most beautiful MR experiences on the market. The video screen that appears before you takes full advantage of the power of a Quest 3, to deliver Rasaphangthong’s guidance in 4K. The models appear to be just as high quality, overall delivering an experience that anyone can enjoy.
No strangers to this type of virtual reality (VR) experience, Targo has long used this medium to tell stories. Their previous works Kinzonzi notes, were immersive and linear, taking users on a trip to visit the JFK assassinations, or other locales.
“Those projects were fully immersive and largely linear. With Crafting Crimes, we wanted to flip that perspective: instead of vast environments, we began with handcrafted miniatures that appear directly in your own space. It’s also the first time we’ve created an experience that’s both non-linear and gamified, with hand-tracking puzzles at the heart of the interaction. Years of experimenting with technology, immersive storytelling, and emotional design gave us the foundation to build something that feels both familiar and entirely new,” she added.
With the Borden House now put together, Targo expects to release the remaining crimes over the next few weeks. While the first episoide was a free entry, the remaining crimes – the Mona Lisa theft and Wonderland House experiences – will release as paid DLC at a cost of $2.99.
“We wanted cases that were historically significant, visually distinct, and narratively diverse. Lizzie Borden was a natural starting point — it was the first crime to capture the American imagination and has shaped the true crime genre ever since. From there, we chose cases like the theft of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in 1911, or a Los Angeles drug house from the 1980s, because each offered a radically different setting and mood. Focusing exclusively on historical crimes allowed us to maintain a respectful distance, while still giving users a variety of environments to reconstruct and explore,” said Kinzonzi.
Overall, Crafting Crimes is beautifully done MR experience that takes true crime to another level. Each episode is short – coming in around 20 minutes – which makes this great for those who want something unique and new.
Considering the cost of each additional episode, the quality of work here is well worth it.
The next crime releases Oct. 8.
Crafting Crimes – The Borden House, was reviewed on the Quest 3 after redeeming from the Quest store.
