Synth Riders received a brand new user interface in today's update.
While the Apple Vision Pro version uses a simplified UI based on this redesign and is therefore unaffected, today's Synth Riders update is now live on all other active platforms - Quest, Steam, PS VR2, and Pico. Kluge Interactive states this new approach is designed to "make it easier to find Challenges, your friends, and the songs you want to play," also providing UploadVR the following screenshots.
Synth Riders new user interface
Speaking to UploadVR at Gamescom 2024, Kluge Interactive CEO Arturo Perez told us more. Perez confirmed the UI refresh comes from all the content updates Synth Riders has received across the years, informing me that many newcomers "didn't know what to do" when starting the game.
"We're in our sixth year and if you look at the first five years in particular, there was a lot of innovation, new content, but it started getting unwieldy. We were always prioritizing either new devices like PS VR2 or Apple Vision Pro, or new modes, and we started realizing "Hey, now there's too many options." The feedback has been pretty consistent for a while."
Perez also clarified that this doesn't mean Synth Riders will stop expanding to new headsets when they become available.
"That new userbase is growing, new headsets are coming that we're also responding to. With Apple, it's a long-term thing for them but there's still a new player base to unlock there. Google's coming too, so we're all getting ready for this."
Arcade Paradise VR will receive two new cabinets in a free update next month, and it's heading for Pico 4 next week.
Developed by Nosebleed Interactive, Arcade Paradise VR initially launched with 39 arcade games, and the latest update will add two more fully interactive cabinets to the light management sim. This includes rhythm game 'Cyber Drums' where you hit the matching symbols as they appear, while 'Super Woodgal JR Ultra Ex Hyper-Deluxe' involves swinging an axe to quickly chop through wood.
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Though the content update arrives on December 3 for all platforms, publisher Wired Productions confirmed that the Pico 4 version will launch slightly earlier on November 28. This rounds out most major VR headsets and while Arcade Paradise VR was initially Quest exclusive in April, a multiplatform release for PC VR and PlayStation VR2 followed back in August.
It's the latest post-launch update we've seen for Arcade Paradise VR, following the first major update in June. That chiefly introduced new personalization options for your VR avatar like selecting your hand color, alongside 11 new tracks for the in-game jukebox.
Arcade Paradise VR is out now on the Meta Quest platform, Steam and PS VR2. The Pico 4 version will launch on November 28.
2024 saw AR form factors that deviated from traditional approaches – everything from lite AR glasses to non-display AI smartglasses. Will this divergence and diversification keep its momentum into 2025?
Spatial Ops delivers an inventive mixed reality FPS on Quest and Pico, and we went hands-on. Read on for our full impressions.
There’s no shortage of shooting gallery games on any VR headset if you’ve got an itchy trigger finger. You can defeat zombie hordes in Arizona Sunshine, faceless marauders in Superhot VR, or even killer produce in Shooty Fruity. Spatial Ops might look like another mixed reality shooter with an undescriptive cyberpunk dystopia, yet two-dimensional screenshots can be deceiving.
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Spatial Ops by Resolution Games (Demeo, Racket Club) turns your play space into a time-jumping action adventure. Instead of directing your gaze to the action, Spatial Ops force you to get up - or put an office chair in the middle of the boundary - and stay on your toes as new scenes and enemies appear from every direction. You’ll need plenty of clear space and that's especially true when playing with others or a team of bots.
The main campaign puts a giant, time-peeling dock in your virtual boundary. You play as a special forces agent trying to save the world from another mad scientist in a lab coat with dreams of global domination and male pattern baldness. He also has a small army that's armed to the teeth with the latest weapons that shoot bullets a lot slower than they should move, depending on your difficulty level. The story isn’t terribly important but it provides depth that keeps the experience from being an ordinary shooting match. Some clever moments help it stand out from the usual world domination exposition.
Your time jumper opens portals all around you, like you’re infiltrating an evil scientist’s futuristic lair as a freelancer working from home. A set of revolvers are your initial weapons and you can add more to your arsenal as you advance, like a Tommy gun, an RPG, and a sniper rifle. The guns are very responsive and fun to wield while shooting and aiming are accurate.
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Spatial Ops - full gameplay clip on Quest 3
What makes Spatial Ops worth playing is the multiplayer “Arena” mode, which can be played in-person with friends or online with a four digital code in solo mode or four on four. Failing that, you can play with up to seven bots and this comes with the usual set of multiplayer modes you'd expect in a shooter, including Capture the Flag, Domination, and a straight-up Deathmatch. It’s still in beta mode and isn’t open to public sessions, so you’ll need a couple of friends to share a room code with to play against others. Still, the bots are fun to dodge and snipe even if they have the intelligence level of multiplayer bots.
You must set up an arena in your space with virtual walls, obstacles, and objects for cover like crates and barriers in various shapes and objectives. Each round starts with no weapons, forcing you to find them quickly. Spatial Ops does a great job placing and moving mixed-reality environments to your location so you can crouch or duck behind stuff before you take your shot. If you’ve got a sofa in your room, that can provide cover from fire with shorter walls or objects, while playing alone lets you plot a grid for the bots’ movements.
Screenshots taken by UploadVR on Quest 3
Spatial Ops is an inventive twist on the standard VR shooter we've come to expect across the years. Seeing the action unfold around you makes for an enveloping experience that keeps you moving and guessing as you try to cover dimensions that bend space and time to their will. If you've got the space and a few friends nearby, it's worth a look.
Spatial Ops is available now on the Meta Quest platform, and a 'Campaign Edition' is also out now on Pico.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is out now, and we've verified that it has VR support at launch.
However, like many others, we're unable to get past the loading screen, due to server issues that Microsoft has acknowledged in a public statement:
"We are aware of user reports of long initial loading times into Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
With so many users initializing the sim concurrently, we have a large number of server requests. We are working to help resolve the issues as soon as possible.
For users whose initial load is past 90% and no longer progressing, we recommend a reboot. Otherwise we advise waiting to allow the loading to proceed as normal."
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We can enable VR mode in the loading screen, but we can't get past it.
For those who can access it, Microsoft promises Flight Simulator 2024 is "the most sophisticated, immersive and awe-inspiring flight simulator of all time".
Like its predecessor, it's an example of software that would be impossible without dynamic downloading of assets from the cloud. The high detail "digital twin" of Earth is several petabytes in size, orders of magnitude larger than what could be stored on a PC or console.
Microsoft says this digital twin includes hand-crafted representations of more than 150 airports, 2000 glider airports, 10000 heliports, 2000 points of interest, and 900 oil rigs, while the procedural system generates all 40000 airports, 80000 helipads, 1.5 billion buildings, and nearly 3 trillion trees on Earth.
Flight Simulator 2024 now simulates the life of 27 different biomes across all four seasons, with a "vast array" of both wild and domesticated animals, "hundreds" of species of vegetation, and dynamic generation of grass, rocks, and flowers. The new weather simulation has many more cloud types, and includes auroras and other weather phenomena. And as with previous iterations of the game, it includes simulated air, sea, and land vehicle traffic.
Assuming Microsoft's claims are true, Flight Simulator 2024 represents the most accurate and realistic simulation of planet Earth to date. In fact, the virtual Earth of Flight Simulator 2024 is apparently now so realistic that for the first time, you can exit your aircraft to inspect it for issues, or simply explore the world.
The quality of flight simulation has also apparently been improved. Microsoft says the new physics engine can simulate more than 10000 rigid bodies, enabling "simulation of any shape of aircraft", as well as soft body simulation for cloth, ropes, balloons, and more. And it's not only flying that this applies to, as Microsoft says ground simulation (for taxiing) has been improved too, with 4000 times more surface detail including terrain collisions for bumps and stones, as has water handling (for seaplanes) too.
Further, Flight Simulator 2024 now simulates electrical, pneumatic, fuel and hydraulic systems, payload and passenger systems, "avionics like the Universal UNS-1 FMS and Honeywell Primus Epic 2", and the physical wear and tear of aircraft exteriors.
Microsoft claims it has significantly improved the game engine's multithreading to better use multiple CPU cores, improving performance, and that download and loading speeds have improved too - though we'll have to wait for the servers to work to find out if that's true.
We'll also be investigating the quality of VR support of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, as well as how well it performs in VR, which is significantly harder to render than a 2D flatscreen view.
Have you been able to get Flight Simulator 2024 working today, in VR? Let us know in the discussion section below!
Pirates VR: Jolly Roger, a new action-adventure across a cursed island, arrives next year on Steam and PlayStation VR2.
Developed by Split Light Studio (Afterlife VR) and published by VRKiwi (Stilt), Pirates VR: Jolly Roger promises a campaign filled with danger "looming at every turn." Set across a forgotten Caribbean island filled with jungles, rocky cliffs, and sunken ships, you're tasked with navigating perilous traps and fighting undead pirates while searching for Davy Jones' treasure.
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VRKiwi states this campaign will last around "4-6 hours," letting you explore the island by climbing cliffs, swim through underwater caverns, and slide down ropes. Getting around traps requires finding puzzle pieces to discover hidden treasure maps or unknown pathways. If you get stuck during tougher puzzles, your bad-mouthing companion parrot can provide hints.
As for combat, Pirates VR: Jolly Roger arms you with a magic lantern and "classic pirate weapons" like a flintlock pistol. This remote island is filled with threats ranging from wild animals, undead skeletons, cursed pirates, and other fierce creatures.
Pirates VR: Jolly Roger arrives on Steam on January 14, 2025, and the PS VR2 version will follow in Q2 2025.
In my eyes, there's a huge difference between immersive and immersing yourself. The former usually needs time to get back into the world, while the latter grips you back into the experience almost instantly after you left off, like a great book you were sad to put down. Augmented Empire is the latter.
While it lacks in action compared to other VR titles, Augmented Empire’s gripping narrative, brilliant voice acting, and beautiful visuals keep the simplistic gameplay more appealing. With a world that is as engaging as it is dark, what's here feels like a polished experience that finishes far too soon.
The Facts
What is it?: A remastered turn-based strategy game initially developed for Oculus Go and Gear VR. Platforms: Quest (reviewed on Quest 3) Release Date: November 21, 2024 Developer: Coatsink Price: $9.99
Augmented Empire's premise isn't particularly unique. Set in a dystopian future, different classes of society are either heightened into power or left in the most dangerous, disgusting parts of New Savannah. The politically charged narrative doesn't find you in the center of the action, however, as you take the reins leading a squad of characters from a holographic table in a fairly empty apartment.
Augmented Empire - Screenshot on Meta Quest 3
To further immerse you into the world, your character, Craven, can't speak to the characters directly either, so your instructions and ideas are spoken through the speech of a smooth-talking robot called Hartman. Leading a ragtag team of misfits isn't simply about calling shots, though - it's all about planning your next move successfully.
Augmented Empire grants you six characters to command. From the out-of-her-depth Willa to the charm of Chris, each feels distinct in both personality and abilities. Archi’s focus on snipers makes him weak to attacks from enemies but he can pick off foes at range, while Noot taunts enemies with his brute strength and even stronger whacks.
The turn-based charm of Augmented Empire falls flat fairly quickly, becoming routine battles that feel rather tedious towards the end. Each encounter feels easy but time-consuming, using very basic systems that make me want to return to the gripping story. A reactive mechanic requires you to hit the button at the right spot, making attacking and defending more engaging than just watching it unfold, but it doesn't stop combat sections from becoming stale and repetitive.
However, it's the moments in between that keep me captivated across each level. While it's mostly exploring beautifully crafted levels, each of the characters speaks to each other as if they're real people - engaging in conversations about the world itself, their connection to the plot, and events that occurred before the story even begins. It adds depth to a somewhat cliché premise, allowing you to feel like these are a squad of fragile people trusting you with their lives.
It helps that the voice cast does a terrific job at truly bringing these characters to life. Some are admittedly better than others, but it's a pleasant experience overall to see such heart and passion brought to an experience that isn't a mainstream series or a flatscreen triple-A title. Once again, they truly feel like human people you'd meet on the street, except this squad is on a dangerous mission and not just going to the shops like in the real world.
Augmented Empire - Screenshot on Meta Quest 3
Back to the levels, the huge variety of small locations lack in size, but they sure make up for it with style. It's a case where substance matters little, as the cyberpunk vibes carry the weight of making each section of the world feel fun to view. In the comfort of your apartment (or your real world in mixed reality, if you'd like), you can move the map around or switch views from different angles, letting you witness levels uniquely that few platforms aside from VR can offer.
Comfort
Augmented Empire's accessibility options are fairly lacking but it's not a title that needs many. You can switch between mixed reality or virtual reality with ease, change from hand tracking or controllers, as well as choose between a pointer or physically touching tiles and characters.
The tabletop aesthetic of the game means you can enjoy the entire experience by sitting down at a desk or a table, engaging with the world as you see fit. Augmented Empire is a very comfortable experience.
Unfortunately, some of these levels are lacking in depth. What should be bustling streets instead offer a few unaware civilians that you can have a quick chat with but very little else, and while the areas feel brimming with detail as a whole, the actual models feel remarkably plastic - like a basic action figure playset, instead of an expensive LEGO set. It stops you from truly realizing the world, something that the rest of the game does really well.
Augmented Empire - Screenshots taken on Meta Quest 3
Fortunately, the simplistic nature of the gameplay means that it's a very comfortable experience to play. Typically, you'll find me bouncing around my room, physically moving my entire body to play VR games, but I sat down and enjoyed the entirety of Augmented Empire without leaving the comfort of my chair. You can opt for hand tracking or using the controllers to play the game, allowing you to carefully select tiles with either option, but I recommend using the pointer option for controllers - or you'll accidentally touch a different area.
Admittedly, I’ve never played the original version - like many others, my heavy VR experience started with the Quest 2. However, my thoughts feel familiar to that of the original review for the 2017 game. Considering it’s been seven years, Augmented Empire feels like a solid port to an easily accessible platform, delivering a fair amount of changes for the modern era, without diluting what made the original experience so engaging.
If you’re attached to your arcade-style or action-heavy games, there are plenty of them already out there, and Augmented Empire is certainly not delivering that. However, saying that, I’m not a huge turn-based strategy fan, and yet I found myself attached regardless of my action combat preference, thanks to a beautifully dark story that hits all the cyberpunk notes that I hoped for.
Augmented Empire (2024) Review - Final Verdict
While the gameplay can be fairly simplistic and levels are sometimes lacking depth, Coatsink delivers a gripping story with characters that feel truly real, like watching a book come to life. Repetitive combat may keep me from believing the game is a masterpiece, but Augmented Empire’s narrative threads, beautiful levels, and distinct vibes kept me hooked from start to finish.
UploadVR uses a 5-Star rating system for our game reviews – you can read a breakdown of each star rating in our review guidelines.
Bullet Time Agent is set to launch soon, inviting players into a unique eight-hour adventure inside VRChat, and we got early access. Read on for our first impressions.
Created by solo developer Lakuza, this action-adventure title is more than just a game; it’s a testament to what can be achieved in user-generated content platforms without a traditional game development background.
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Captured using VRChat for PCVR
Set inside VRChat's diverse ecosystem, Bullet Time Agent puts players into the role of a thief turned hero. Things take an unexpected twist after being tasked to retrieve a mysterious artifact that unexpectedly bestows time manipulation powers upon the player. This power isn't just for show; it's a fundamental mechanic woven into the game's fabric, creating layers of bullet-hell combat, puzzle-solving, and platforming challenges.
Emerging from its modest beginnings as a prototype and developed over more than three years, Bullet Time Agent reflects an innovative use of VRChat. Using VRChat, Lakuza bypassed traditional coding barriers and focused their effort on design and player experience. When asked about this approach, Lakuza replied:
"I'm not a coder in the traditional sense of writing code in c#, so I didn't write any programming lines manually however I am using coding concepts. This is done using a unity plugin specifically for vrchat that lets you select actions from a drop down menu and then select a target for the action. Behind the scenes, it'll compile the code for me based on my selections, so it allows someone without training or experience to create logic. Of course, since I've been making worlds since 2018, I have gradually learnt how to use variables, make if conditions using these drop down menus. VRChat does support different methods to make worlds, including actual coding for people that prefer to do it that way. I use a plugin called, CyanTrigger, which is free for world creators to use."
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Captured using VRChat for PCVR
The gameplay in Bullet Time Agent is satisfying, with the “death rewind" mechanics requiring players to strategize each battle. Checkpoints ensure progress isn’t lost, but with the crucial twist of limited rewinds during boss encounters, this compels players to think and react in new and inventive ways heightening tensions and rewarding persistence. Slowing the attack of swarms of enemies with the ability to manipulate time feels great, and it is exhilarating to double-jump high into the air and come down forcefully to destroy the next enemy in the chain with a thrust of your fist.
Images provided by Lakuza
While VRChat’s multiplayer capability adds a form of cooperative play in Bullet Time Agent, progression remains individual. So, if tagging along as a second player, just remember that you're mostly just along for the ride. Also, unlike many VRChat worlds, Bullet Time Agent supports saving and re-loading your previous progress upon launch, a feature that is set to become more mainstream as VRChat’s native persistence update is released later this year.
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Captured using VRChat for PCVR
Seeing this feature in use for the first time in a VRChat game was refreshing, and although it looked a bit complicated at first, this method seemed to work well. Game saves using the persistence mode are done through the generation of a long hash code that users copy into their computer's clipboard and then save into a document for retrieval on their next play through by reversing the process.
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Captured using VRChat for PCVR
Bullet Time Agent is available through both the PCVR and Quest versions of VRChat. The full game is currently playable on PCVR, while on Quest stage 1 is available split across 3 worlds. It's the same gameplay experience on both systems, but the standalone version lacks some of the shine we see in the PCVR release. Lower resolution textures and some missing lighting and environmental effects are noticeably absent, making the PCVR version the one to play if graphics are important to your enjoyment of VR content.
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Comparison of Meta Quest 3 and PCVR
After playing the early access preview on both systems, it's apparent that Bullet Time Agent is pushing the boundaries of VRChat’s framework, especially for Quest. The puzzles, platforming, and combat elements shine. Combined with great graphics, sound, and voice work, this VRChat game stands shoulder to shoulder with many of the mainstream VR offerings we see on Steam or the Quest store.
According to a recent post by Lakuza, Bullet Time Agent will officially launch inside VRChat on 11/22/2024, with a launch event party planned for 11/21 on the eve of the game's release.
We're excited to see more titles like this coming to the VRChat platform, so if you know of any we should check out, please tell us about them at tips@uploadvr.com.
Action Hero wants to make you a movie star next month on Quest.
Developed by Fast Travel Games (Mannequin, Vampire: The Masquerade - Justice), Action Hero lets you become the protagonist of five movies from different genres like adventure, heists, and more. Similar to Superhot VR, time only speeds up when you move and each film is split into four acts with five scenes. To mark today's release date announcement, the studio released a closer look at the first movie, "Fists of Ash," which is described as a love letter to Martial Arts films.
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Taking a hit resets the act and once you've completed filming, each level unlocks a Director's Cut version that promises "new, more challenging and wacky scenarios." Hidden collectibles can be found across each stage, there's a 'Relaxed Mode' for those seeking a lighter challenge, while the "Weekly Shot Challenge" mixes four random acts into one movie and you'll compete for the highest score.
We enjoyed Action Hero during our Gamescom 2024 preview. Though we expressed concerns about the level variety, we believed Fast Travel's upcoming game showed promise.
Action Hero doesn't deviate drastically from how Superhot VR handles these sequences, so I wouldn't call this revolutionary, but putting that premise into a campy action film is rather refreshing. The slow-motion approach gives you time to consider your surroundings while still requiring fast reflexes and dodging bullets in slow motion remains satisfying.
Action Hero arrives on the Meta Quest platform for $20 on December 12.
Zix is a VR co-op roguelite that requires directly changing elements of the world to progress, and that's due out next year on Steam and Quest 3.
Developed by Hidden IO, Zix sees you playing as an Acolyte that's "tasked with spreading chaos across the universe in service of Zix." This involves discovering and mixing various "ingredients" that alter each run across otherwise procedurally-generated realms in significant ways, like replacing enemies or altering gravity, to advance. Here's the new teaser trailer.
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Zix uses gesture-based combat using the 'First Instinct' system which promises "simple gestures" for actions like dashing, jumping, and using weapons. Gameplay elements can be mixed from across three different worlds to gradually unlock secret areas or new abilities, while said abilities can be upgraded during runs with stackable augments.
Alongside solo play, cross-platform multiplayer is supported for up to 3 players and that extends to Steam players not using VR who'd rather spectate. "Asymmetric PC support allows friends outside of VR to join the game on their computers as active spectators. It’s up to them and their impish inclinations if they’ll help out or simply wreak havoc," states the studio.
2024 saw AR form factors that deviated from traditional approaches – everything from lite AR glasses to non-display AI smartglasses. Will this divergence and diversification keep its momentum into 2025?
