Indie virtual reality (VR) developer Cortopia Studios’ first immersive title was a magic spellcasting videogame called Wands, first appearing on Samsung Gear VR. The title has come a long way since then, appearing on multiple mobile and PC-based platforms. Today, it’s the turn of Oculus Quest.
Wands is a multiplayer experience which casts you in the role of a powerful mage who is able to wield a number of powerful and deadly spells. Just like all wizards like to do, practice makes perfect so you can dual opponents from around the world using a mixture of 24+ spells – which you have to unlock through playing – offering both offensive and defensive capabilities.
Offering 1 vs 1 dual in expansive arenas, before each match you must select four spells to attach to a magical staff. As you unlock more these can be mixed and matched to suit your play style. To ensure the matches are fast yet comfortable for most players, the arenas feature teleportation points dotted high and low. You cast spells by the selecting the desired one rather than gesture-based spell casting like you’d find in The Wizards.
To ensure you can usually find someone to fight Cortopia Studios has made Wands compatible with Oculus Rift, Oculus Go, HTC Vive, Valve Index, Samsung Gear VR headsets. Should that prove to be difficult in August the studio released its 1.6.0 patch which added a new feature, an AI opponent called Machina, allowing you to practice first.
While Cortopia Studios has continued to support Wands at the recent Gamescom 2019 event in Germany the developer showcased its latest project in the works, Down the Rabbit Hole, a puzzle title inspired by The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland. Take a look at VRFocus’ preview of the videogame on Oculus Quest or the gameplay footage.
As further Wands updates are released VRFocus will let you know.