Homeseek offers a joyful mix of postapocalyptic strategy and role-playing
At PAX East, Homeseek demonstrated that it could be the next great RTS.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is unintentionally delightful
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum isn't as polished as I was hoping for ahead of its May release window, but it still finds ways to endear itself to longtime fans.
Diablo IV’s always-online play threatens an otherwise killer time
Diablo IV's enjoyable open beta is held back by underwhelming MMO elements.
Flow Weaver Review: Clever Time-Weaving Doesn’t Escape Boredom
In Flow Weaver you’re trapped in a magical prison and must escape using powerful dimension-hopping time-weaving magic. Check out our full Flow Weaver review below to see what we thought!
VR is a natural habitat for escape rooms, and it’s no big surprise that so many virtual escape rooms have appeared across the medium during a time when so many of us would like nothing more than to escape the room we’re actually in. Flow Weaver, a new VR escape room game from developers Stitch Media and Silverstring Media for the Quest and Rift/S, brings a touch of high fantasy to the VR escape room formula.
It does some interesting things with its use of multiple dimensions “overlaying” each other in the same space, but it ultimately falls flat, filling much of its time with generic exposition and constraining you to only a few static and claustrophobic areas across its 4-hour runtime.
The main mechanic here is called “flow weaving”, a school of magic that exists in Flow Weaver’s high fantasy-inspired world that lets you, the protagonist, shift between dimensions by pulling threads over from the other side. On the Oculus Quest 2, this effect is snappy. Given the minimal load times, it felt reminiscent of last year’s reveal trailer for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, where Ratchet jumps between dimensions with little load time separating them all, making for a seamless experience. Traveling between dimensions in Flow Weaver certainly channels that same seamlessness, so it’s a shame that each environment is so limited once you get there.
Of the five total “rooms” you’ll visit, the puzzles are extremely short. In fact, there’s only an hour of content total, if you know what you’re doing. On the other hand, it took me about 4 hours to figure it all out – not because it was well-designed and captivating, but rather because things simply weren’t laid out all that well, and none of the clues led me in the right direction. It quickly became an exercise in trying everything over and over again until something clicked, and there were some spots that were upsettingly dense and frustrating for no obvious reason. One key example is a machine you have to power up by finding and reattaching lost gears. Finding the gears is simple, but since it’s not visually clear where those gears are meant to go, I spent an entire 30 minutes circling around until I eventually figured it out.
Adding on to Flow Weaver’s issue of time padding is the dialogue. There’s a lot of it, and none of it is skippable. Every time you enter a new room or unlock one of the 5 total runestones that are necessary for you to wrap things up, you’re immediately thrust into several lines of unskippable exposition that don’t really hold all that much emotional tension or weight, making Flow Weaver feel more drudgey than exciting and expansive. There’s just too little scope to what Flow Weaver is for any of its worldbuilding to feel particularly interesting.
You’re also not really able to interact that much with the world at all. By holding down the B button, you can highlight interactive objects in the environment. But there are two issues with this. One, not every interactive or important object is highlighted when you hold down B, making for some confusing situations like the one I mentioned earlier. Two, there aren’t many things you can toy with or interact with outside of the objects that are necessary for you to progress. Most of the world is static, which ultimately makes it uninteresting when compared to other games that give you more things to do with physics objects.
Luckily, the rooms are visually pleasing and nicely-detailed. The limited environments are at least quite varied, and each of them look great on the Oculus Quest 2. One room features a breathtaking ocean of clouds that contains mystical structures which swirl around you.
This is something that looks like it came right out of Warcraft’s Silvermoon City, but seems much grander in VR. Characters are less detailed, but they’re usually positioned so far away from you that it’s hard to notice. The soundtrack is easy to listen to in the background, and certainly doesn’t get in the way of the experience, but isn’t all that remarkable or memorable either.
Flow Weaver Review – Final Verdict
Flow Weaver is a sometimes entertaining, sometimes frustrating, and wholly forgettable break from reality which, by the end of its short but needlessly stretched-out hour of gameplay, left me ready to escape to some other game. If you love sorcery and you’re jonesing for a chance to cast a few spells in VR, there are certainly better alternatives like Waltz of the Wizard. However, the puzzles offered in Flow Weaver are still worth checking out if you absolutely love the escape room genre. If so, you’ll be rewarded with some genuinely nice looking environments that are easy on the senses.
For more on how we arrived at this score on our 5-star scale, read our review guidelines. This review was conducted using a digital pre-release version of the game on a Quest 2 headset.
You can check out the game on Oculus Quest if you’re interested. It’s also coming to Steam this year.
10 Best And Most Fun Custom Rooms In Rec Room
Rec Room is still one of the most active and consistently updated online multiplayer platforms in VR. That said, much of its appeal is through creating and sharing custom rooms, which have allowed people to invent their own ways to play together with others.
If you’re curious about playing around in Rec Room, you might find that there are an overwhelming number of custom rooms to try out. We’re absolutely just skimming the surface here, as it’s virtually impossible to know how many great new rooms have been created in the time since this article was written, but here are our top picks for custom rooms in Rec Room thus far, simply ordered alphabetically!
And if you haven’t already, definitely check out the official game modes like Paintball, Questing, Stunt Runner, and more.
^armadilloPVP
^armadilloPVP is a remake of Armadillo from the Red Dead Redemption series. Players drop in for free-for-all PVP combat here, which doesn’t actually have any end goal or structure, and can quickly become frantic as a result. Despite the annoying bits, the ^armadilloPVP map itself is the most interesting part of the package, complete with an arsenal of cleverly disguised weapons (made to look like their counterparts from RDR) and a delicately reconstructed model of the Armadillo settlement.
^BloodBorne
^BloodBorne is a near-perfect replica of the Hunter’s Dream from PS4-exclusive action-RPG Bloodborne. It captures the spooky aura of the original extremely well, making it a cool place to bring out your dark side. As an added bonus, it even contains a few custom weapons based on the ones available in Bloodborne. There’s also a ‘training ground’ where you can try them out on dummies.
^CarouselPark
^CarouselPark is exactly what it sounds like: a carousel park that you can visit with friends and even jump aboard for a spin. The carousel is fully animated and climbable, letting you saddle up and sit back. Adding to the atmosphere is music, art installations, and toy action figures that you can pick up and play with.
^EscapeRoomHauntedMansion
Don’t assume that a Rec Room room can’t scare you. ^EscapeRoomHauntedMansion is more haunted, in the literal sense, than it has any right to be. It’s full of low-budget jumpscares and unsettling world design – the mansion is cursed with plenty of tight corners and spooky-looking figures – but what stands out is its use of lighting, or rather, the lack thereof. Most of the haunted house is pitch black, forcing you and your buddies to use flashlights to navigate through it.
^MagicaeAcademy
Ever wanted to hang out and sling spells at your buds in Rec Room? ^MagicaeAcademy is a fully-modeled high fantasy castle, almost like a cross between the Disney Castle and Hogwarts, where you can use gestures to cast spells with – or against – other wizards. The tall structures and elegant architecture are a breathtaking sight to behold in Rec Room, showing just how robust the Maker Pen can be. This room is currently private, but we got a chance to peek at it and we hope it goes public again soon!
^Millennium_Falcon
^Millennium_Falcon is a loving recreation of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars, complete with explorable corridors, cockpit, cargo bay, and lounge. Everybody’s favorite little droid R2D2 makes an appearance onboard the replica ship as well. This is easily one of the coolest ‘tourist’ locations to bring your friends for photos and long Star Wars-related debates.
^RecRockClimbing
If you’re interested in getting physical during your visit to Rec Room, there’s always rock climbing. ^RecRockClimbing is possibly the most interesting of the custom climbing rooms in Rec Room, offering at least seven different courses to climb up, each with their own gimmicks and challenges.
^rp_unioncity
^rp_unioncity is like the Rec Room variant of DarkRP, a roleplay mod made famous by Garry’s Mod that simulates persistent factions in a ‘real life’ setting. ^rp_unioncity attempts to reinterpret this with gangs and delivery drops, though the gameplay is pretty light. The ^rp_unioncity map is impressive, however, boasting an entire downtown district with moving vehicles.
^SpookyManor
^SpookyManor is like a much more chilled out version of ^EscapeRoomHaunted, placing you on a moving ride that takes you through a Halloween-themed mansion. It doesn’t have any jumpscares to speak of, so bring some friends, sit back, and enjoy the ride.
^TacoWinterLodge
There’s no place like home for the holidays. That’s why ^TacoWinterLodge is the best place to call home in Rec Room. It’s a gorgeous winter lodge nestled at the top of some explorable foothills, and once you make your way up the trail to the lodge, you’re met with Christmas tunes and a roaring fire that feels too inviting not to sit down next to. ^TacoWinterLodge is a lovely place to hang out with others during the holiday season; the only thing missing is a mug of hot cocoa.
What are some of your favorites? Let us know down in the comments below!
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Last Labyrinth Review: Claustrophobic Escape Rooming
Last Labyrinth leaves you tied up, arms and hands bound in a wheelchair, at the mercy of a young girl. Her name is Katia, and she’s your only way out of this meticulously detailed series of escape room puzzles, where her death (and subsequently, yours) is often the first key to finding a solution to each challenge.
Since you rely on Katia to make the game move forward — by both opening doors and pushing your wheelchair through them — Last Labyrinth is, in so few words, a polarizing experience. Every room introduces a new way for Katia to be killed off while you watch haplessly, moments before the same fate befalls you. The ‘polarizing’ bit is that this isn’t just something that happens at the end of an occasional cutscene; it’s a core gameplay loop. Luckily, you’re only forced to watch the death cutscene once per puzzle, before a skip option becomes available.
That said, Last Labyrinth is a difficult game to recommend to those with a weak stomach. Katia is killed in often brutal ways, both on and off-screen, and it should go without saying that this is not at all for the faint of heart.
Last Labyrinth’s explicit story is minimalistic. Katia speaks in a made-up language while shuffling you from puzzle room to eerie puzzle room as you attempt to evade death by pointing out buttons, clues, and hidden panels with a laser pointer that’s conveniently strapped to your forehead. There are a few twists and turns later on, but I won’t spoil those. Even with such a simple framework for interaction, the world design and art direction of Last Labyrinth both evoke enough bleak atmosphere and tension to compel you to remain curious about what’s behind the next grimy, time-worn door.
Just as the death sequences themselves become more intricate, as do the puzzles that tie the entire gameplay experience together. You can move through an entire playthrough in about three hours, depending on how quickly you manage to clear each room, but it’s possible to see (at least) three different endings, depending on the path you select near the middle of a given playthrough. There are also a surprising amount of unique puzzle designs here. Last Labyrinth doesn’t overuse the exact same gimmick, instead introducing an entirely new element in each room, even while repeating the same basic circulation of room layouts.
This variety isn’t always a good thing, though. Aside from a few rooms that feature red lights that turn green when you’ve done something right, there is no clearly defined vocabulary that ties each of the puzzles together. This makes the feeling of success that much greater when a puzzle ‘clicks’, but it also makes it easy to misread a room and get stuck far longer than is preferable. To add insult to injury, many puzzles require you to intentionally make the wrong choice at least once via permutation testing before you figure out that room’s gimmick, meaning that Katia’s death becomes an arbitrary part of gameplay after some time.
Pacing is another issue I have with Last Labyrinth. Not only does Katia require you to nod your head for affirmation each time you point at something with your laser pointer, she somehow manages to walk slower than a high school student before the first bell. And then she occasionally interacts with the wrong object, requiring you to shake your head for “No” before she’ll back out of the interaction. In fact, a solid third of the time spent solving puzzles in Last Labyrinth isn’t actually in scrambling to decode the solution, but rather in orchestrating Katia’s actions and lining puzzle pieces back up to reenact past progress after you’ve nixed a step and accidentally gotten her killed once again.
On that note, the controls in Last Labyrinth are definitely worth addressing. You point your laser by moving your head, and you activate it by hitting the ‘A’ button (at least with Touch controls). This format would regularly make the most sense on a VR system with a limited control scheme; the Oculus Go comes to mind here. But in retrospect, a broader control scheme and more interaction with the world would have actually taken away from the message that Last Labyrinth is attempting to convey. If not the message, that certainly would have hurt the atmosphere.
See, Last Labyrinth isn’t about accommodating for you. It’s not meant to be a fun game. And, between gratuitous death sequences and often frustrating puzzles, only rarely is it one. Instead, treading more closely alongside the “VR experience” path, it asks you to view the world through the eyes of somebody who can barely accommodate for themselves. The pretense wouldn’t feel as dire if it were presented as a point-and-click adventure, and the dramatic irony that you do presumably have a working mouth, hands, and legs is what creates the tension that drives things forward in Last Labyrinth.
Last Labyrinth manages to tell an interesting story about codependency and vulnerability by simply taking away your agency and giving it to a little girl that seeks your guidance and approval. Dark atmosphere, often frustrating but varied puzzle design, and deliberately limited controls add up to a compelling experience. Unfortunately, it’s marred by sluggish pacing and just a little too much gratuitous death.
Final Score: 
3/5 Stars | Pretty Good
This review was conducted on an Oculus Quest.
Last Labyrinth runs on all major PC VR headsets, PlayStation VR, and Oculus Quest. You can now get Last Labyrinth on Steam, on the Oculus Store, and on the PlayStation Store. Last Labyrinth is currently MSRP’d at $40. Check out our Review Guidelines for more on our process.
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Audio Trip Early Access Review: Competently Finds Its Rhythm
Audio Trip is out now in Early Access on Steam and we’ve spent a few days putting this latest VR rhythm action game through its paces. Read on to find out how it fares!
“Does VR really need another rhythm action game?”, you might be asking yourself right now. It seems like VR developers really love to make these types of games, especially given the runaway success of Beat Saber. I myself have played games like the aforementioned Beat Saber, BoxVR, Audica, Audioshield, and Dance Central VR. So really, I do mean it when I say that all of the niches that you could possibly fill in this subgenre have already basically been filled.
Well, all except for one, apparently: a decidedly chill rhythm action game that’s all about the finer parts of ‘flow’ and ‘free expression’, while also somehow forcing you to do stretchy aerobics in your pajamas. That’s, more or less, exactly the missing link between all other existing VR rhythm games that Audio Trip, the first game by developer Kinemotik, manages to fill.
Before I get ahead of myself, let me back this review right up. I absolutely hated the first hour I spent inside of Audio Trip. I thought the hands were too small and I struggled to reach any of the notes as they sped past me. I thought the notes themselves, especially the ribbons, were erratically placed and the game was poorly explained. When I kept failing songs on Beginner mode (which didn’t even feel too different from the other, harder modes), I felt like the fun had been vacuumed out before I even got a chance to really get into my groove. The tutorial didn’t help much either, sort of pushing me towards each individual element example-by-example, without further context, and then sending me back off.
But then I figured out the trick.
Audio Trip VR Rhythm Gameplay Footage:
What turned my whole experience around (for the better) was going into the options menu and turning on the little virtual dance instructor. She stands in front of you and performs the moves that the game expects you to perform on your own. Without her, the game is frantic to an almost unplayable degree. But with her, everything clicks into place. I also think that, before I had the proper instruction, I’d simply been approaching Audio Trip from the wrong angle.
When you’re so used to playing games like Beat Saber and BoxVR like I am, it becomes second nature to hit notes (or in this case, gems) as aggressively and skillfully as you can. Audio Trip, instead, is really all about having your hands in the right place at the right time, sort of like how you’d approach Dance Central VR. When approached correctly, what ends up happening is you get something of an aerobic dance class out of Audio Trip, with more focus on aerobics than on actually dancing. But also, you can dance if you want to. You can leave your friends behind.
Feature-wise, Audio Trip is a bit light in its current state. There are a grand total of 10 songs, playable in three modes (Beginner, Regular, and Expert), and each one is assigned a custom-made world that you move through over the course of the song. Its soundtrack boasts a decent, albeit limited blend of electronic and pop staples licensed out from recognizable artists like Skrillex, Lada Gaga, Rafaël Frost, and a few others. One thing that stood out here was the Quick Trip option, which lets you play a much shorter version of a song.
The worlds, which are definitely beautiful and nice to look at, are not related to gameplay in any direct way. As such, they’re overshadowed by the gameplay itself eating so much of your focus. The dramatic backdrops can even be distracting at times, generally when a track arrangement starts to become complex and the ‘chill’ aspect of Audio Trip is diminished in favor of focusing on landing notes right.
That said, it would have been cool to see the gameplay visuals correspond more with the backdrop, ala Tetris Effect. I’d even say that it’s a legitimate shame that the clear opportunity to mix gameplay and style was missed here, seeing as how much effort was evidently put into the design of each world.
Further, the notes in Audio Trip don’t correspond with any kind of sound effects when you land them. The lack thereof really makes the gameplay in Audio Trip fall flat faster if you aren’t already having fun finding your own rhythm. Sound cues, as a psychological component, are a significant part of what made Beat Saber so compelling and appealing in the first place. It’s no coincidence that the makers of BoxVR, arguably one of Beat Saber’s only meaningful competitors, finally added their own to match each hit.
Audio Trip Early Access Trailer:
Audio Trip Early Access Review Final Verdict
I have to hand it to Kinemotik for making a VR rhythm game that manages to add something new to a genre I thought had already been done to death and back. Even in Early Access form, Audio Trip is quite a bit of fun once you get accustomed to playing it, which is made far easier when you follow along with the virtual dance instructor. That said, it isn’t without its shortcomings. Even though it gets some slack for being in Early Access, it doesn’t immediately feel as approachable or fun as it could. The world environments and the gameplay itself are in conflict with each other at times, and the lack of hit sounds is an obvious improvement in the making.
Final Score: TBD
This review was conducted on an Oculus Rift S using the Early Access Steam version of the game. Since it is still in Early Access a score is not rendered at this time.
You can now get Audio Trip on Steam in Early Access for $20. It runs natively on all major PC VR headsets.
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360° Live-action Thriller ‘Agent Emerson’ Launches in November, Trailer Here
Shot in first-person as a continuous take, 360° live-action spy thriller Agent Emerson is slated to arrive on all Oculus headsets as well as PC VR headsets November 22nd, followed later by a release on PSVR.
Starring Lyndsy Fonseca and Tony Denison, Agent Emerson is set to run for a total of 15 minutes. Written and directed with VR sensibilities in mind, the film will tell its story entirely through the first-person perspective, similar to Hardcore Henry (2015). Granted, the fact that viewers will be able to pan their heads in all 360 degrees and still find something to look at means it’s very possible that director Ilya Rozhkov has hidden a few secrets to discover on subsequent viewings.
“CIA Operative David Emerson awakens to find himself the subject of an experimental program with his body under complete remote control of the imperious General (Tony Denison),” states a story summary on the film’s official website. “With the aid of a rogue operative Alexandra (Lyndsy Fonseca), David has to retake charge of own actions and fight his way through the top security facility inside the most complex live-action VR film ever made.”
Fonseca is best known for her appearance as Alex Udinov in TV series Nikita (2010-2013) and Angie Martinelli on Marvel’s Agent Carter (2015-2016), meanwhile Denison is best known for playing Lieutenant Andy Flynn in The Closer (2005–2012).
In a separate statement, Rozhkov commented on how VR uniquely influenced the narrative direction of Agent Emerson. “The story of Agent Emerson revolves around the themes of control over one’s own actions, the consequences, and personal responsibility that result from lack of that control. The protagonist is in the same boat with the audience of the film – he does not control his body, which is being manipulated by the General.”
In order to create a non-stop live-action film told from the perspective of the protagonist in VR, body and shoulders included (with no cuts from beginning to finish), a special camera was needed. Calling it the ‘Identity Capture Camera’ or the ‘IC-Cam’ for short, Rozhkov said that the camera’s “3-point-axis stabilization system” allowed for the capture of the entire film from the first-person perspective without sacrificing viewer comfort.
“While editing in cinema is a powerful artistic tool, crucial and unique for the medium, it does not work in VR,” Rozhkov continued. “In reality, there is no such thing as a magical jump from one angle to another one in a rhythm suitable for the drama, [and there is] no such thing as turning our world to the point of wanted attention.”
Agent Emerson will arrive for users of all Oculus and HTC headsets on November 22nd. It is planned to become available to PlayStation VR owners “shortly after”. No price of admission has been confirmed for the film just yet.
Agent Emerson was produced by Pete Blumel and Cathy Twigg (Rogue Initiative), Sergey Selyanov (CTB Film Company), and Ilya Rozhkov (Serein). It also contains musical performances from Tina Guo (Wonder Woman (2017), Dunkirk (2017), Lion King (2019)) and Corey Wallace (Artik (2019)).
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Asgard’s Wrath: How To Find And Access Major Midgard Side Locations
Asgard’s Wrath is one of the medium’s richest action RPGs to date (read our review here), and as such, it is positively teeming with secrets and hidden quests to find.
That said, the biggest and best side quests in Asgard’s Wrath are stored away in optional dungeons, called Labyrinths. While many treasures and points of interest are hidden in plain sight, Labyrinths tend to hide away from the world for you to go out and find.
Meanwhile, for those who want to battle their hearts out, some of the toughest (and most rewarding) combat challenges in Asgard’s Wrath are served up in Arenas, where mortal challengers are invited to step up and take on Valkyrie Challenges for prizes and glory.
It isn’t immediately obvious where to look for any of these when you’re first starting out, so here’s our guide on how to find and gain access to some of the earliest major side locations in Asgard’s Wrath. Note that entering a Labyrinth for the first time usually consumes a Midgard Key. Likewise, entering a Valkyrie Challenge always costs a Hogni’s Heart, which you can replenish from the blacksmith at Aegir’s Hall.
Labyrinths
Labyrinths are massive dungeons that span entire zones in Asgard’s Wrath, much like the main zones featured throughout the main quest arc. While some Labyrinths in later sagas are part of the main quest itself, each of the biggest Labyrinths found in the early sagas spanning across Midgard are entirely optional and tend to reward plenty of loot and unique (unbreakable) Hero equipment.
Unmarked Tomb
Zone: Stormborn Beach
Quest: A Restless Soul
Required Hero: Ingrid
Required Followers: Astrid, Hulda
Rewards: Ingrid’s Hero shield.
How to get inside: From the Tomb of Thorketill the Patient on Stormborn Beach, immediately head up the stairs and travel through the passageway. Use Astrid’s Wind Gust ability on the windmill to open the door, and travel inside to begin the quest.
Abandoned Dungeon
Zone: Borgarholt Fort
Quest: A “King’s” Ransom
Required Hero: Any
Required Followers: Astrid, Hulda
How to get inside: After you gain access to the Borgarholt Ravine, travel past the God Altar and underneath the bridge until you find a tight corridor leading off the main path and into a well-lit enclosure. Head down the stairway towards the locked door and the side quest should initiate.
The Virgin’s Labyrinth
Zone: Midgard Highlands
Quest: The Lady in the Labyrinth
Required Hero: Any
Required Followers: N/A
How to get inside: At the God Altar, enter god-mode and look at the large statue with two yellow eyes and a closed doorway for a mouth. Poke both yellow eyes at once and the previously closed door will now be open, initiating the quest. Head on through the now-open corridor and head up the stairs to the gate.
Forgotten Sanctum
Zone: Great Belfry
Quest: Mysteries of Midgard: Parts I & II
Required Hero: Frodi
Required Followers: N/A
Rewards: Frodi’s Hero shield.
How to get inside: As soon as you make your way to the large round Grand Chamber door, which is on the platform directly below the zone’s God Altar (you can’t miss it), turn left down the stairs into a cylindrical room that leads down a corridor. Follow the corridor to a door, and you’ll find yourself inside of the Forgotten Sanctum.
Arenas
Valkyrie Challenges that take place in Arenas where you face off against wave after wave of increasingly difficult enemies. Each session is timed, and the timer runs indefinitely until you finally die. The rewards you receive at the end are determined by your rank.
Ranks:
- Thrall (2x kills)
- Farmer (4x kills)
- Skald (6x kills)
- Raider (8x kills)
- Berserker (14x kills)
- Drengr (18x kills)
- Godly (???)
Seaside Stronghold
Quest: Arena I: Seaside Stronghold
How to get inside: A fast travel point appears in the Stormlands after completion of the second saga.
Whisperwind Point
Quest: Arena II: Whisperwind Point
How to get inside: A fast travel point appears in the Highlands after completion of the third saga.
Asgard’s Wrath is now available on the Oculus Rift for $40.
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‘Screensavers VR’ is Part Art, Part Visualizer, & Wholly Nostalgic – Launching Next Week
‘Screen-saving’ relaxation title Screensavers VR seeks to bring virtual explorers back to the 90’s, an era littered with CRT monitors known for their lackluster mitigation against pixel burn-in. Screensavers were a necessary part of keeping monitors working properly, and some of the most popular screensavers of the time will soon be fully explorable in VR when Screensavers VR arrives on Steam (for all major PC headsets) on October 16th.
Developer FLOAT LAND called Screensavers VR a “part-parody, part-tribute to the emerging pop-tech aesthetic of the 90’s” in a recent press statement. Further, it appears that the title is not simply a 3D realization of a few retro screensaver environments; instead, the developer boasts unique VR interactions including object manipulation and re-scaling.
The experience’s Steam page lists the following features:
- Plunge your body into five screensavers inspired by the classics, and experience their evolution.
- Physically manipulate digital worlds! Explore each micro-universe through wild parameters and VR-only effects like scale.
- Kick back in the semi-authentic 90’s office-den simulation and read original writing about the screensaver phenomenon.
- Warp through stars like never before! Experience and endless starfield in HD!
- Can you reach the end of M A Z E?
- Pipes are so real, you’ll swear you hit your head.
The Screensavers VR developer promises to introduce multiple comfort options and a “laying down mode” to the title soon after launch. Future post-launch content may include VR renditions of modern screensavers “contributed by contemporary artist and animator luminaries.”
Screensavers VR is slated to arrive on October 16th, priced at $5. It will be available on Steam for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index, and Windows MR owners. The title is also promised to become available on Oculus, Viveport, Itch.io, and Google Play, though there are no estimated release dates for those versions at this time.
“The project was first demoed at Glitch City’s Cyber Cafe art show at LA’s iconic Cinefamily in 2014,” the developer continued in the press statement. “After a few year hiatus, the FLOAT team (Irrational Exuberance, Liminal Realities) launched a new version of the project at IndieCade’s E3 booth in 2018, receiving favorable press coverage with BBC News, Hollywood Reporter, and Venture Beat.”
Screensavers VR is evidently part of a ‘multi-media’ experience accompanying transmedia “essays, prose, and flash fiction pertaining to screensavers, generative animation, and how we interact with media,” the developers say. The latter are all planned to be compiled and published—in print—in fall 2020 by publishing house Not a Cult.
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