Category: A Fisherman’s Tale

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The Best Oculus Rift Games Coming in 2019

You only need to take a look at VRFocus’ ‘Best Oculus Rift Games of 2018‘ to see some of the awesome content the PC-based headset has managed to deliver over the course of 2018. So now it’s time to look towards the future and the next 12 months. VRFocus has chosen five virtual reality (VR) videogames that you should be keeping an eye on, some due very soon while others are a bit more ambiguous in their release windows.

The Best Oculus Rift Games Coming in 2019

Lone Echo 2 - Keyart

Lone Echo II – Ready at Dawn

While not entirely a surprise, Ready at Dawn’s sci-fi sequel Lone Echo II was certainly the biggest videogame announcement during Oculus Connect 5 (OC5) a few months ago. It continues the story of Jack and Liv from where Lone Echo left off, with a teaser trailer showing Liv fixing the players robotic character Jack. Exclusive to Oculus Rift, few other details have been released regarding how Ready at Dawn plan to expand the storyline or the expansion of features. This info will probably arrive during the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March.

Lone Echo II only has a release window of 2019 at the moment.

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A Fisherman’s Tale – InnerspaceVR

While most of the videogames on this list don’t offer a specific launch date, InnerspaceVR’s mind-bending puzzle experience A Fisherman’s Tale most certainly does. A single-player puzzle adventure, A Fisherman’s Tale is all about thinking outside the box, as the title plays with dimensions and scale. It’s only through interacting with the central lighthouse model as Bob the fisherman that the puzzles can be solved and Bob can turn the lighthouse on.

A Fisherman’s Tale is a multiplatform release, being published by Vertigo Games on 22nd January.

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Stormland – Insomniac Games

VR veterans Insomniac Games (The Unspoken, Edge of Nowhere, Feral Rites) are looking to dominate 2019 with ambitious open-world adventure Stormland. Another sci-fi epic that’s going to be competing against Lone Echo II for players attention, Stormland puts you in the role of a robot who just happens to be a gardener on a lush alien planet. That was until The Tempest shattered your android body, so you must head out across the planet to augment yourself and save your friends. The title will feature both single-player and multiplayer options, with players having complete freedom to run, climb and fly across the expansive terrain.

Stormland is another Oculus Rift exclusive which has a tentative 2019 release window.

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Defector – Twisted Pixel

2019 definitely seems to be the year Oculus Rift developers are pushing the technology harder than ever, aiming to offer VR fans even richer and more hands-on experiences. Wilson’s Heart studio Twisted Pixel in conjunction with Oculus Studios is working on a spy adventure called Defector. First revealed as part of Oculus Rift’s second anniversary, Defector is a high octane homage to all those great spy movies, with ridiculous stunts, plenty of guns, cars, and of course a little gambling.

Exclusive to Oculus Rift, Defector was originally due for release in 2018, but slipped into 2019 for undisclosed reasons. No specific launch date has yet been confirmed.

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Unannounced Title – Respawn Entertainment

This is the big mystery on this list – which also makes it the most exciting. Respawn Entertainment is the studio behind  Titanfall and Star Wars Battlefront. The team announced work on a VR title back in 2017 – and no it’s not based/related to either of those titles – and have been super secretive ever since. No title for the project has been revealed, not even a teasing image or two, just a 2019 date and the knowledge that Respawn Entertainment looks to be playing to its strengths with job listings describing a “AAA VR shooter game”.

Only the Oculus Studios logo has been seen next to Respawn’s, so this looks to be another Oculus Rift exclusive, due out at some point this year.

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A Fisherman’s Tale Gets Cool 360 Intro As Final Release Date Confirmed

A Fisherman’s Tale Gets Cool 360 Intro As Final Release Date Confirmed

It may be one of our most anticipated VR titles of 2019, but Innerspace’s A Fisherman’s Tale is a hard game to explain. Thankfully, this effective new 360 degree trailer does it for us.

The video, dubbed ‘The Storm’, arrives via co-producer Arte as publisher Vertigo Games confirms a January 22nd launch date for the experience. This offers just a taste of the larger experience, taking footage from the prologue and scenes that separate the game’s main levels. Fair warning; much of this story is delivered within the game itself and it might be best to save the discovery for then (it’s not that much longer to wait!).

You can watch the trailer in VR by jumping into the YouTube app on the broad range of compatible devices like Daydream, Oculus Go and PSVR.

We recently went hands-on with A Fisherman’s Tale for the second time and came up with a list of reasons as to why it’s one of the VR games we’re most excited about in the new year.

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Launch Date Confirmed for A Fisherman’s Tale, New 360 Video & Screenshots Released

With the new year only weeks away there are several virtual reality (VR) titles VRFocus is looking forward to seeing arrive. One of them is InnerspaceVR and Vertigo Games’ puzzle title A Fisherman’s Tale. Today, the studio’s have announced the actual launch date as well as releasing some new screenshots and an immersive video.

The new 360-degree video reveals a lot more of the narrative in A Fisherman’s Tale than ever before. Going into detail regarding how the wooden puppet in the screenshots came to be.

That puppet is called Bob, a tiny fisherman who lives alone in a tiny cabin attached to a lighthouse, oblivious to the world outside. When the radio broadcasts a storm alert, Bob needs to get to the top of the lighthouse and turn on the light. But that’s not going to be straightforward as all is not what it seems, and things begin to get a bit surreal and weird for him.

A purely single-player puzzle adventure, A Fisherman’s Tale is all about thinking outside the box, as the title plays with dimensions and scale. It only through interacting with the central lighthouse model – which is infinitely replicated – that the puzzles can be solved and Bob’s goal completed.

“A Fisherman’s Tale is an amazing story full of surprising and playful gameplay. It explores immersive writing in virtual reality and brings an unprecedented proposition to VR gaming. ARTE is a proud collaborator on A Fisherman’s Tale together with its talented creators at Innerspace and publisher Vertigo Games,” said Gilles Freissinier, Head of Web Department at ARTE France in a statement.

VRFocus recently previewed A Fisherman’s Tale, finding that it: “has all the right hallmarks to make it stand toe-to-toe” with similar puzzle titles.

A Fisherman’s Tale is available to play on PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets from 22nd January 2019. Take a look at the new video below, and for further updates, keep reading VRFocus.

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Why A Fisherman’s Tale Is One Of Our Most Anticipated VR Games Of 2019

Why A Fisherman’s Tale Is One Of Our Most Anticipated VR Games Of 2019

A few months ago I bumbled along to a Gamescom appointment to see a new game from Innerspace, a VR developer I’d grown much respect for after experiencing its Firebird series. I’d assumed there would be another delightful little experiment to enjoy in its latest title, A Fisherman’s Tale, but I wasn’t quite prepared for the degree at which the game would break my brain.

Four months on and I’ve just played it again. Much to my relief, it still manages to amaze me.

In A Fisherman’s Tale you play as a puppet fisherman that’s confined to his cozy lighthouse home. He awakens one night to find that all is not right with his comfy abode, and sets out on a supernatural adventure unlike anything else you’ve seen. I played through the game’s second chapter last week and instantly fell back into my state of enamored admiration for what Innerspace is trying to do. Here’s why.

There’s An Incredible Central Mechanic

The first two chapters of A Fisherman’s Tale revolve around one of the most immediately engaging and mind-blowing concepts I’ve seen in VR. Inside the fisherman’s lighthouse there is a model of… the fisherman’s lighthouse. But this is no simple diorama; remove the roof of the hut and you’ll see the ceiling above you disappear. Peer down into the model below and, sure enough, there’s a miniature version of yourself mirroring your every move. Open the window and you’ll look out to see a bigger version of the room surrounding you.

It takes a few minutes to fully adjust to the eye-opening ramifications of this mechanic (during which you’ll probably try and poke yourself with your own giant finger) but once you manage to get a grasp on it, it gives way to some truly impressive puzzling. Need a smaller version of an item to solve a puzzle? Reach into the model and pull the mini-me edition out. Need something bigger? Drop that item into the scene from above and it’ll fall right in front of you at an enlarged sign.

It’s difficult to believe that it works so well, but it really does. And the game puts it to great use in the first two chapters, twisting the concept in several ways and mining it for all it’s worth. And it all works so well because you simply believe that there are worlds within worlds around you.

But It Promises Not To Overuse It

As captivating as this device is, though, I could easily see it running thin before the game’s credits roll. Fortunately, Innerspace has reassured me multiple times that the remaining chapters will introduce some new twists of their own and won’t lean as heavily on this concept. Wondering what other kinds of virtual acid trips the developer is preparing for later on has me very anxious to get my hands on the full game.

There’s a lot that Innerspace could do with this world beyond that initial idea. In my first two demos I moved between two rooms of the lighthouse and met some pretty strange characters along the way. It leaves you with a genuine sense that anything could be around the next corner.

It Has An Intriguing Central Mystery

In the two chapters I’ve played of A Fisherman’s Tale the game has really only begun to scratch the surface of a deeper mystery at the heart of the story. Why is this fisherman locked away in the solitude of his lighthouse? Why are his ornaments suddenly coming to life and taking him on fantastical adventures? What’s with the cutscenes that pop up between chapters?

You get the sense that all of this is mounting to a bigger reveal, one that perhaps might involve a little more trauma than the game’s whimsical charm has let on thus far. If Innerspace can nail the narrative aspect of the game, it might be enough to elevate this to one of VR’s first truly essential titles.

The Surrounding Package Is Delightful

Despite it being the team’s first ‘game’, A Fisherman’s Tale is undoubtedly an Innerspace experience. From the comfy confines of the lighthouse to the gentle tones of the narrator, the game boasts a wholesome sheen that makes it an utter delight to simply exist in. Your home is decorated down to the tiniest of details, and the wooden walls and floorboards feel worn and authentic. The setting is as much of a character as you are.

At times A Fisherman’s Tale feels like a poem in motion. The writing is sharp and deliberate and there’s a seamlessness to transitioning between model and ‘reality’ that never fails to amaze you. It’s an experience that works with your brain in a way that staves off frustration.

It’s Unlike Anything Else You’ve Seen In VR, Or Gaming

It’s very much the sum of all of these parts that makes A Fisherman’s Tale something that feels genuinely new. This isn’t a VR game about fulfilling your dreams but instead taking you beyond them. Innerspace understands that there’s a whole other world beyond the limits of human imagination to explore with VR and it’s one of a precious few studios capitalizing on that.

Perhaps that’s all hyperbole; perhaps when all is said and done A Fisherman’s Tale will simply go down as an enjoyable, if compact little puzzler. But I’m willing to bet it’s bigger than that.

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Preview: A Fisherman’s Tale – Angling for a Unique Experience

When VRFocus first got to try InnerspaceVR’s unusual puzzle title A Fisherman’s Tale at the Indie Arena Booth during Gamescom 2018, the short demo was an instant favourite. It did exactly what a demo should, and instantly grabs you with its gameplay hook and reels you in (that pun had to go in). Several months later and the videogame is almost ready for launch, with publisher Vertigo Games (Arizona Sunshine, Skyworld) planning a multiplatform release in January 2019. This time VRFocus has managed to sit down with A Fisherman’s Tale for a better look, getting to play Chapter 2 for the first time.

A Fisherman's Tale Chapter03_Medium-Récupéré3

If you’ve been keeping up with VRFocus’ coverage of A Fisherman’s Tale then you’ll know that you play the titular fisherman, who just so happens to be a man called Bob who’s made out of wood. Bob lives in what is essentially a lighthouse-shaped dolls house, going about his everyday duties like brushing his wooden teeth, and keeping warm by burning logs in his wood burner – seems a little dangerous if you’re also made of wood.

Intertwining a rich narrative which is narrated throughout with a puzzle experience, the main hook with A Fisherman’s Tale is how it plays with scale. Inside Bob’s little cabin next to the lighthouse is an exact scale model of the cabin and lighthouse. As the story and levels progress you take parts of this model away to access the inside. It’s through this process that most of the puzzles are solved, items are either too big or too small for their intended use, needing to be altered by placing in or taking from the model.

The first chapter helps to outline the basic principle, where you can reach into the model to remove an anchor that’s blocking the exit and is way too big and heavy to be relocated at its normal size. Each chapter has several puzzles to solve to progress, each done in turn, creating a very linear experience to begin with. Whether this changes over the entire six chapter’s remains to be seen.

A Fishermans Tale Chapter04_Characters_Medium3Heading into the second location the actual physical area is slightly smaller than the first, yet opens up the many possibilities this magical scale model can accommodate. A Fisherman’s Tale soon has a micro version of Bob jumping into fish mouths and scurrying into walls as he aims to scale the lighthouse.

There is a concern that A Fisherman’s Tale may rely too much on this scale mechanic that it becomes a little too repetitive, although the other worry is that the first two chapters weren’t overly long, and there’s only another four to solve. Only the final launch version will answer those questions.

This preview version also introduced the selectable hints system for the first time. This is there to helpfully nudge you along after a few minutes, to ensure you don’t get too frustrated at any point. Testing it out during the second chapter, the talking fish (the title is slightly weird, you do play a wooden fisherman) doesn’t 100 percent give the answer, but the hint is fairly blunt and straight to the point.

A Fisherman's Tale Chapter03_Storm_MediumDevelopers are certainly finding their feet when it comes to interesting puzzle titles and A Fisherman’s Tale is no exception. Arca’s Path, Tin Hearts, Transpose all have their own unique and addictive qualities which make them stand out, offering puzzle fans a wealth of choice. A Fisherman’s Tale has all the right hallmarks to make it stand toe-to-toe with these others, and VRFocus is still very keen on seeing how the final product turns out.

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[Update]: A Fisherman’s Tale für PC-Brillen und PSVR erschienen

[Update]:

A Fisherman’s Tale ist ab sofort für 14,99 Euro für PlayStation VR (PSVR) im PlayStation Store erhältlich. Die PC-Version für Oculus Rift, HTC Vive und Windows-VR-Brillen auf Steam sowie im Oculus Store soll ebenso heute folgen.

Was euch darin erwartet, erfahrt ihr hier in unserem Test.

[Update vom 17. Dezember 2018]:

Entwicklerstudio Vertigo Games, Innerspace und Arte veröffentlichen einen offiziellen Release-Termin für A Fisherman’s Tale. Entsprechend erscheint der VR-Titel am 22. Januar 2019 für sämtliche VR-Plattformen. Zusätzlich gibt ein neuer 360-Grad-Trailer Einblicke in das kommende Spiel:

[Originalartikel vom 29. November 2018]:

Das VR-Puzzle-Abenteuer A Fisherman’s Tale von Vertigo Games, Innerspace und Arte sollte ursprünglich noch in diesem Jahr für PC-Brillen und PlayStation VR (PSVR) erscheinen. Nun gibt es Neuigkeiten vonseiten der Entwickler, denn die Veröffentlichung des VR-Titels verschiebt sich auf Januar 2019. Als kleines Trostpflaster gibt es dafür einen neuen Gameplay-Trailer, um die Wartezeit etwas zu verkürzen.

A Fisherman’s Tale – Release im Januar 2019 für Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Windows-VR-Brillen und PlayStation VR (PSVR)

In A Fisherman’s Tale taucht ihr in ein surreales Abenteuer mit einem innovativen Gameplay-Konzept ein: Ihr spielt im Koop-Modus mit euch selbst. Das bedeutet, dass ihr unterschiedliche Rätsel und Aufgaben löst, indem ihr aus verschiedenen Perspektiven agiert und dabei in diverse Multiversen eintaucht. So agiert ihr entweder als Miniaturversion eurer selbst, in einem Puppenmodell eurer Umgebung, oder als ausgewachsene Variante. Der Realitätsbegriff wird hier nicht ganz so genau genommen, viel mehr steht eine märchenhafte Geschichte im Mittelpunkt.

In der Rolle der Anglerpuppe Bob müsst ihr eure vertraute Hütte verlassen, denn ein anrückender Sturm steuert bedrohlich auf euren bisher sicheren Unterschlupf zu. Deshalb gilt es zügig das Leuchtfeuer in der Spitze des Leuchtturms zu entzünden, um auch die Außenwelt vor der Gefahr zu warnen. Da ihr bisher jedoch keine Erfahrung außerhalb eurer eigenen vier Wände sammeln konntet, gestaltet sich die Reise zu einem spannenden Abenteuer mit vielen unerwarteten Wendungen.

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Die Gesetze der Physik spielen dabei keine Rolle mehr und entsprechend dürft ihr mit einer Vielzahl an Gegenständen interagieren und diese auf ganz eigene Art kombinieren, um innerhalb der Geschichte voranzuschreiten.

A Fisherman’s Tale soll im Januar 2019 für Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Windows-VR-Brillen auf Steam und PlayStation VR (PSVR) im PlayStation Store erscheinen.

(Quellen: Road to VR | Video: VertigoGames YouTube)

Der Beitrag [Update]: A Fisherman’s Tale für PC-Brillen und PSVR erschienen zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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Mind-Bending VR Puzzler A Fisherman’s Tale Gets Release Window

Mind-Bending VR Puzzler A Fisherman’s Tale Gets Release Window

The bad news? One of our most anticipated VR experiences of the year is no longer arriving in 2018. The good news? It’s still not very far away.

Innerspace’s A Fisherman’s Tale, which is being published by Arizona Sunshine developer Vertigo Games, is set to launch sometime in January 2019, the pair announced today. The game had previously been scheduled for a late 2018 release but we’re not too surprised to see it slip given the announcement comes at the end of November. It’ll be released on PSVR, Rift, Vive and Windows VR headsets for $14.99.

A Fisherman’s Tale blew us away when we saw it at Gamescom earlier this year. “Overall the team is developing four main chapters with a prologue and epilogue to boot, all of which it reckons will take at least two hours to see through,” we said. “I feel like sharp-minded gamers will be able to run through it even faster than that, but the quality of the experience and its puzzles will more than make up for it. They say brevity is the soul of wit and, in the case of A Fisherman’s Tale, I’m pretty confident that’s going to be the case.”

The story-driven experience has some amazing tricks up its sleeve that you can see in the trailer above. Personally, we’re not watching as we don’t want to give any of the solutions away.

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Multi-Dimensional Puzzle Experience A Fisherman’s Tale Sets Sail in January 2019

Having announced unusual puzzle experience A Fisherman’s Tale just before Gamescom this year, developer InnerspaceVR and publisher Vertigo Games (Arizona Sunshine) have just announced that it’ll see a worldwide, multiplatform release in January 2019.

A Fisherman's Tale Chapter03_Medium-Récupéré3

One of the more interesting videogame’s VRFocus came across at Gamescom 2018, A Fisherman’s Tale is a multi-dimensional mind-bender by all accounts, with InnerspaceVR really playing with scale and space.

You play as Bob, a tiny fisherman puppet who lives alone in a tiny cabin, oblivious to the world outside. When your radio broadcasts a storm alert, you have to get to the top of the lighthouse and turn on the light. But leaving the cabin is not that easy, let alone getting to the top. So with the help of some unusual sidekicks, you venture outside, however, it’s time to expect the unexpected.

The title is a single-player co-op experience of sorts, where the laws of physics are completely broken and you team up with multiple dimensions of yourself to solve puzzles. And within these dimensions you can also play with scale, finding lighthouses within lighthouses, having to use this paradigm to make objects smaller or larger as required.

A Fisherman's Tale Chapter03_Storm_Medium

Check out VRFocus’ preview of A Fisherman’s Tale which stated: “Even with this brief demo A Fisherman’s Tale offers an enticing concept and novel change to the usual puzzle mechanic found in VR. Featuring a charming visual design all the mechanics have been created to be accessible for players of all ages. This really is a videogame VRFocus wants to see more of, and definitely comes high on our list of titles played at Gamescom 2018.”

A Fisherman’s Tale will be available for PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality headsets in January 2019. For additional updates, keep reading VRFocus.

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VR Adventure ‘A Fisherman’s Tale’ Gets January Launch Date, New 360° Trailer Here

Vertigo Games, Innerspace and ARTE today announced that their upcoming VR puzzle adventure A Fisherman’s Tale is headed to all major VR headsets next month.

Update (December 14th, 2018): A Fisherman’s Tale now has an official launch date: January 22nd, 2019. To celebrate, the studios have published a new 360 degree trailer that lets you see some of the story, and set pieces that play host to the game’s mind-bending puzzles.

We went hands-on with A Fisherman’s Tale at Gamescom this year and came away pretty impressed. Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect from the studios’ charming VR puzzler:

A Fisherman’s Tale tosses you into the rubber boots of an ex-fisherman named Bob. A large storm is brewing, and it’s up to you make it to the top of the lighthouse and turn on the light, solving perspective shifting room-scale puzzles along the way.

The game uses an extremely interesting mechanic that the creators call ‘single player co-op’ which lets you hand key puzzle pieces to a miniature version of yourself in a dollhouse-size copy of the room. Look up, and you’ll see a giant version of yourself (as Bob), and look down and you’ll see a tiny Bob working away in sync with your movements.

The game is slated to support PlayStation VR, HTC VIVE, Oculus Rift and Windows VR when it launches in January. It will be priced at $15/€15.

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Learn More About A Fisherman’s Tale, The Upcoming VR Puzzle Title

The developer behind the popular virtual reality (VR) zombie shooter title Arizona Sunshine announced in early August that they had teamed up with INNERSPACE to create a new VR videogame in the form of A Fisherman’s Tale. This new title invites players to experience a dreamlike tale about a puppet of a fisherman and his unusual adventure which leads to meeting some crazy and interesting character all while requiring logic and puzzle-solving skills to complete.

A Fisherman’s Tale

A Fisherman’s Tale is a puzzle title with escape-the-room elements in which players need to help Bob, the tiny fisherman puppet, light the lighthouse in order to stop any ships from crashing into the land. When a storm is on the way and the doors are locked, it falls to the player to help Bob get out of this mess and get the lighthouse on before anything bad happens. Described as a collaborative single-player experience by INNERSPACE CEO Hadrien Lanvin, A Fisherman’s Tale is a promising looking title.

As players progress through the chapters within the title, things will start to get stranger and stranger and players will need to really focus on what is real in order to get out of the room. With two different modes of playing the title, one being the ‘Assisted Mode’ where the players hand are a little more precise and the characters and narrator drop various hints to help players progress through the title. The normal mode will provide players with backstory but the narrative and character don’t give as many hints.

A Fisherman’s Tale

VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham previewed A Fisherman’s Tale saying: “A Fisherman’s Tale offers an enticing concept and novel change to the usual puzzle mechanic found in VR. Featuring a charming visual design all the mechanics have been created to be accessible for players of all ages. This really is a videogame VRFocus wants to see more of, and definitely comes high on our list of titles played at Gamescom 2018.”

A Fisherman’s Tale is planned to release later this year for PlayStation VR, Windows Mixed Reality, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift headsets. You can watch the short ‘What is…’ video below and for all the latest on A Fisherman’s Tale make sure to keep reading VRFocus.