Category: Acron: Attack of the Squirrels

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15 Minutes of Acron: Attack of the Squirrels Gameplay

Today, Resolution Games has released its eighth virtual reality (VR) title, moving away from its single-player experiences like Bait! and Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs into the multiplayer realm with Acron: Attack of the Squirrels. The studio demoed the videogame at Gamescom 2019 last week and with VRFocus in attendance recorded 15 minutes of squirrel-based mayhem.

Acron: Attack of the Squirrels

Acron: Attack of the Squirrels is a multiplayer party game for up to nine players, unique in the fact that it employs mobile devices. Unlike titles such as The Persistence which featured a mobile companion app for friends to help or hinder the VR player, Resolution Games’ is much more akin to PlayStation VR’s social screen on The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure where non-VR players are essential to the whole experience.

One player dons the VR headset and becomes the tree who must protect their golden acorns while up to eight mobile players are the squirrels, running around trying to steal four acorns and get them home. As the Tree players can throw items to knockout the squirrels or when close enough grab them a fling them out the level. As a mischievous squirrel, there are four to choose from, each with their own particular abilities to help the team.

As you’ll see in the video below, matches are fast and frantic only lasting three minutes apiece. As the VR player, there are are a lot of variables to keep an eye on, from where the acorns are to what player is doing what. The gameplay video only features four squirrel players so you can imagine when the full quota of eight is filled how hectic things can get.

Acron: Attack of the Squirrels

Acron: Attack of the Squirrels launches today for Oculus Rift/Rift S, HTC Vive and Oculus Quest headsets via the Oculus Store and Steam, retailing for $19.99 USD/£14.99 GBP. On the mobile side, the videogame can be downloaded for free for iOS or Android devices (iOS 12.4, iPhone 6 and up; Android 5.0 and up).

Check out the gameplay video below and for any further updates on Acron: Attack of the Squirrels or any other Resolution Games projects, keep reading VRFocus.

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Hands-on ‘Acron: Attack of the Squirrels!’ Might Be My New Favorite VR Party Game

There’s a few great VR party games out there, including the reigning champion Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (2015), although I think a new game is poised to take the VR Party Crown. Resolution Games, the studio behind Bait! (2016) and Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs (2019), released arguably their most promising title yet today, the unique couch co-op game Acron: Attack of the Squirrels!

We haven’t had access to a review copy before launch, although I did get an extended chance to go hands-on with a near-final version at Gamescom last week, which showed off a couch co-op experience that was not only extremely well-balanced, but one that you can truly break out at parties for hours’ worth of fun.

Acron supports Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Oculus Quest. If you’re like me, you’re constantly looking for great Quest titles, and this one easily ranks among the best out there, especially as one of the few VR party games that, in my opinion, has really nailed what makes async VR gaming fun and accessible.

In case you haven’t heard about Acron, here’s the gist: a single player wears a VR headset and takes the role of Giant Tree Guy, who has to defend against an onslaught of tiny squirrels that are eager to steal all four of the golden nuts. You can do this by tossing one of three ammo types that spawn in front of you, which will either slow down or knockout the pint-sized enemies. If a squirrel pal gets too close, you can also physically grab them and toss them around like rag dolls too.

 

The squirrels, played by up to four eight users on mobile devices, have special abilities too though, which come in handy when Giant Tree Guy is accurately throwing a large number of projectiles. Depending on which of the four squirrels you choose, you can deploy a shield, dig a transport hole to get you closer to the base of the tree, sprint super fast, or build Lemmings-style bridges to help you get closer to the golden nuts. With all four squirrels working in concert, a less than attentive Tree Guy can be easily overwhelmed in the madness of it all.

The squirrels also constantly respawn, so it’s a race against the clock to either attack or defend the precious nuts. I can’t stress enough how important it is to communicate between team members so you aren’t all rushing with the same squirrel type, and have a cohesive plan.

 

There’s also fun extras like mushrooms that become jumping pads, pumpkins that serve as cover, bushes so you can get sneaky, and dynamic environments that change to create temporary obstacles such as watery moats that appear and disappear periodically. A total of six maps offers a variety of scenery though, with some favoring the squirrels and others more straight forward for the Trees.

Games are password protected, and can be played both locally and over the Internet, although it’s much more fun to have a bunch of people over scrambling to see who’s going to be the Tree next. Games can be played with a minimum of at least two other players.

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All of this culminates into an extremely fun time that will no doubt have you fighting over who gets to be the Tree next, and who is maining the chunky little squirrel, Chunk, way too much.

Check out my play session below, which features me and the Resolution Games team getting pretty rowdy. There may be some appearance of lag in the video, although this is chalked up to the studo’s capture method, which includes the views of each mobile player and the POV of the VR player, yours truly. The game played very smoothly, both on mobile and in VR.

We have a proper review incoming, so check back for a deeper look of what make ‘Acron: Attack of the Squirrels’ tick.

The post Hands-on ‘Acron: Attack of the Squirrels!’ Might Be My New Favorite VR Party Game appeared first on Road to VR.

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The VR Game Launch Roundup: A Strong End to August 2019

August 2019 continues to prove itself to be an eventful month for the virtual reality (VR) videogame industry, and next week is no exception. Here are six VR titles that have confirmed release dates over the course of next week, as well as a helpful video guide freshly made for our YouTube channel. In addition, be sure to check out our post-Gamescom articles full of exclusive insights to various VR content over the course of the last week.

End-Space-Oculus-Screenshot-3

Until You Fall (Early Access) – Schell Games

Developed and published by Schell Games, this visually stunning action-adventure sword-fighting videogame mixes magical combat with randomized rewards, enemy configurations, and rooms. This means each playthrough of Until You Fall will be different, whilst at the same time allowing players to upgrade and improve their abilities and load-outs to the next assault.

End Space – Orange Bridge Studios

Time to take control of a starfighter and charge through space on a series of dangerous missions while unlocking and upgrading weapons along the way. Developed and published by Orange Bridge Studios, this epic space adventure blasts its way onto even more headsets next week.

  • Supported platforms: Oculus Quest, Google Daydream (already available on Oculus Rift, Oculus Go, Gear VR, HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows Mixed Reality and PlayStation VR)
  • Launch date: 29th August

Hotel RnR

Hotel R’n’R (Early Access) – Wolf & Wood

Developed and published by Wolf & Wood Interactive Ltd, in Hotel R’n’R, you play as a failed musician, who is challenged with finding the most creative methods of destroying your surrounding hotel environment. Set in a series of highly detailed hotel environments and equipped with a large selection of tools at your disposal, let the mayhem commence.

Acron: Attack of the Squirrels – Resolution Games

Developed and published by Resolution Games, in this multi-player, cross-platform adventure from, Trees and Squirrels battle for ownership of the precious Golden Acorns. VR players can take on the role of a protective tree, while others on iOS and Android set their sites to take on the trees as a cunning Squirrel.

Armored Front (Early Access) – AutoRotate180

Developed and published by AutoRotate180, in Armored Front, head into battle from a tank driver’s point of view. Learn to operate and maintain the vehicle in this fully immersive WW2 experience.

Ultimate Fishing Simulator VR (Early Access) – Bit Golem

Previously released as a well-received title on PC, Ultimate Fishing Simulator VR is a single and multiplayer fishing experience where players can learn various techniques to perfect their fishing abilities in 10 different locations using various types of fishing boat.

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VRFocus’ Five Favourite VR Games from Gamescom 2019

This year at Gamescom, Europe’s largest games festival, VRFocus saw a host of brand-new augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) releases. For the first time ever, the event featured a tie-in event known as the VR Games Showcase. Out of the games announced over the course of the 20th – 24th August 2019, here are some highlights.

Acron: Attack of the Squirrels

In The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets, join your grandfather to immerse yourself in childhood fantasy miniature worlds filled with treasure and puzzles. Developed and published by Apex Construct studio Fast Travel Games, Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets will be available on Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift & Windows Mixed Reality headsets later this year.

Acron: Attack of the Squirrels is a multi-player, cross-platform adventure where Trees and Squirrels battle for ownership of the precious Golden Acorns. While VR players take on the role of a protective tree, friends on iOS & Android set their sites to take on the trees as a crafty Squirrel. Acron: Attack of the Squirrels will catapult itself onto Valve Index, HTC Vive & Oculus Rift headsets on the 29th August.

Down the Rabbit Hole is being developed for PlayStation VR, HTC Vive & Oculus Quest headsets. An unnamed girl has found herself in the world of Lewis Carroll’s classic fantasy novel, Alice in Wonderland. The player’s decisions determine her fate in this mysterious world. The second VR title from Cortopia Studios after their top-selling VR game, Wands for multiple headsets including Oculus Go, Down the Rabbit Hole currently has a target release date of December 2019.

The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets

Coming soon to VR arcades, Corsair’s Curse, is a location-based title is being brought to you by Innerspace VR in partnership with Vertigo Games. A spiritual successor to Vertigo Games’ A Fisherman’s Tale, 2-4 players find themselves with complete freedom on board an ancient galleon where you must solve puzzles, find treasure and ultimately escape. In various locations, the game will feature additional 4D weather and vibration effects.

New from Pixel Reef comes Paper Beast. You become immersed in the world filled with paper wildlife in this open-world, free-roaming adventure where your behaviour influences the mysterious paper inhabitants. Pixel Reef describes this world as being filled with “decades of lost code” and “a complete ecosystem, born from the hidden confines of big data.” With no text or dialogue, you must find your own way across this vast world in this PlayStation VR exclusive release, coming later in 2019.

Relive the event with video summaries of each day available on VRFocus’ Facebook pages as well as individual reviews of each videogame available upon release available here on the site, and check out our weekly upcoming releases video on our YouTube channel.

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Red Matter, Pinball FX 2 VR & Acron: Attack of the Squirrels! Receive August Launch Dates for Oculus Quest

When the Oculus Quest arrived in May it had a decent lineup of videogames and apps available on day one. If you’ve been worried that there hasn’t been a continual stream of titles appearing since then, there’s no need to be, as August is looking very good for content. Today, a load of release dates have dropped for several titles, meaning there should be enough to keep gamers happy.

Red Matter - Screenshot 01 - LOGO

On Twitter this morning Vertical Robot announced that its sci-fi puzzler Red Matter would be coming to Oculus Quest on 15th August. Set in an alternate future where an ongoing cold war ensues between two superpowers, you play an astronaut dispatched to an abandoned base on Rhea, one of Saturn’s moons. Your mission is to recover top-secret information that could end the war.

VRFocus gave the Oculus Rift version of Red Matter a four-star review, commenting: “All in all, Red Matter is a very high calibre VR experience, neatly weaving its story and puzzle elements together. It by no means perfect, following the line of other puzzles in VR that are seemingly unable to offer plenty of reasons to come back for more. So like a good meal take it slowly and savour the moment.”

Then there’s Pinball FX2 VR by Zen Studios. An original launch title for Oculus Rift, Pinball FX2 VR has appeared on the Oculus Quest store with a 15th August release date. Offering a selection of highly detailed tables, Pinball FX2 VR proved to be very addictive, gaining a full five-stars in VRFocus‘ original review: “Zen Studios has created some remarkable digital recreations of pinball and yet every other version now seems redundant: Pinball FX 2 VR is the way digital pinball is meant to be played.”

And finally, there’s Resolution Games’ Acron: Attack of the Squirrels!, a multiplayer party videogame. Previously stated as having a summer release, the title is another to appear on Oculus Store, this time with a 29th August launch date. Only appearing on the Quest part of the store, the multiplatform experience will also support Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and mobile devices which presumably will happen the same day.

Don’t forget that Oculus Quest will also see Time Stall and Ninja Legend also arrive this month, so there’s plenty to keep you entertained. For further updates, keep reading VRFocus.

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Gamescom 2019 to Host The VR Games Showcase Featuring Six Titles

Next month the biggest videogame event in Europe takes place in Cologne, Germany, Gamescom 2019. And for the first time, several studios from the virtual reality (VR) industry will be hosting a tie-in event called The VR Games Showcase.

The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets

The brainchild of Fast Travel Games’ Andreas Juliusson, The VR Games Showcase will feature Carbon Studio, Survios, Neat Corporation, Resolution Games and Cortopia Studios. Only open to media and content creators (most of Gamescom is open to the public), they’ll be able to get hands-on time with some of the latest VR offers.

Presented by Perp Games, visitors will get exclusive hands-on time with Survios’ The Walking Dead Onslaught, Fast Travel Games’ The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets, Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency by Neat Corporation and Fast Travel Games, Acron: Attack of the Squirrels! by Resolution Games, Cortopia Studios’ An Adventure in Wonderland and The Wizards: Dark Times by Carbon Studios.

“The VR Games Showcase’ is a concept I came up with 6 months ago. The VR industry is still young and most active VR game studios are relatively small, like us, with the same kind of marketing challenges and lack of resources. However, if multiple studios would join forces to share costs and efforts, I believed we would be able to deliver a real heavyweight event concept with clear value for both media and content creators to attend!” says Juliusson in a statement.

“As I started to reach out about this initiative, I was met with a massive interest not only from the studios but also from Perp Games, whose investment helped bring it to life. Now, the biggest studio event collaboration in the VR games industry is finally happening, with the premiere taking place at Gamescom this summer! I am hoping we can keep building on this concept and allow ‘The VR Games Showcase’ to grow going forward. This unique collaboration really raises the bar for VR games marketing and event presence.”

The Walking Dead Onslaught

‘The VR Games Showcase’ is presented by global games publisher Perp Games. Perp Games is a market leader in VR publishing and proud to support such innovative concepts,” adds Perp Games MD, Rob Edwards. “We truly believe VR offers players a unique gameplay experience and ‘The VR Games Showcase’ is a great way to allow gamers to experience hands-on, some of the most exceptional VR games being developed.”

VRFocus will be attending Gamescom 2019 so keep an eye out for the latest VR videogames coverage from the event.

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First Trailer Released for Acron: Attack of the Squirrels

There have been a number of virtual reality (VR) titles over the years that have gone for a local social aspect, like The Persistence which allowed non-VR players to help or hinder the VR player, or Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes which featured a printable manual for players to follow. Resolution Games, the team behind Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs will be making one of its own called Acron: Attack of the Squirrels. The studio has now dropped the first trailer ahead of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) this week.

Acron: Attack of the Squirrels

The multiplayer, cross-platform party title is all about stealing or protecting the coveted seeds of life. If you’re the VR player then you become a rather overly protective tree who isn’t into sharing. While up to seven other players can join in as squirrels on their iOS or Android devices to steal as many Golden Acorns as possible.

As the tree, you can grab and hurl wood chunks, boulders and sticky sap to impede the relentless squirrels. If you’re one of the furry little critters then you’ll have special abilities to fall back on, with four character classes available. Matches are timed so there’s no dawdling about with players having to work together to retrieve all the acorns in time.

Acron: Attack of the Squirrels will support Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets, with a Summer 2019 release window currently scheduled. Resolution Games has yet to confirm any prices or if the mobile version of the title will be free to encourage more players to play against the one in VR.

Acron: Attack of the Squirrels

VR has long had a stigma regarding the technology being socially isolating, yet several games and apps showcase this isn’t necessarily so when developers put their minds to it. Previously, Tommy Palm, co-founder and CEO of Resolution Games has said: “We’ve always believed that VR is more enjoyable when you can play with your friends and family,” which titles like Acron: Attack of the Squirrels help to showcase.

Check out the first trailer below. For further updates on Acron: Attack of the Squirrels as well as all the other VR titles at E3 this year, keep reading VRFocus.