VR developer Archiact is teasing “big leaps” for its next VR games as the studio rebrands on its eighth anniversary.
The studio today posted a blog recapping the past eight years of development. In that time, Archiact has worked on pretty much every major VR platform including early projects of the Gear VR in Waddle Home and Lamper VR, leading right up to PSVR-exclusive shooter, Evasion, the intriguing VR adventure, Freediver: Triton Down, and last month’s official port of Doom 3 to VR. In the same post, the studio revealed a new-look logo in the video you can see below.
Towards the end of the post, the team talks a little bit about its future. “What adventures are we guiding you to in the future?” the post reads. “What’s next? Answer: the big leap. Well, a few big leaps, if we’re being exact. Leaps into impossible galaxies, into the human body and mind, and even deep, deep beneath the surface of the waves.”
From the sounds of it the team could be working on multiple projects. The mention of one leap going ‘beneath the surface of the waves’ does suggest the team could be considering a Freediver sequel. In fact, earlier on the blog post also notes that “Of all our original titles, Freediver is the one we’re most excited to explore more in the future.”
Today DOOM 3 VR Edition launches on PSVR for $20. We sat down for a chat with Ken Thain, Executive Producer from Archiact to talk about what it was like working with id Software to bring this iconic FPS into VR officially.
David Jagneaux, Senior Editor at UploadVR: Okay so, just checking here: the official title is DOOM 3 VR Edition, is that right?
Ken Thain, Executive Producer at Archiact: It’s a VR edition because we were very particular. It’s not a port. It’s not we threw stereoscopic view on a DOOM game…When we were working with it, they [id Software] were actually quite passionate about the idea that it’s not just a port, let’s make this an adaptation, let’s make this a remaster for VR because we both recognized that Doom 3 is a fantastic game for VR just based on the fact that out of the DOOM franchise, it’s a bit more of a slower first-person shooter.
We as well recognize the possibility within VR and so we consider it an adaptation or remastering because we redid so much. We redid the weapons, we redid the audio, and we can talk about it later, but the VFX: the audio, uprezzing the graphics, uprezzing the weapons, a new diegetic UI. We did so much to it to make sure that it felt like it was for VR from the ground up and I have to say it came out really, really well.
When we first got [the weapon 3D models] it was like, yeah, there’s whole chunks missing because they never had to show them on-screen so you can reveal the weapons and re-texture them up and stuff and then all the additions of the laser target, the flashlights, redoing the sound, redoing the VFX. It really is a remastering and I think once everybody’s able to jump in and play it, they’ll really feel it.
UploadVR: I remember when the game first came out there were lots of complaints about how the flashlight worked. How does it work exactly here? Were the weapons totally remade?
Thain: Yeah, it’s just depending on the weapons. We modified the weapons for those that either we had to put a flashlight on it, or we just keep it on your shoulder or it’s on your head where your aim and for VR is particularly good because with Doom 3 being so intense, like you literally playing where a door opens, it’s dark inside, you peek your head in, look around, put your gun in with the flashlight, check out all the dark corners, it feels totally different…The fact that your flashlight is still on a battery, it can run out, you can turn it off and on and you can look in one direction and have a flashlight going in another direction. So I think people will be really happy with that addition.
UploadVR: Can you talk a little bit about getting the lighting and all that, adapting it for VR, just right? How important is that sort of creepy atmosphere in a VR game like DOOM 3? As you said, it’s a slower-paced game, more horror-style than the others—I imagine it really helps amplify things tremendously.
Thain: First off, it was an advantage in the sense that games built back in 2004 were a lot less complicated rendering wise than they are now. So we’re able to bring the engine forward to update it, but like our team had a lot of Doom 3 fans, particularly, and there’s a group of us actually that were motors in an era of this.
Luckily enough, we uprezzed the environments, we uprezzed the weapons, we uprezzed all the UI and stuff. These additions feel really good. They feel really modern. You play the game, it’s super solid frame rates, 60 frames across. It feels really smooth. Everything’s really clear. It has this modern feel to it but yet this nostalgia of the style of graphics and the style of creatures and stuff from the original Doom. From there, it feels really good and then there was a few things we had to work on, like the original Doom 3 had a lot of strobing lights and that’s not good for VR because you are right in there.
We had to go through and do some modification, either tone down the strobing of some lights or leave them on full time. There was some atmosphere that we had to work around with that, but overall, based on all the additions that we did to it, the game itself stands out really well. I mean it’s id Software, they invented the first person shooter.
UploadVR: Have you looked into the Quest version of DOOM 3 at all? Is that something you’re aware of?
Thain: We’re aware of the Dr. Beef Quest 2 version. There’s also a lot of VR mods for DOOM 3 on the PC as well and we’re aware of these and it’s good. Overall, it’s good. We’re all contributing to VR. We’re all creating good content for VR players. There was never a moment we’d looked at it as competitive or anything like that. As far as Archiact is concerned, we support those mods and I’m sure Bethesda does as well as far as making sure that as many people get to play DOOM as possible.
UploadVR: I didn’t know if that was one you had played or not.
Thain: Well, definitely looked at it. We looked at actually a lot of shooters in the VR space just to see what was working, what doesn’t. Even our experiences ourselves with Evasion, we knew what worked and what doesn’t and the good thing is with id Software, they were very supportive of when we came up with the features and we prototyped them and we had them try it out. We had some collaboration back and forth of exactly the placement of flashlights or even the art. Like, with the double barrel shotgun we have the flashlight taped on because it feels a bit more visceral. Yet the modern machine gun, which is very sci-fi looking, we built the flashlight into it.
Let us know what you think of DOOM 3 VR Edition down in the comments below!
DOOM 3 VR Edition launches today on PlayStation consoles, bringing the 2004 classic horror-shooter to PSVR for the first time.
We haven’t gone hands-on with the refreshed VR port yet, however YouTube channel ‘GrizGaming‘ puts together a good look of the game in this no commentary video, which takes you from the very beginning of the game to about a fifth of the way through the main campaign.
In the video, GrizGaming plays on Veteran mode whilst using PSVR’s Aim controller. Veteran is just one step below ‘Nightmare’, which is unlocked once you beat the game on any difficulty. If you’re looking to skip the early giblets and head straight for the demon-slaying madness, skip to around the 15 minute mark.
At least from what we can tell from the video, the game appears to look fairly well realized; the studio also says its overhauled design, art, UI, and even sound effects. The video of course can’t tell the whole story though when it comes to viewing it in-headset.
Like many flatscreen shooters, DOOM 3 is all about classic ‘running and gunning’, but thankfully we’ve noticed a few things that ought to take the edge off eventual comfort issues. Cutscenes are rendered within a viewing window, which is less immersive but undoubtedly more comfortable than having your head tossed around like a camera. The game also includes hand and head-relative locomotion, smooth and variable snap turning, and variable turning vignette for more comfort—all of it intended to keep your lunch where it belongs. Still it’s sure to be an intense experience for VR users since it requires so much turning, fast movement, and artificial jumping and crouching.
One complaint that you can forget about with the overhauled PSVR version is gameplay length though. The 10+ hour campaign also includes the original expansions—the Lost Mission and Resurrection of Evil—although we haven’t seen that content just yet.
We haven’t played yet, so we can’t suggest you pick it up. Just the same though, you’ll find Doom 3 VR Edition on PS4 and PS5 (backwards compatible) for $20 on the PlayStation Store.
Archiact’s 2019 title FREEDIVER: Triton Downwas a bit of a surprise videogame when it arrived last May, with the studio making very little song and dance about it. As it turned out the title proved to be a little gem, with the main grievance being that it was too short. So Archiact has gone and rectified that today by releasing a new version specifically for PlayStation VR and Oculus Quest – FREEDIVER: Triton Down Extended Cut.
The studio says this new edition has been ‘reshaped from the ground up’ for both headsets with all-new gameplay content, features and a deeper story. Players additional areas to explore, some of which are in complete darkness to up the intensity. To aid you in these locations a new flashlight is available to illuminate the darkest corners. With new areas to explore there are also more puzzles to solve and dangers to evade, all the while trying to escape the stricken vessel.
“No matter how successful a game release maybe, the developers will always look back at the great content that was inevitably left on the cutting room floor and make all sorts of sad wistful noises,” Ken Thain, senior producer on the project said in a statement. “For us, the Extended Cut is a rare opportunity for us to revisit a title loved both by us and the players, building on everything that made the original great while exploring all the wild ideas we couldn’t let go of.”
In this underwater adventure, you play freediver Ren Tanaka, a passenger on the research ship R.S.V Triton. During a violent storm the vessel capsizes and begin to sinks, this is where Tanaka must use all her swimming abilities to find a path through the ship to the surface. The only resource that you need to worry about is oxygen, which becomes rarer the deeper you go.
When VRFocusreviewed the original FREEDIVER: Triton Downlast year we found that: “Short it may be (roughly an hour), nevertheless it’s an energetic journey which keeps you on edge at all times. Hopefully, Archiact plan on spinning this out further as FREEDIVER: Triton Down seems more like the first episode in a larger story.”
FREEDIVER: Triton Down Extended Cut is available today for Oculus Quest and PlayStation VR in North America for £14.99 USD. A European launch for PlayStation VR will take place on Thursday 27th. For further updates keep reading VRFocus.
Archiact, the studio behind VR games Evasion (2018) and Waddle Home (2016), today launched its underwater adventure FREEDIVER: Triton Down (2019) on PSVR in a new ‘Extended Cut’ edition.
Freediver: Triton Down was decidedly pretty demure in scope when it first launched on on PC VR headsets back in May 2019, what with its one-hour playtime. Quick gameplay length notwithstanding, Freediver has striven to make up for its shortcomings with a number of good ideas such as an interesting ‘swimming’ locomotion system and the inherent tension of freediving in the deep without a mobile air supply.
Swimming, which is done via motion controller movement, not only allows you to seamlessly navigate the depths, but it also lends plenty of tension between movement and survival as the player is constantly looking for air whilst having to solve puzzles. The PSVR version only supports PS Move, so make sure to get on your floaties.
In a PlayStation blog post, Archiact’s Renee Klint explains that the ‘Extended Cut’ includes all-new levels on the ship, and a few new areas that have been plunged into darkness which adds what Klint calls “an extra layer of challenge to the many puzzles you’ll encounter.”
The new cut also includes a handy flashlight, although there are admittedly “some dangers in the depths that only a cool head and lightning reflexes will save you from,” Klint reveals. There’s also supposedly more items related to the ship’s fateful sinking such as lost audio logs of the crewmembers’ final days aboard.
While we don’t expect the ‘Extended Cut’ to push the gameplay length a ton, Freediver: Triton Down is now available on the PlayStation Store for $15, which sounds about right for a short but sweet adventure into the deep.
It’s uncertain when/if the ‘Extended Cut’ will arrive on other platforms in the form of a free update, or paid DLC. We’ve reached out to Archiact and will update this piece when we know more.
Freediver: Triton Down launched quietly at the end of May, and while the $9 price reflects its short playtime, the title demonstrates a strong grasp of VR game design with a ‘swimming’ locomotion mechanic which is woven into the underlying gameplay.
From developer Archiact, Freediver: Triton Down is a total departure (in all the right ways) from the studio’s previous title, Evasion (2018). It’s a short but worthwhile narrative adventure about an oceanographer who gets caught in a capsized research vessel after discovering something unexpected in a cave in the ocean depths.
With a running time of roughly an hour, Triton Down is small in scope but big on VR game design. The game is built entirely around a ‘swimming’ locomotion system which is more than just a way to get the player from A to B. Not only does it allow you to seamlessly navigate in 3D space underwater, it creates a built-in tension between movement and survival as the player has to surface for air or risk drowning. This effectively puts a time limit on puzzle solving which is always in the back of your head, especially as the oxygen indicator on your arm beeps as it gets closer to 0%.
Swimming works by pulling the triggers and then swinging both arms at the same time to stroke, pushing you in the desired direction. If you want to turn artificially you can swing just one arm at a time which will rotate your body. To me this felt just a little bit odd and I preferred to simply rotate my real body in place (of course that meant I had to deal with the cord). There’s settings to adjust how much speed and momentum you get from each stroke; I found the default to be a good balance between ‘realism’ and not feeling like you’re playing the game to get workout.
In addition to swimming, you can also grab pretty much any part of the terrain to pull yourself along. This is not only convenient and natural, TritonDown smartly uses it as a means of getting through areas of high water current that is flowing too fast for you to swim against.
The game is essentially a narrative adventure with some light puzzle solving. And while neither the story nor the puzzles get particularly deep, it’s fun just to be part of the adventure as it unfolds.
Image courtesy Archiact
Exploring the capsized vessel with swimming locomotion allows the game to make interesting use of space as players explore areas made foreign by their upside down orientation. The game does a good job of making players feel embodied with its interactions. There’s the terrain to grab, doors and levers to pull, oxygen refill stations, glow sticks for lighting your way, and the oxygen gauge on your wrist which you’ll be referencing often. Smart use of lights a several points throughout the game lets you catch a glimpse of yourself using your arms to swim through the world which adds to the embodied feeling.
Despite a lot of smart VR game design on display, Triton Down does make a few odd missteps for immersion; at the start of the game the player inexplicably sees themselves through the perspective of another character (why?), and the handful of cutscenes strangely cut to a disembodied third-person view.
Considering the small scope and low cost of the game, however, it’s easy to forgive these flaws for what is otherwise an immersive VR adventure worth taking. Compared to Evasion, Archiact’s previous game, Freediver: Triton Down is a breath of fresh air thanks to its engaging interactivity and thoughtful VR design. I hope to see the studio embrace this approach and apply it on a larger scale to future titles.
Developers have tried all manner of locomotion systems to make virtual reality (VR) more comfortable, trying to move away from the defacto teleportation method to something a little more natural. Survios’ Sprint Vector is a prime example of this, swinging your arms to gain momentum. And so is Archiact’s most recent project FREEDIVER: Triton Down, featuring the best swim mechanic to feature in VR to date.
FREEDIVER: Triton Down is a bold attempt at making an underwater adventure as seemingly realistic as possible, which then makes it one of the scariest non-horror experiences available. If you have any fear of boats, the ocean, or tight spaces then this is either one to miss – or possibly perfect for conquering those fears.
The main plot behind FREEDIVER: Triton Down is that it involves a ship hit by a rogue wave and is now sinking – there is more without spoiling too much – and you’re trapped on this vessel and need to get out quick sharpish. Luckily, you just so happen to be an amazing free diver who can hold their breath for a decent amount of time. Using this unique skill you need to find a route out of the ship, utilising any pockets of air and other useful items along the way.
So the swim mechanic. Well, this is the star of the show and should be comfortable for most players most of the time – comfort vignette settings are available – although there are certain fast-moving moments which could prove to be more unpleasant. Swimming is in fact very easy, with the standard breaststroke the main method of moving around. After a while, though your arms are going to ache so it is possible to forgo most of the breaststroke manoeuvre if needed. And just like you really do in the water, it’s possible to pop your head under the waves or dive right under swinging both arms up. Without actually being in the water, FREEDIVER: Triton Down is the closest to being able to lark around in a digital ocean.
However, Vacation Simulator this is not as time is of the essence and air is precious. Not too precious actually, because unless you really do lose your bearings underwater for most of the time air usually isn’t too far away. There are either pockets of air to swim up to or when under the surface oxygen bottles can be found every couple of rooms or so. This is also aided by an oxygen meter on your wrist which beeps, a handy little gadget which helps to avert drowning.
Because you’re in a sinking ship which is heading ever deeper beneath the waves the only task is to get out. Which means additional tasks are non-existent. There are basic puzzles to solve like turning the power on to open pressure doors but apart from that, you won’t need to come back once completed to find any missed items.
While all the flashy extras such as customisation options or other gameplay modes don’t exist in FREEDIVER: Triton Down, the videogame is still one that shouldn’t be overlooked. Short it may be (roughly an hour), nevertheless it’s an energetic journey which keeps you on edge at all times. Hopefully, Archiact plan on spinning this out further as FREEDIVER: Triton Down seems more like the first episode in a larger story.
Evasion developer Archiact jumps back into the VR fray next week with its latest game, Freediver: Triton Down. It’s a very different game from its previous shooter.
Freediver launches via Oculus Home and SteamVR on May 30th. That’s a full week from today, in case you hadn’t realized. It’s a pretty quick turnaround for Archiact; Freediver was only announced a month ago and Evasion launched in late 2018. Check it out in the 360 trailer below. If you want to see it in VR then grab a smartphone viewer or find a standalone headset with the YouTube app.
Still, we’re quite intrigued by this one. Freediver is an underwater survival game that, unlike the excellent Subnautica, is designed specifically for VR. You find yourself aboard a research ship that’s slowly slipping below the surface. It’s a race against time to navigate your way through the ship, fighting for oxygen where you can.
The game makes use of VR’s motion controls, getting players to physically swim through their environment. That sounds like it could be exhausting, but we’ll have to get our hands on it to find out.
It looks a little claustrophobic and mightily intense. Quick gasps of air are stolen in ventilation shafts and dim corridors are lit up with faint glow sticks. We wouldn’t exactly call it cozy, but that’s kind of the point. The game’s being developed in Unreal Engine 4.
Freediver: Triton Down will support the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift at launch. It’ll cost $8.99. No word yet on possible support for PSVR, Oculus Quest and the upcoming Valve Index.
Do you live in Canada and want to work in VR, or perhaps interested in moving to the country? Well this week’s VR Job Hub might be for you, with a selection of vacancies from a couple Canada’s best VR studios.
Don’t forget, if there wasn’t anything that took your fancy this week there’s always last week’s listings on The VR Job Hubto check as well.
If you are an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – don’t forget you can send us the lowdown on the position and we’ll be sure to feature it in that following week’s feature. Details should be sent to Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).
We’ll see you next week on VRFocus at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.
Virtual reality (VR) developer Archiact has shown its skills a number of times over the past few years, with the most recent project release being the first-person shooter (FPS) Evasion. Today, the studio has unveiled its latest videogame, taking a somewhat different approach with a single-player experience called FREEDIVER: Triton Down.
As the name suggests, FREEDIVER: Triton Down is very much an underwater adventure, challenging players to stay alive in an environment that’s quite hostile with limited access to air. The story premise is that you play as freediver Ren Tanaka, who must navigate a capsizing research ship, the R.S.V Triton. As the ship sinks and water surges all around you, you need to find a path to the surface, whilst managing your most precious resource, the air in your lungs.
In VR it’s easier to fly around in space than it is to accurately swim in the ocean, so the Archiact team have paid special attention to the way movement is handled in FREEDIVER: Triton Down, with a gesture-driven system that aims to offer intuitive and immersive swimming and diving mechanics. At the same time, the issue of air is always present, affecting every decision you make.
“Immersive games offer players new worlds to inhabit; our games change how players inhabit virtual worlds,” Kurt Busch, studio head at Archiact, said in a statement “FREEDIVER: Triton Down is a focused, intense experience that pulls you under from the first breath, and doesn’t let go until you put the headset down.”
Looking like a classic disaster movie blockbuster, FREEDIVER: Triton Down is scheduled to launch in May, supporting headsets such like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive vis the Oculus Store and Steam, retailing for $8.99 USD.
Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Archiact creates its own titles such as Evasion, Waddle Home and FREEDIVER: Triton Down as well as publishing titles for other developers, bringing Secret Location’s Blasters of the Universe to PlayStation VR in 2018 for example.
Check out the 360-degree trailer Archiact has created below, and for further details in the run-up to launch including a specific date in May, keep reading VRFocus.
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