Archiact Interactive – Page 2 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

January 17, 2017

E McNeill’s Darknet Confirmed for PlayStation VR Release in 2017

Indie developer E McNeill has become renowned for creating strategy titles for Samsung Gear VR. His first was Darknet, which began way back in 2014, then last year saw the release of Tactera. Then last week saw the launch of his third virtual reality (VR) project, Skylight. Today Archiact Interactive has announced a partnership with McNeill which will bring the award-winning Darknet to Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) PlayStation VR.

Darknet is a strategy/ puzzle videogame in which players are cast as elite hackers, combing cyberspace using viruses, worms and other digital exploits to steal data as quickly as possible. Its gameplay mechanic has seen Darknet win awards such as Best Gameplay at the Proto Awards, and win an Oculus VR Jam.

Darknet - PSVR

But Darknet was built for mobile, so when moving it across to PlayStation VR Archiact has refined and tailored the experience for SIE’s head-mounted display (HMD), with the final version adding several new improvements. On the PlayStation.Blog the studio state: “Full audio integration has been added for Dualshock 4, which brings another layer of immersion to the up-close-and-personal hacking experience. We also couldn’t resist sneaking in some new art; players will notice enhancements to areas such as the in-network nodes, the user interface, and the main menu. And of course, we created some new PS VR Trophies for you all to hunt down and collect.”

Archiact hasn’t confirmed an exact launch date, simply saying ‘early 2017’, so for further details on Darknet, E McNeill, or Archiact Interactive, keep reading VRFocus.

December 17, 2016

Dare to Enter The Forgotten Chamber on Oculus Rift

This week virtual reality (VR) developer Archiact Interactive revealed its latest project for Oculus Rift, a short video narrative called The Forgotten Chamber.

Available to download for free from the Oculus Store, The Forgotten Chamber is a VR experience in the horror and exploration genres in which players explore the uncharted depths of an ancient emperor’s tomb, and attempt to unravel its many dark secrets.

The Forgotten Chamber image 2

Archiact Interactive developed the experience as a contest entry for a film promotion, then felt the piece deserved to be rebuilt and released as a fully fledged experience. So The Forgotten Chamber got a new story, improved visuals and voiceover. The studio wanted a strong cohesion of audio and visuals to connect the player to the content, so implementing a gaze-driven exploration mechanic allowed players to step inside the ominous ruins without the need for a controller. One of The Forgotten Chamber’s most strongest features is true binaural audio, drawing players into 3D soundscapes.

“When building a new experience, we’re focused on two things: hitting a bar of high-quality and creating engaging, memorable VR content,” said Jennifer Dowding, Senior Producer at Archiact. “Chamber was a passion project and we hope the Oculus audience enjoys it as much as we did making it.”

Archiact Interactive’s previous work includes Waddle Home, a puzzle videogame where players have to save penguins by leading them through a series of traps, supporting Samsung Gear VR, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR.

For all the latest news on Archiact Interactive, keep reading VRFocus.

November 1, 2016

Competition: Win A Copy Of Waddle Home For PlayStation VR With VRFocus

If you’re a fan of saving cute animals, we may very well have a competition just for you. October of course saw the launch of the PlayStation VR, which brought the second generation of virtual reality (VR) back to console gamers. The launch line-up was impressive and varied, we at VRFocus even produced a guide that you may want to look at to see just what types of experiences are out there.

WaddleHome_Poster

One game that is out is Waddle Home. Waddle Home sees players set out to save a group of trapped penguins. The title is played from a third-person isometric view from which players guide penguins down a path to safety while also collecting eggs. Obstacles include traps and patrolling guards that the penguins must avoid in order to get off out of the area safely. Players will be scored based on their completion times and the amount of eggs that they collect in each level.

Originally a 2015 Samsung Gear VR title, it made the leap from mobile VR to PC with a HTC Vive edition back in July. It’s now available for Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE’s) headset and we’ve teamed up with Waddle Home‘s creators Archiact Interactive to offer you the chance to take some VR penguins into your home.

We’re giving away PlayStation VR codes to three VRFocus readers in North America and Europe. All you have to do is enter via one or more of the ways included in the app below. You have until November midnight (UK time) on November 8th to enter. Winners will be notified within 7 days and asked to nominate their PlayStation Store region, North America or Europe.

Win Waddle Home On PlayStation VR with VRFocus

VRFocus will continue to bring you the latest updates and releases for the PlayStation VR HMD as they’re announced.

October 5, 2016

Gear VR Title Waddle Home Coming to PlayStation VR

Archiact Interactive originally launched its penguin-themed puzzle title Waddle Home back in November 2015 for the Samsung Gear VR. Then in July the studio ported the title over to HTC Vive, and today announced that PlayStation VR would also be getting a version.

Robyn Gummer, Marketing Manager for Archiact Interactive revealed the details on PlayStation.Blog saying: “One of the biggest changes that we’ve made since the original build is the incorporation of head and controller tracking. With VR head tracking, the levels in Waddle Home feel like a doll house in front of the player. They entice you to get up close, to move around, and investigate. We redesigned many levels to take advantage of this — hiding secret tunnels and building areas that you have to peer into in order to conquer the puzzle.”

Waddle Home - PSVR

During a testing phase for the new build the team discovered players wanted to interact with the scenery more, which Gummer explains: “we dedicated effort into creating fun interactions in the environment that could help players ease into the world. Experiences such as freezing the headset, hitting the spaceships, and splashing around or tracing shapes in the water also help to break up some of the challenging puzzles.”

Archiact Interactive will be launching Waddle Home this month for Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) upcoming head-mounted display (HMD), but has yet specified a date.

PlayStation VR launches worldwide next week on Thursday, 13th October. The headset features a massive line-up of titles available for users who’ve pre-ordered the device with plenty more coming over the following months.

For all the latest news on Waddle Home, keep reading VRFocus.