It’s been months since we’ve seen anything new from PSVR-exclusive shooter, Blood And Truth. But a new listing for the game suggests launch may finally be within reach.
The Australian Classification board yesterday awarded the game a MA 15+ rating. The listing says the game has strong violence and language as well as mild sexual references. This doesn’t necessarily mean that launch is imminent, but it’s a good sign that developer Sony London is entering the home stretch. Other games like Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Firewall Zero Hour have been announced and released in the same window that we’ve been waiting for this.
That said, there aren’t any PEGI or ESRB listings for the game just yet. It may be that it’s still going through those rating processes.
Blood And Truth was first announced all the way back in 2017. It’s Sony London’s follow-up to the London Heist minigame found in its PlayStation VR Worlds launch compilation. Playing as a former SAS agent, you take to the streets of the UK capital and engage in shootouts with gangsters.
We’ve been hands-on with the game a few times now and we’re hoping for a polished final product. It uses dual Move controllers and node-based locomotion. It can feel a little dated, but there are some good ideas in there too.
The game is one of two Sony-owned VR projects being developed in the UK right now. Last month we reported that the company’s new Manchester-based studio is also working on an ‘AAA’ PSVR title and is still hiring for the project.
2018 is over and it’s clear to see that it’s been a great year for VR gaming. We’ve had highlights like Creed, Firewall, Astro Bot, Skyrim (on PC) and many more. But, as much fun as we’ve had inside headsets this year, 2019 is looking even better.
Every year at Upload we compile a list of all the games we’re looking forward to in the year ahead. While this year’s list isn’t bigger than the 2018 iteration, there’s definitely more genuinely promising games on the way as opposed to a swathe of wave shooters and the like. VR developers seem to be getting a real grasp on the language of the platform now, and that’s a very exciting thing indeed.
So, without further ado, here’s what VR games 2019 is going to throw at us.
A Fisherman’s Tale (Jan 22nd) – Rift, Vive, Windows, PSVR (Read Our Hands-On)
Firebird developer Innerspace tries its hand at VR gaming with its latest project and the early signs are hugely promising. This is a narrative-driven puzzle game with some amazing ideas behind it, including a strange sort of Russian Doll mechanic that will have you teaming up with yourself in order to fix the world around you. It’s early days but we’re betting this could be one of 2019’s most memorable VR games.
Ace Combat 7 may have barrel rolled out of 2018 but its January 18th 2019 release date is right around the corner and we remain very excited about it. The PSVR exclusive mode on offer here will no doubt be short and leave us wanting more but, from what we’ve seen, it’s still set to be a blockbuster PSVR experience with production values that’ll be tough to top.
2018 was a quiet one for this Albino Lullaby follow-up, but we’re hoping to have news on the second installment at some point in 2019. This is a horror series that doesn’t rely on jump scares but instead psychological tricks that will keep you on your feet. We have high hopes for the second episode.
Bebylon Battle Royale (TBD) – Rift, Vive, PSVR
Yes, it’s still coming. Senza Peso developer Kite & Lightning has been working on its first full VR game for some time now, but we’re hoping 2019 is the year we get to play it for ourselves. Set in a strange world in which humans have stopped aging, never-aging ‘Bebys’ battle it out for supremacy. The team’s recent work with facial capture on the iPhone X has been especially interesting to watch.
Blood and Truth didn’t quite make 2018 but, given the year the headset had, it’s no big loss. Sony London builds on what it learned with its popular London Heist demo here. Blood and Truth promises a full, highly-polished first-person shooter campaign on PSVR, with realistic shootouts thanks to PlayStation Move. Step into the shoes of a former SAS soldier and take the fight to the gangs of the UK capital in this sweary shooter that aims to deliver the AAA experience people crave.
Blunt Force (TBD)
We still haven’t heard much more on Blunt Force since its announcement in 2016, but the high amount of visual polish has us hoping it’ll resurface this year. It’s a World War II-set shooter with a story from Hollywood screenwriter Mark Bristol that aims to provide a full gaming experience within VR. Here’s hoping it lives up to that promise.
Border Patrol (TBD) – Rift, Vive
We’ve seen a promising demo of this Papers Please-style assessment game from developer Paw Print Games, but we’re still looking forward to the full thing. You have to judge a series of robots that are hoping to pass through your crossing based on certain standards. This looks like it could capitalize on the awkward sense of judgment that can come with staring down on people in VR, and may be one of the year’s most unique titles.
Chimera Zero (TBD) – Rift, Vive, PSVR
We know very little about this VR debut from former PlayStation figurehead Shahid Kamal Ahmad (which was announced all the way back in 2016), but we’re still excited by it. It shares its name with the 33-year-old action-adventure, Chimera, which Ahmad also worked on. That said, he’s promising an experience quite different from that debut. What does he have in store?
Coatsink/Fierce Kaiju Project (TBD)
This project sat 2018 out so let’s hope 2019 is the year. Coatsink and Fierce Kaiju are two UK-based indie developers known for their early adoption of VR hardware, both launching games on the Innovator’s Edition of Gear VR. After releasing games like Viral EX and Augmented Empire, the two are pairing up for an unannounced project which we really hope will reach even greater heights than either of them have yet achieved on their own.
Twisted Pixel’s follow-up to Wilson’s Heart didn’t quite make it out of the gate in 2018 but hopefully we won’t have to wait too much longer to get it now. This is a high-octane VR thrill-ride backed by the production values that only Oculus Studios can afford, taking you from sky-diving setpieces to sneaky spy missions. If it’s as polished as Wilson’s Heart it’s bound to be a hit.
We’ve been waiting for Media Molecule’s Dreams for so long that the idea it might actually release in 2019 itself feels like, well, a dream. But with the beta opening up, it is seeming like a genuine reality. With VR support now officially, officially confirmed multiple times (for day one!) we can confidently say this is one of the most important titles releasing for Sony’s headset. Making your very own VR world is hopefully just a few months away.
Eden Tomorrow (TBD) – PSVR
Eden Tomorrow debuted at Gamescom several years ago with a promising demo that let you walk with space dinosaurs. It’s been away for some time since, but now it’s back promising a full adventure that we’ll hopefully get our hands-on this year. We’re looking for more amazing moments out of this one.
There’s still a lot to learn about how and when The Elder Scrolls: Blades will work with VR headsets, but we do know it’s coming. This’ll be a cross-platform RPG that distills some of the core elements of the franchise into a much more streamlined package. Whether or not it pays off remains to be seen, but we’re holding out hope for another Bethesda VR hit.
Espire 1: VR Operative (TBD) – Rift, Vive
Though it didn’t make its original 2018 release window, Espire 1 has quickly become one of our most anticipated VR games of 2019 thanks to a publishing partnership with Tripwire Entertainment. Stealth in VR can be utterly thrilling and this looks like it could be the best entry in the genre yet for VR headsets. Keep a very close eye on Espire 1.
Everybody’s Golf VR (Spring) – PSVR
It’s hard to believe it’s taken us this long to get an Everybody’s Golf game onto Sony’s headset but this rendition of the series looks like it will have been worth the wait. This is a much more realistic-looking take on the long-running franchise that will have us using Move controllers to take swings and score birdies. Just mind the lampshades.
VR can do wonders for building a relationship with virtual characters and Falcon Age seems to speak directly to that. In this new adventure you raise a pet Falcon and grow a bond as you care for it. Eventually, you’ll find yourself fighting for survival against an aggressive group of robots that threaten the land you roam. We can’t wait to see how Falcon Age mixes its story and action together.
The Gallery Episode 3 (TBD) – Rift, Vive
Enough time has passed now that we’re beginning to let ourselves dream about the third installment in Cloudhead Games’ The Gallery series. Episode 2 represented a massive leap over the original in pretty much every area, and hopefully we can expect a similar sort of expansion here. The Gallery remains one of VR’s most recognizable and best-realized series. Episode 3 can’t get here soon enough.
Moss and Astro Bot have already proved that third-person VR can work incredibly well, and Ghost Giant looks like it’s set to continue that trend. You build a relationship with a town of cutesy little creatures, each of which is wondering why this enormous ghost has suddenly appeared in their lives. We’re looking forward to exploring more diorama worlds and unearthing more of this storybook universe.
Golem (TBD) – PSVR
Despite a last-minute delay that’s now stretched on for something like nine months of silence, Golem remains one of our most anticipated VR games. With its intriguing use of just one Move controller for exploration and sword combat, we’re excited to see if the game manages to set any new standards in VR gaming. At the very least, it’s ancient ruins look like a joy to explore.
inXile’s Next VR Game (TBD)
Microsoft recently bought the makers of The Mage’s Tale, but they’ve assured us that work on their next VR project is still very much underway. inXile is making an open-world survival RPG for VR that, while still officially unrevealed, sounds like it could be a spin-off of its Wasteland series. If so, this’ll be one of 2019’s biggest VR games without a doubt.
Jupiter & Mars (TBD) – PSVR
Fans of games like Echo the Dolphin might want to check this enchanting new title. Together with a friend or AI partner, you explore the remains of mankind, left to drown in a neon-lit ocean. It looks utterly breathtaking and a perfect example of VR’s ability to amaze through discovery. Prepare to have your jaw dropped.
Kill X (TBD) – PSVR
It was about two years ago now that we first played a demo of Kill X, but since then the Sony-incubated game has grown to become a full first-person shooter that’s even being published by PlayStation itself. We hope that means that this is the headset’s next great shooter, but only time will tell on that front.
Kingdom Hearts VR (January) – PSVR
2019 looks to be the year that Kingdom Hearts III will finally launch on consoles, but we’re just as excited about the tie-in piece that’s going to come alongside it. It’s not a full game but instead one of those short promotional apps that will give you just a taste of what the world of Disney and Final Fantasy characters might look like in VR. We’re looking forward to seeing what’s possible.
Lone Echo 2 (TBD) – Rift
The sequel to one of our all-time favorite Oculus Rift games is finally on the way. Lone Echo had something of an abrupt ending so we can’t wait to pick back up with Jack and Olivia. We’ll be excited to see how Ready at Dawn continues to build on its groundbreaking zero gravity traversal, which is still some of the most convincing movement in VR. Expect this to be big.
Technically this hero shooter is already out with an extensive open beta running into next year, but we’re looking forward to the full release. You become a titan that uses their size and firepower to win a contest to become a god. With free locomotion and destructible environments, this might be one of the year’s most polished action games.
Velocity and Tiny Trax developer FuturLab trades twitch-based arcade gameplay for a manic multiplayer tabletop experience here and the results are very promising. Mini-Mech Mayhem is a game about anticipating your opponent’s every single move and watching turns unfold to often hilarious effect. It helps that the little machines you partner with are highly customizable and utterly adorable.
Node (TBD) – Rift, Vive, Windows
Some VR games seem to just appear out of thin air. Node is certainly one of those games. This is a surprisingly solid-looking shooter in which you train to become the ultimate soldier. The game mixes roguelike elements with classic shooter design (a little like Compound) to offer an experience you can come back to time and again. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this one as the year progresses.
Nostos really didn’t impress us when we tried it at Gamescom earlier this year, but the game is so good looking that we’re still holding out hope for a solid final product. This is an MMO-like experience in which players explore a massive world together, taking on vicious creatures in combat and uncovering the secrets of the gorgeous world that surrounds them. If NetEase corrects its course, this could be a big 2019 game.
Numenera: Beyond Tactics (TBD) – Rift, Vive
The popular board game is getting the VR treatment, but not in the way you might expect. Beyond Tactics is going to take the world of Numera and build a new turn-based strategy game around it. We’ve played a very early build and the pieces seem to be in place for a solid tactical game that uses VR to smart effect.
Oculus Quest Ports (TBD) – Quest
We’ll cheat with this one a little. We wouldn’t usually include ports or stack multiple games together but Oculus Quest’s standalone, 6DOF features mean that we’re genuinely excited to revisit confirmed games like Superhot VR, The Climb and Dead and Buried with wire-free, fully-tracked tech. We still have a lot to learn about Quest’s launch line-up but that’s one of the most exciting things to look forward to in 2019.
Population One (TBD) – Rift, Vive, Windows VR
This isn’t VR’s first attempt to break into the ever-popular battle royale genre, but it might well be its best yet. From the makers of Smash Box Arena comes a massive new last man standing multiplayer game in which you can build structures, glide through the air with jet packs and, of course, shoot your friends in the middle of their faces. Expect Population One to cause a big stir in the VR community.
Prey’s first VR escape rooms released in last 2018 and they were fun, if a little underwhelming. We’re more excited about this year’s promised support for the game’s multiplayer mode, though, which has players hunting shape-shifting mimics controlled by other players. It promises some silly jump scare fun at the very least.
Proze Episode 1 (TBD) – Rift, Vive
Proze: Prologue was a short but promising teaser of what developer SignSine has in store for its upcoming episodic series. Episode 1 will take us back to the frozen wastes of Russia which we last visited in the Cold War era. We’re hoping for plenty more puzzles and the chance to unravel some of the mystery that’s been laid out before us.
We’ve been paying close attention to this promising debut from UK-based Cooperative Innovations for two years now and we’re hopeful that this is finally the year we’ll get to play it. Not only does Erda promise hours of co-op questing with friends but the team behind it has taken a long look at the current state of VR sword combat in hopes it can provide a much richer experience than what’s come before.
We’ve waited patiently for an update on Titfanfall developer Respawn Entertainment’s Oculus-exclusive shooter and were dismayed to discover it wasn’t at Oculus Connect this year. Still, Oculus assures us that development is progressing, which means we’re still hoping to see the game in 2019. Given this studio’s pedigree, we expect nothing less than a bar-raising shooter.
Rogan: The Thief (TBD) – Rift, Vive
A visually striking take on Thief in VR that caught our attention last October. Rogan has you sneaking through a castle, pickpocketing guards and hiding in the shadows. It looks like a more polished version of the excellent Unknightly, so we’ve got our fingers crossed that this will be the best VR stealth game yet. Did I mention it looks beautiful?
Shaman: Spirithunter (TBD) – Rift
Former members of The Climb developer Crytek assemble here for one of 2019’s most intriguing VR games. Take on the role of the last shaman of a tribe, searching for the reason behind the weather that has wiped out all of his tribe. Stealth-based gameplay takes center stage in this chilly adventure that will have you fighting the elements.
Arcade shooter thrills await you in this multiplayer jet-packed fueled action game from Ubisoft. Expect zero-gravity shootouts with the Touch controllers and Vive wands as you jet around enormous maps, grabbing guns and dodging incoming fire. Think Echo Arena but with guns (and no, not Echo Combat).
Star Child went MIA in 2018, but Playful Corp assures us it’s still in development and that’s great news. This is a 2D platformer of sorts in which the player’s character, Spectra, forms a strong bond with a giant robotic companion as she explores an alien planet. Expect classic platforming action with a few twists in this imaginative adventure.
Star Wars: Vader Immortal (TBD) – Quest
Could this be the Star Wars VR experience that finally lets us execute true blade-to-blade lightsaber combat? Vader Immortal’s stunning trailer suggests as much meaning that, even if this technically isn’t a ‘game’, we’re still really, really excited to, you know, play it. There’s still much to learn about this one, but expect it to be one of the biggest VR releases of 2019.
Insomniac Games may have significantly raised its profile with its Spider-Man PS4 game but it’s not abandoning VR. Stormland is set to use procedural generation to offer one of VR’s biggest and most detailed adventures to date. We’re looking forward to co-op combat and slick traversal in a package that will hopefully show what this platform can really do for action games.
Table of Tales: The Crooked Crown (TBD) – PSVR
This is an interesting one. It’s an RPG of sorts in which you stand in one room but the table in front of your morphs into different environments, letting you explore an entire game world without ever really breaking the immersion. As for how Table of Tales plays, there’s still much to learn but consider us very interested.
The developers of Detached return with another multiplayer VR game that’s sure to make your stomach twist. Telefrag wants to be VR’s very own Unreal Tournament with arena-based shooting in which players can jump between walls and ceilings, using the titular feature to teleport into opponents and burst them. We’ll be interested to see if Telefrag is refined enough to justify its dizzying gameplay.
The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners (TBD)
Very little is known about the gaming industry’s latest take on much-explored The Walking Dead series. This isn’t even the franchise’s first excursion into VR, but developer Skydance Interactive’s work with the excellent Archangel: Hellfire has us hopeful that this will be more than your average zombie-killing slaughter fest.
Titan Arena (TBD) – Rift, Vive
Titan Arena is probably the closest we’re ever going to get to Shadow of the Colossus in VR, but it looks like a game that will also be able to stand on its own two giant legs. You take on enormous bosses in arena-sized battles, finding their weak spots and scaling up them as soon as you get the opportunity. Scale is still one of the best elements of VR and this promises to capitalize on it in a big way.
Justin Roiland’s Squanch Games continues its weird and wacky adventure into VR with another eccentric experience. Trover seems to be a third-person action game of sorts that will borrow from the book of Accounting. That is to say it’ll be very strange, entirely unpredictable and, hopefully, another absolutely essential exploration of what the platform can do.
Undead Citadel (TBD)
Revealed in the final weeks of 2018, Undead Citadel promises to be one of the more polished takes on a genre that’s already familiar to VR; zombie slaying. Normally we wouldn’t turn an eye to yet another zombie game, but Citadel’s crisp visuals and vague promise of some sort of narrative have caught our attention. Let’s see what the new year brings for this one.
Unseen Diplomacy 2 (TBD)
The original Unseen Diplomacy is one of the few VR games to really explore what can be done with room-scale VR, and it does so to wonderful effect. We’re hoping for a sequel with much more content and some fresh ideas on what moving through virtual space really means. Platforms haven’t been confirmed but we’d love to see this on Quest.
After spending 2017 with Rick and Morty and then suffering a slight delay to its original 2018 release window Owlchemy Labs is finally returning to the series it made its name with. In many ways Job Simulator served as a template for the current state of VR gaming and now the studio is going on vacation. Vacation Simulator promises to deliver more slapstick VR worlds that we love to get lost in, now complete with the shining sun, crystal clear waters and maybe a new job bot or two.
Valve’s Three VR Games (TBD)
Image credit to Damien Labonte
Well it wouldn’t be a Valve game without an unbearable stretch of silence, would it? It’s been nearly three years since Valve confirmed it was working on three VR games now and only very recently did we hear from sources that one of them will be a Half-Life VR title (!). We’re begging for more news at this point, and our fingers are tightly crossed that 2019 is finally the year Valve delivers.
Machinehead Games excellent take on a beloved IP is finally getting the VR treatment. Acting as a side-story to B.J. Blazkowicz’s trigger-happy adventures, Cyberpilot sees you hacking different types of Nazi war machines and then turning them on their rulers. We weren’t too impressed with the original build we tired at E3, but still look forward to the full thing.
Zed (TBD) – Rift, Vive
Obduction and Myst developer Cyan has already done a lot for VR but now it’s helping others to find their way in the industry. Zed is a Cyan-published game from Eagre Games that looks to be a bit of an existential treat. We follow along in the life of an aging artist that’s reflecting on his years as dementia starts to creep in. We’ll be interested to see how the game utilizes VR to spin a memorable tale.
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has had quite the year when it comes to virtual reality (VR) and PlayStation VR. Sure its main focus is on PlayStation 4, but the company has ensured the console-based headset has had some corking exclusives, like Borderlands 2 VRand Astro Bot Rescue Mission. With it now begin 2019 it’s time for VRFocus to look toward the next year, and see what we know the upcoming 12 months will bring.
The Best PlayStation VR Games Coming in 2019
Blood & Truth – Sony London Studios
The first of two titles two make the same list a year on, Sony London Studios’ action spy caper Blood & Truth was supposed to have arrived in late 2018, but now looks to be a 2019 release – no concrete date has been set. Putting you in an action hero role, you are elite Special Forces soldier Ryan Marks, on a desperate mission to save his family from a ruthless criminal overlord. VRFocuslast played Blood & Truthduring the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2018 seeing several new updates including dual wielding.
Blood & Truth is exclusive to PlayStation VR when it hopefully arrives later this year.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown – Bandai Namco
Possibly a little divisive due to the fact that it’s not a fully blown VR title, nevertheless, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is still an experience VRFocus is looking forward to. Rather than making the entire videogame VR friendly, the developers have instead included VR-specific missions. How well this will hold up remains to be seen, as VRFocus’previous encounters have been positive but short lived.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is set to launch on 18th January 2018, for PLayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, with VR support exclusive to PlayStation VR.
Trover Saves the Universe – Squanch Games
Probably the weirdest videogame on the list, Sqaunch Games were the studio behind Accounting and Accounting+, and Trover Saves the Universe is their next title. Taking that same comedy charm which founder Justin Roiland is known for, the title is a madcap adventure in which players will not only be controlling Trover as a third-person character but they themselves will be in the universe as a first-person character.
Trover Saves the Universe is set to launch at a currently unspecified date in 2018, exclusively for PlayStation VR.
Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs – Resolution Games/Rovio
Announced less than two weeks ago, Resolution Games and Rovio Entertainment are planning to bring one of the biggest mobile franchises to VR. They’ve not confirmed much at the moment, including actual headsets simply stating ‘across all major VR platforms’ so VRFocus is assuming PlayStation VR is a given.
Expect more bird-flinging action when Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs arrives later this year.
Golem – Highwire Games
The other title that VRFocus was originally expecting to be released in 2018, Highwire Games’ Golem first appeared in 2015 during a PlayStation Experience (PSX), popping up occasionally in the following two years to remind us development was still ongoing. Highwire Games had said as recently as September that Golem was very much on track for a 2018 release, but that’s definitely not the case.
“In Golem, you play as an adventurous kid who has been seriously injured. You are stuck at home in your bed, dreaming of exploring the outside world. You gradually develop the power to create and control stone creatures known as golems. You see through their eyes, direct their movements, and use them to explore beyond the confines of your room. At first, you can only build small doll-sized golems to send around your room…but eventually your powers will grow, until you can send enormous 15-foot tall giants to explore an ancient abandoned city.”
Golem now doesn’t have a release date, again VRFocus is hoping another year won’t go by and it’ll get a 2019 release.
It was clear, by the end of 2018, that something was shifting in the VR landscape. A litany of identically-themed editorials about how PSVR had actually had an impressive year (including our own) offered a rare ray of sunshine from mainstream outlets. Against all odds and its own track record with peripherals, Sony proved that VR is a viable gaming platform.
But how does it keep that momentum going next year?
Competition Is Heating Up
2019 will see PSVR at an interesting crossroads. While Sony may have maintained the lead in software thus far, hardware is a different story. PSVR’s camera-based tracking system has always been a distant third to SteamVR and Oculus tracking and that gap’s only going to grow in the new year. Valve is pushing on with the next iteration of its VR offerings and Oculus is honing in on inside-out solutions. PC and mobile headset resolutions are also still improving whereas PSVR’s display remains the same as it was in 2016.
Playing Superhot VR or Beat Saber tether-free with a full range of movement on Oculus Quest could mean that PSVR starts to show its age next year. But, with 2019 increasingly looking like it may be the PS4’s swansong, the chances of any refreshed VR hardware are increasingly diminished. We’d love to see an inside-out tracked headset that enabled 360-degree movement in existing PSVR games but we seriously doubt we’ll see such an update until the true follow-up for the next console.
Sony arguably doesn’t need to pay this too much attention in 2019, though. Technical superiority seemingly hasn’t earned the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive better sales than PSVR’s, which now total over three million. But the threat of more accessible and more capable headsets is one that Sony can’t ignore for long.
Game On
The smartest path may be to simply brute force it on the content side. Astro Bot, Firewall and Wipeout are just three examples of games that made clever use of PSVR to overcome its hardware limitations in 2018. And these games weren’t just ‘good for PSVR’; they were arguably better than anything you’d find on Rift or Vive too.
There’s some promising stuff on the way. We remain cautiously optimistic about Blood and Truth and a few others. That said, Astro Bot wasn’t announced until early 2018 and released later in the year, so we’re confident that Sony has bigger things on the way. We still haven’t seen what’s Sony’s new UK-based VR studio is working on, either.
Pricing Perfection
Another price cut could also be in order. Sony did a great job incentivizing PSVR’s current price point with bundles in 2018, but the further away it can get from Quest’s $399.99 price tag the better. Is it possible that PS4 and PSVR could reach a lower all-in price than Quest in 2019? We hope so.
2019 may be the last year that PSVR can justify technical shortcomings. But, if this is to be a victory lap, let’s hope Sony makes it a killer one. I’m betting it can.
This year was awesome for VR gaming, but 2019 is looking even brighter with a slew of highly polished titles coming to PSVR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Here we take a look at 15 tantalizing VR titles confirmed for release in 2019.
Don’t miss the ‘To Be Announced’ section below either, which features eight high-profile games that don’t have release dates yet, but will hopefully come out in 2019 too.
Population: One is an upcoming battle royale shooter from the studio behind VR indie hit Smashbox Arena (2016). Population: One is offering a ton of fun mechanics such as the ability to climb anything, build forts, fly, and shoot the ever-living crap out of everyone with a variety of scrounged weapons as you battle for that tasty chicken dinner.
Studio description: The Tempest shattered your android body. Now you must journey through an ever-changing cloudscape to augment yourself and save your friends. Explore an expansive world with complete freedom—bound up cliffs, glide across chasms, and fly through the slipstream with velocity. Detonate explosives, harness electricity, and wield makeshift weapons to overcome titanium sentries and monolithic guardians. Play single-player, or explore forgotten ruins together.
Studio description: You are elite Special Forces soldier Ryan Marks, on a desperate mission to save his family from a ruthless criminal overlord. Grab your PS Move motion controllers and blast anyone in your way as you go face to face with enemies, uncover secrets and experience the thrill of the chase in a high-octane action narrative inspired by PlayStation VR Worlds’ ‘The London Heist’ experience.
Studio description: Jack and Liv are back in Lone Echo II. Return to the rings of Saturn in this highly-anticipated sequel, to unravel the mysteries of Lone Echo and journey deeper into space – past the very boundaries of time itself.
Studio description: Deliver cargo or smuggle alien lifeforms on your rickety ship all across the galaxy! In Failspace the pressure is always on you and your crew. Fix those leaks, pull those levers and crank those handles to maximum in short but increasingly difficult cargo missions.
Studio description: Overcome impossible odds and survive certain death scenarios in the undercover spy thriller that VR has been waiting for. It’s a zero-sum world where facing danger head-on is a requirement, and success favors those who embrace it. In this exciting Oculus exclusive, the enemy will stop at nothing to gain an advantage. To defeat them, you and your team of elite operatives must use every advanced weapon, cutting-edge technology, and deceptive tactic in your arsenal.
Studio description: Bend and twist reality in A Fisherman’s Tale, the mind-bending VR puzzle adventure game in which being turned upside down and inside out is not merely a play on words.
The free multiplayer Typhon Hunter update to Prey: Mooncrash is already out for console and PC, but support for all major VR platforms is coming next year. Like PropHunt in Gary’s Mod, one player is assigned as the hunter (Morgan Yu) while the others try to hide out and evade detection as typhons, the game’s alien race of mimics that can turn into everyday objects like mugs, chairs—practically anything you can think of.
ACE COMBAT 7 is unfortunately not entirely playable in VR, as the game’s campaign is focused on PS4 users, although Bandai Namco has created a handful of missions developed specifically for the PSVR that the studio says will provide “several hours of VR gameplay.”
Studio description: Wonderful. Your dogs have been dognapped by a beaked lunatic who stuffed them into his eye holes and is using their life essence to destroy the universe. Does that make any sense? You’ve partnered with Trover, a little purple eye hole monster to save them. Find power babies and plug them into his eye holes so that he can absorb their power, track down Glorkon, and save your dogs (and the Universe).
We don’t know much about gameplay mechanics yet, but it’s possible the Magic Leap One release of Angry Birds: FPS – First Person Slingshotmay hold some answers. Resolution Games was also involved in its making, a title that does away with the standard side-scrolling gameplay for a more immersive first-person experience of physically shooting a slingshot at the 3D piggy fort.
Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind Titanfall and Call of Duty, has partnered with Oculus to develop what they call “a major VR release.” There’s not much on the books about the game yet, including the title or specific release date, but it promises battlefield realism that will give you a chance to “experience life closer to what a soldier would experience in real combat.”
Studio description: First you JOBBED, now you VACATION. Visit Vacation Island and experience RECREATION, optimal RELAXATION, and classic human past times like SUNBURN. Vacation Island offers all this and more so that you can discover the lost art of TIME OFF.
Studio description: A visceral, jetpack-fueled VR Arcade Shooter where you fly through deadly Orbital Arenas in hostile space, facing off in extreme battles. You are now part of the elite Tribes of gun-slinging Spacers who battle it out in treacherous 2v2 and 1v1 battles.
Studio description: ZED is the story of an aging artist, lost in regret, and the haze of dementia. Inside the dreamscape of this creative mind come undone, players reassemble the artist’s fragmented memories into a final, lasting legacy: a loving final gift to his unborn granddaughter.
Eagre Games is a new studio led by original Myst (1993) artist Chuck Carter. Zed will be the first game published by Cyan Ventures, Cyan’s newly formed publishing arm.
To Be Announced
3 Games from Valve
Image courtesy Valve
Platform: Rift, Vive (unannounced)
Developer: Valve
Valve is still famously mum on its three games originally confirmed back in February 2017, and yes, we’re still waiting on all of them. [Insert tired Half-Life 3 joke here].
Valve has produced The Lab (2016) and plenty of content for the SteamVR Home that all really demonstrate just how uniquely qualified they are to produce full-length VR games. Fingers crosses we hear something definitive this year.
Originally teased at PSX 2015 with a slated release for an October 2016, High Wire Games’ has slipped into what looks to be a 2019 release. In Golem, you play as an adventurous kid who has been seriously injured. You are stuck at home in your bed, dreaming of exploring the outside world. The minds behind the game are ex-Bungie staffers, including Halo composer Marty O’Donnell.
Playful Corp, the minds behind Rift launch title Lucky’s Tale (2016), had a bit of a scare recently when pre-orders for their upcoming side-scrolling platformer Star Child were mysteriously cancelled. Never fear, Star Child is still in production, although the release date is unknown at this time.
From the makers of Myst (1993) and Obduction (2016) comes another VR puzzler, this time promising more steampunk goodness. It’s still heavily under wraps, but Cyan calls it a “resplendent, magical, journey — a monumental voyage through four diverse and curious realms, working in concert with an ever-present, clockwork companion, and the support and instruction of a long-dead, ethereal mentor.”
Borderlands 2 VR is already available on PSVR, but it’s more than likely that the loot-em and shoot-em action game is headed to PC VR headsets too. According to a new promo video, Sony is confirming that Borderlands 2 VR is a timed exclusive, giving it at very least a five month minimum on the PSVR platform; a hypothetical PC VR launch date could come as early as May 14th, 2019.
The minds behind early successes Senza Peso (2014) and Insurgent (2015) have been busy developing their first full-fledged VR game. Called Bebylon Battle Royale, the VR melee party brawler puts ridiculously dressed infants into kart-based Smash Bros-style combat.
The studio previously targeted an early 2018 release, although now it seems it’s heading towards 2019.
Blood and Truth, Sony’s follow-up to the London Heist minigame in PlayStation VR Worlds, is a funny one. You’d think making a full game out of one of the headset’s most popular launch demos would turn into a surefire hit, right? It certainly worked for Astro Bot.
And yet our reactions to multiple hands-on sessions with the game thus far have been mixed at best. While there’s definitely a blockbuster satisfaction to the cover-based shooting, there’s also some dated mechanics and restrictions that we feel like VR should have moved past by now, especially at this level. I just got the chance to go hands-on with the game myself for the first time, though, and I walked away from some interesting findings.
You Can Do Some Pretty Fun Tricks With Your Guns
Want to pull off your best Revolver Ocelot impression? Blood and Truth lets you do that. Hold down the triangle button on your gun-holding hand and Ryan will take his fingers off of the grip, keeping his finger on the trigger. You can then shake the Move controller and he’ll swing his weapon around like a toy. Or how about balancing a magazine on top of your gun, then flicking it up and catching it mid-air to reload? If you’re using a pistol, you can even bring two hands together to simulate holding it with both hands, for that extra-professional feel. They’re small touches, but they help keep you engaged as you fiddle with your weapon between shootouts.
London Looks The Part
As a Londoner myself, I have to say Sony London has done a pretty good job dressing up the capital for VR. The tower block estate that I fought my way through was designed just like any other cover-based shooter (lots of waist-high items to hide behind), but it was done with at least a little authenticity. I was taking cover behind hallmarks of British roadworks like rubbish skips and wooden palettes and the walkways connecting blocks of apartments (or, as I’d say, flats) seemed like a sprawling maze. It’s the more mundane side of London, sure, but that’s kind of the point.
But The Accents Are Hilarious
I laughed a lot in my Blood and Truth demo. Like, a lot. On the outside looking in people probably thought I took great joy in the slaughter of hoodie-wearing thugs but in reality it was down to what I was hearing more than what I was seeing. Like The London Heist before it, Blood And Truth takes after Guy Ritchie films such as Snatch with its cast of cockney characters. But it lays it on thick, almost to the point of parody. I bellowed with laughter when one enemy retaliated with “You f**king plonker!” after being shot, or as they mocked my status as an “SAS soldier?” with their whiny teenage accents.
As an aside; it was conflicting to be gunning down scores of enemies that looked and sounded like they could be aged anywhere from 15 – 25, especially when the real London is in the middle of a desperate struggle to stop gang and youth violence. I’m not preaching or saying anything should change, but I definitely recalled the warnings of an earlier UploadVR editorial as I played.
Movement Is Both Dated And Intuitive At The Same Time
I’m also somewhat curious about the game’s movement system, which I know has caught a lot of heat. On the one hand, yes, it’s dated. I’ve never been a big fan of node-based shooters in VR and it seems a shame Sony London isn’t embracing full locomotion of some kind, especially seeing as the transition to cover points is just like traditional movement (as in, you glide from A to B). At the same time, what’s there does feel incredibly intuitive, making this one of the few Move games in which I haven’t fumbled over the controls.
Pressing the left or right bottom face buttons to strafe between movement points is super simple, and if you feel better just looking to your side and pressing the Move button to make the same transition you can do that too. I have no doubt Sony London is going to be another unfortunate victim to the army of VR players that berate any developer that doesn’t include normal smooth locomotion from day one. A game shouldn’t be eternally damned for its choice of movement but I have to admit it really feels like the Blood and Truth would benefit from giving players a little more freedom.
It Really Needs PS Aim Support
Not to beat a dead horse, but it seems strange to me that what’s being billed as PSVR’s premiere first-person shooter isn’t using the controller designed specifically for the genre. Aim’s rifle-shaped design creates an amazing sense of immersion in games like Farpoint and Firewall, and titles like Arizona Sunshine have proven developers can adapt to accommodate it. In Sony London’s defense, there are engaging mechanics that require two free hands, like lockpicking, but I can’t help but feel the core of the game would benefit so much from Aim support that the trade-offs made would be worth it.
Blood and Truth is coming exclusively to PSVR at an unknown date.
Later this month videogame developers, publishers and players will get meeting in Birmingham for EGX 2018. Being one of the biggest gaming events to take place throughout the year in the UK, it is a fantastic chance for people to get hands-on with countless number of videogames. Among the large list of AAA releases sit a number of virtual reality (VR) titles that are inviting players to immerse themselves in a range of different experiences, which are definitely worth checking out.
Starting things off with a bang, PlayStation are bringing a number of different PlayStation VR titles to the show including the upcoming Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Blood & Truth and the ever popular Wipeout Omega Collection with it’s VR mode. These titles all offer a different and unique experience and showcase just what the PlayStation VR headset is capable of doing. Other PlayStation VR titles on display at the show are the much anticipated Tetris Effect from legendary videogame developer behind REZ Infinite, Tetsuya Mizuguchi.
The list doesn’t end there. Maybe you want to experience some fast paced action at the show. If that is the case then Skyfront VR will be for you. Offering intense multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) fun, players will be flying through zero-gravity battle arenas as they fight for the best score. Speaking of zero-gravity, the roguelike space shooter Everspace with it’s VR support will also be attending the show. Likewise Sublevel Zero Redux and its six-degrees-of-freedom will also be in attendance.
Other experiences that players will be able to immerse themselves in at the show include They Suspect Nothing. In which players need to blend in as a robot and complete a series of mini-games. Arca’s Path VR will be there as well with it’s charming visual design and captivating gameplay from developers Dream Reality Interactive and Rebellion. There is even a chance to check out Titanic VR in which players will explore the famous ship and learn more about the events that unfolded. Finally, the ever popular Beat Saber will also be at EGX 2018 giving those at the show a chance to let lose and enjoy some rhythm gameplay.
EGX 2018 will be taking place at The NEC in Birmingham from 20th to 23rd September, 2018. Tickets are still available for those who need one and can be purchased from the event website and you can see the full list of games playable here. VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on the VR happenings of the event so stay tuned for more.
When was the last time you played an action game where you had to put any real thought into reloading?
It’s an abstracted activity, most of the time, bound to a single button or key. Usually, you get into the habit of reloading after any exchange of fire. (Which means your character is leaving a bunch of partially-full magazines lying around everywhere, like that person you knew in college who was completely incapable of ever finishing an entire can of soda.) Reloading’s mostly just there in these games to provide a break in the action, some vague nod to realism, or some degree of additional tactical complexity, but you usually don’t have to think about it beyond that. Aside from the occasional mechanic like Gears of War’s “tactical reloads,” you just hit the button and forget about it.
The above demo and video interview are from a preview event held in October 2017
Blood and Truth, at least in its current state, is a game about that reloading. At its simplest level, it’s just a very British shooter (similar to its predecessor, London Heist) that’s more than a little reminiscent of old arcade games like Time Crisis. You move from cover to cover, shooting and being shot at. So far, so comfortably familiar.
You’ve got a realistic ammunition limit in your guns, and have to reload manually. Your character, a British special forces operative named Ryan Marks, carries spare magazines in a pouch on his chest. You use one controller to grab it with your character’s empty hand, then manually bring it to the port on your gun to reload. It doesn’t take long, but that’s a couple of seconds during which you aren’t returning fire, and that’s long enough to get you into trouble.
Not only is it weirdly immersive, but it really forces you to keep count of your shots in a way that a lot of other games simply don’t. I played a short demo version of Blood and Truth on the floor at PAX West, which was stripped down to its most basic elements. Marks’s family is in the clutches of an unnamed criminal element; Marks is entering a run-down part of the London Underground as part of his endeavors to find and rescue them. That run-down part of London, as it turns out, is the part where somebody’s been arming the chavs, and I ended up in a shootout with what appeared to be the most well-equipped group of football hooligans in the history of fiction.
Playing Blood & Truth made me think a lot about how much tactical-response stuff I’ve inadvertently picked up from years of increasingly realistic shooters, as well as how many terrible habits I’ve gotten into at the same time. For example, dual-wielding in this game is a really stupid idea, because you’ll run both guns dry in seconds, and then you have to laboriously holster at least one gun so you can reload the other.
The guns feature a realistic amount of sway to them, but you can reduce that and stabilize your aim by holding your controllers close together, as if your empty hand is being used to steady your grip on the weapon. It may look cool if you hold your pistol sideways, or fire a sub-machine gun one-handed, but it’s hardly efficient, and when there are five guys bearing down on you, efficiency suddenly matters quite a lot. I started off simply spraying lead in enemies’ general direction, but after a while, I got the hang of things and began dropping fools with precise head and body shots.
There were even a couple of moments where I ran dry in my main gun at a bad time, which forced me to pull out my pistol – holstered on my character’s belt, naturally, forcing me to do a cross-arm draw – and drop a guy like John Wick. The only thing that was missing was the ability to do a New York reload. Hell, if somebody were to add a bunch of doves flying everywhere to this, it could be a John Woo movie.
It sounds simple, but the addition of relatively simple mechanics that mirror actual gun-fighting tactics really adds a lot to Blood and Truth, which would otherwise be a fairly straightforward light gun shooter that happens to be in VR. It also has a “focus mode,” one of those short-lived moments where everything goes into slow motion except you, but the tutorial made a special point of showing it to me and I proceeded to forget all about it. Fortunately, for the sake of the demo, my character’s health was cranked way up, or I’d have been mowed down in my first or second real fight.
There’s definitely something here, although the demo was too brief to say much more than that. My time at PAX West with it was buggy and your character’s disembodied VR hands had a habit of deciding to float around near the middle of the screen, but it was also surprisingly (and a little disturbingly) easy to pick up and roll with. I played a lot of VR shooters at this year’s PAX, but this was the most memorable entirely because it was the most down-to-Earth.
Today’s VR games are fantastic, immersive experiences, but they’re largely built upon the foundations of traditional gaming. We have tons of shooters, puzzle games and platformers for example, but not much that feels truly unique to VR. A developer at Blood And Truth creator, Sony London Studio, thinks that will change soon.
Speaking at the Develop: Brighton conference in the UK this week (as reported by VentureBeat), Sony London Lead Designer, Michael Hampden, explained that he expects that “one new genre of game will be born” out of VR in the next five years. Specifically, he thinks that this type of game will be something that’s only possible in VR.
We have seen unique games that capitalize on VR’s strengths before; experiences like The Invisible Hours and Superhot VR all achieve something new for the platform, but they’re still inherently linked to their flat-screened siblings. What would a VR experience have to do to become truly unique to the platform?
Hampden thinks it will be to do with creating an experience that provides presence, surround audio, distinctive input methods, and head tracking.
As for Sony London itself, the studio is currently working on a PSVR title that you probably wouldn’t say is only possible in VR, but is certainly in demand. Blood And Truth has players hit the streets of London as a gangster, getting into heists and shootouts using the PS Move controllers. We’re definitely interested to see what comes of it.
One of the videogames that caught PlayStation VR owner’s attention during Paris Games Week (PGW) 2017 was the announcement by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) regarding a new project from The London Heist developers London Studios called Blood & Truth. As that was over six months ago – and sometime since VRFocus last played it – it was time to check out a new build of the action spy caper to see how development was progressing.
London Studios took an updated version of Blood & Truth to the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, giving PlayStation VR fans a chance to see if this point-to-point first-person shooter (FPS) could improve upon more disappointing titles like Bravo Team. While there were plenty of minor updates that aren’t instantly noticeable, the major one being pointed out by the team was the ability to dual wield guns for the first time.
While it may seem obvious that if you’ve got two PlayStation Move’s in your hands that a gun would be nice in both, it’s not always feasible depending on the type of gameplay and what the developer wants to achieve. In the case of Blood & Truth however that addition is more than welcomed.
As VRFocus has mentioned in previous previews, Blood & Truth employs a fairly linear teleportation system similar to that of Arktika.1 where you have pre-set locations to move to. Unlike Arktika.1 where there were only minimal points to choose from – keeping you barely in cover – Blood & Truth is far more realistic, with each point keeping you hunkered down and protected as best as possible.
It’s these situations when you’re hiding behind a wall or car, bullets hailing down on you from several locations that dual wield certainly has it uses. It affords that additional strategy element allowing you to shoot through a window the other hand can’t comfortably reach or in the middle of a gunfight grant you a few extra bullets without reloading. On that subject, it’s not instantly instinctual to reload a gun with another still in your hand but that is possible in Blood & Truth. All that means is the ammo just doesn’t last as long.
Those that enjoyed The London Heist will rightly be looking forward to Blood & Truth. The linear nature of the experience maybe a negative to some yet that’s the nature of a highly story driven adventure where you can play a spy. The new demo also showcased a new area – previous demos have featured a casino shoot out and chase/interrogation scene – a dilapidated multi-storey building.
Again, while the main path is set you are given some freedom in how you approach some of the set pieces – what cover you choose for example. Having to work your way up the building in an effort to free your mum, London Studios want to get you involved in more than just shooting bad guys so there are climbing elements thrown in for good measure.
From what VRFocus has seen so far Blood & Truth looks to be a promising experience for PlayStation VR. There’s always that question of repetition, shooting enemies and keeping in cover which can only be answered with a proper hands-on review. As development continues VRFocus will keep you updated.
