‘Batman: Arkham Shadow’ Trailer Reveals Story Behind Quest 3’s Next Big First-party Exclusive

Batman: Arkham Shadow is coming exclusive to Quest 3 sometime later this year, and today we’re getting a peek at the story behind what’s shaping up to be VR’s biggest full-fledged Batman game, and next big first-party exclusive from Meta.

Following the release of Batman: Arkham Shadow‘s teaser trailer in May, developers Camouflaj and Oculus Studios today revealed we’re in for an epic battle to prevent the “Day of Wrath,” set to take place on the Fourth of July.

But first, here’s how the studios describe it at length in a new blog post:

It’s the Fourth of July, and Gotham City is besieged by a new threat: the mysterious Rat King and his cultish devotees. Public officials have been abducted, including Batman associates Commissioner Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent. The Rats have pledged to execute them in one week’s time for “crimes committed against the people of Gotham City.”

As widespread rioting engulfs the city, Batman races to prevent this so-called “Day of Wrath,” but it all goes wrong.

Set between the events of Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Asylum, you’ll experience the origins of such iconic characters as The Scarecrow, Harley Quinn, and more, as Batman grapples with the contradiction at the core of his identity—the use of force in pursuit of peace.

Notably, we thought we’d be facing off against the Ratcatcher (aka Otis Flannegan) who isn’t canonically referred to as “The Rat King,” so it seems there’s a mystery there yet to uncover. As seen in the trailer, The Rat King looks nearly identical to how the Ratcatcher is portrayed in the comics, including his iconic gas mask.

Whatever the case, we’re in for what promises to be a new VR-native blend of the series’ patented exploration, stealth, and free-flowing combat, which will take us across Gotham to fight various baddies with Batman’s Grapnel Gun, the Batarang, throw smoke bombs, and the ability “glide” behind unsuspecting enemies by grabbing your cape.

The studios say Batman: Arkham Shadow will also include plenty of crime scenes to scour for clues, puzzles to solve, hidden collectibles to uncover, and iconic locations to explore, which is set to include the Monarch Theatre and Bowery.

Developed by Meta’s Camouflaj and Oculus Studios, and created in partnership with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC,  Batman: Arkham Shadow is slated to launch exclusively on Quest 3 sometime in late 2024. In the meantime, you can wishlist the game here.

It was also announced that we can expect a gameplay reveal during Gamescom 2024 which will be held in late August.

The post ‘Batman: Arkham Shadow’ Trailer Reveals Story Behind Quest 3’s Next Big First-party Exclusive appeared first on Road to VR.

‘Batman: Arkham Shadow’ Trailer Massively Downvoted for Being a VR Game & Quest 3 Exclusive

Meta announced Batman: Arkham Shadow last week, which is coming exclusively to Quest 3 in late 2024. And wouldn’t you know it, YouTube users absolutely hate it.

Although YouTube disabled the dislike button counter in 2021, you can still get a good idea of how the public is reacting to any given video by installing an extension to your browser, like Chrome’s ‘Return YouTube Dislike‘.

Released officially through both IGN’s main YouTube channel and Meta’s own YouTube channel (linked below) on May 1st, Batman: Arkham Shadow’s announcement trailer really seems to be racking up the dislikes.

These sorts of browser extensions don’t actually have direct access to the platform’s API, making the number you see more guesswork than anything. Still, it’s pretty clear people aren’t happy with Batman: Arkham Shadow. At the time of this writing, IGN’s video has a 3:11 like-to-dislike ratio, while Meta’s own video has nearly a 1:2 ratio.

And where is the hate coming from? Basically, from the early ’90s until 2017, there’s been a Batman game released nearly every year, with standouts such as Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009), Batman: Arkham City (2011), and Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) garnering a pretty big following across console.

Then, Batman: Arkham Shadow shows up on the radar, a VR-only game that is exclusive to Quest 3—two things that aren’t communicated to the casual viewer until they physically click on the video. This presents not only a bit of a bait-and-switch for gamers hoping for the next long-awaited Arkham title, but also an all too real sign that Meta is likely phasing out Quest 2 and Quest Pro later this year.

Top-rated comments across the two video releases:

  • “Is there a lore reason why WB hates Arkham fans?” – @ethansolomon2126
  • “Guessing that thousands will see and click for immediate disappointment.” – @angelchang5194
  • “r/Batmanarkham is gonna go insane over this” – @-.Springtrap.
  • “I am vengeance, I am the night, I am exclusively playable on the META Quest 3, I AM BATMAN!” – @Blitzwinger

Hardcore fandom doesn’t always react so viscerally though. When Valve released its announcement trailer for Half-Life: Alyx in late 2019, it was actually universally liked despite being the first Half-Life in 16 years. Valve however went about setting expectations very differently, which may explain at least some of the Batman hate. The PC VR-only game, which had already been subject to rumors in the months leading up, was actually confirmed by Valve nearly a week before its announcement trailer was released. People who clicked on it already basically knew what they were in for.

There’s still plenty to learn though. Besides the fact that it’s being developed by Oculus Studios and Meta-owned developer Camouflaj, the same studio behind Iron Man VR, we still don’t know anything about the game’s scope or narrative. What is certain though is we’re sure to learn more at Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest on June 7 at 2:00 PM PT (local time here).

The post ‘Batman: Arkham Shadow’ Trailer Massively Downvoted for Being a VR Game & Quest 3 Exclusive appeared first on Road to VR.

‘Batman: Arkham Shadow’ Announced Exclusively for Quest 3 From Meta-owned Studio Behind ‘Iron Man VR’

We’ve been waiting a long time for a fully fledged Batman VR game, and now Meta announced we’re getting one later this year, exclusive to Quest 3.

Developed by Meta’s Camouflaj and Oculus Studios, and created in partnership with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC, Batman: Arkham Shadow is little more than a teaser trailer for now, appended with a “late 2024” release date.

That said, it’s likely we’re in for a Batman vs. Ratcatcher saga, as hordes of rats stream in from the streets of Gotham. The Ratcatcher, aka Otis Flannegan, was an Easter egg character in console and PC title Batman: Arkham City (2011), but has made no appreciable appearance in a Batman video game since release of the console title Batman: Dark Tomorrow (2003).

A nametag is also seen in the trailer, reading Dr. Harleen Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn.

Image courtesy Meta, Warner Bros., DC

Acquired by Meta in 2022, Camouflaj is most recently known for having developed Marvel’s Iron Man VR (2020). The PSVR timed exclusive eventually made it to the Quest platform nearly two years after its initial release, spurred by the studio’s acquisition and incorporation into Oculus Studios.

When it launched on PSVR in July 2020, Road to VR gave Iron Man VR a rating of ‘Great’ in our full review, calling it VR’s “first great superhero game,” later awarding it our PSVR Game of the Year in 2020. To say we’re expecting big things from Camouflaj is a bit of an understatement.

Batman: Arkham Shadow promises to be the first full Batman VR game, which follows the PSVR action-puzzle game Batman: Arkham VR (2016), which includes about an hour of gameplay. We’ll be tuning into Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest on June 7 at 2:00 PM PT (local time here) to learn more, as Meta promises more details will be revealed there.

Batman: Arkham Shadow isn’t the first big budget VR game targeting Quest 3 exclusivity later this year. Earlier this week VR veteran studio Survios revealed its single-player horror game Alien: Rogue Incursion is also skipping Quest 2 and Quest Pro support when it launches “holiday 2024,” something that may signal the beginning of the end for Quest 2 and Quest Pro.

The post ‘Batman: Arkham Shadow’ Announced Exclusively for Quest 3 From Meta-owned Studio Behind ‘Iron Man VR’ appeared first on Road to VR.

Iron Man VR Dev Opens Second Studio, Still Hiring For AAA VR Game

Iron Man VR and Republique developer Camouflaj has opened a second studio to work on “immersive” games, and is still hiring for a new AAA game with VR support.

The developer this week announced Camouflaj Holdings GK, which is based in Kamakura, Japan. The studio will be headed up by Camouflaj founder, Ryan Payton and Capcom producer Matt Walker. No word yet on exactly what the studio is developing but, in a statement given to Gamesindustry.biz, Walker said the second studio would “strengthen our capability to continue to create immersive, ‘Meaningful Games'”.

Though that’s not definitive confirmation that the team is making another VR game, job listings on the official website reveal the company is currently hiring for a ‘AAA’ game with single-player levels. As we reported last year, almost all of the listings note that previous VR experience will help applicants. One list for a QA Lead adds that “VR experience is a must”. One for a Software Engineer mentions previous console development, too.

Could this mean Camouflaj is working on a new project for PSVR or PSVR 2? We were big fans of the team’s work on Iron Man VR for PSVR, which offered a full single-player campaign. When we spoke to Payton around the game’s release, he said the studio would be interested in making a sequel should the game sell well. The team will also bring its work on porting mobile stealth series Republique to PSVR next week with the release of an Anniversary Edition (it’s already on basically every other headset).

What other titles would you like to see Camouflaj’s new studio work on? Let us know in the comments below!

République: Anniversary Edition Finally Sneaks Onto PlayStation VR Next Week

PlayStation VR is now in its twilight years in comparison to other virtual reality (VR) headsets – it has been 6 years after all! – yet it’s still managing to offer owners new content. The latest comes from Camouflaj in the form of République: Anniversary Edition, a stealth experience due for release on 10th March.

Republique VR

République isn’t a new title, in fact, it’s a fairly old videogame hence the “Anniversary Edition” addition. It was originally released as République Episode 1 for mobile devices back in 2013 before its subsequent VR version arrived a few years later for Gear VR, Oculus Go and Oculus Quest – gmw3 reviewed the Go version in 2018.

République: Anniversary Edition was unveiled last summer during E3 week, with Camouflaj’s development partners Skymap Games reworking the title for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR. If you’ve played any of the previous editions then there’s not much change content-wise for 2022, what has been included is commentary from the developers, talking about their design decisions and what goes into making a videogame like this.

If you’re new to the République franchise the stealth-action gameplay puts the fate of Hope, a hacker, in your hands. With a narrative that explores the perils of government surveillance in the internet age, République offers 10-hours of gameplay where you have to escape a mysterious totalitarian state.

Republique

Alongside her hacking abilities, Hope has a bunch of cool gadgets and tricks up her sleeve to evade capture. Utilising the environment to hide from guards all the action is viewed from the position of security cameras, so you have to switch between them to get the best viewpoint of the danger ahead.

You can pick up République: Anniversary Edition for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR on 10th March 2022. For further updates on Camouflaj’s latest VR titles, keep reading gmw3.

Iron Man VR Developer Camouflaj Hiring For New AAA Title

Camouflaj, the developers behind 2020’s PSVR exclusive Iron Man VR, are hiring a number of positions for a new AAA title.

There’s nine positions total, available over on the careers section of Camouflaj’s site, all of which describe roles working on “a new AAA project.” Some open positions include concept artists, gameplay engineers, animation leader and more. The listings don’t specify whether the AAA title is a VR title or just a traditional flatscreen game. However, many of the listings indicate that “experience with VR” or “experience working in the VR space” would be a bonus (albeit not a requirement).

Camouflaj’s focus has been on VR titles for a number of years now. Republique was their last non-VR title, released as an episodic stealth game for mobile devices and then ported and launched on GearVR, PC VR and PSVR. The team was also behind the PSVR-exclusive Iron Man VR — a game made in partnership and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Putting all these pieces of the puzzle together, it seems possible that Camouflaj is developing a new AAA title for PSVR 2. Sony confirmed PSVR 2 is on the way, even revealing the new controllers, but it won’t be releasing this year. UploadVR was also the first to reveal the specs of the new headset in May, featuring 2000×2040 pixels per eye with foveated rendering.

In July last year, Camouflaj founder Ryan Payton indicated the studio would be interested in a hypothetical sequel to Iron Man VR.

“Ultimately it’s up to how the game performs, it’s up to our partners over at PlayStation and Marvel,” he said. “But as developers we absolutely loved working on Marvel’s Iron Man VR and we would obviously be super interested to continue working on it.”

You can view all Camouflaj’s job openings here. We’re not expecting to hear anything new on PSVR 2 anytime soon, but in the meantime you can catch up on everything we know so far or read our review of Iron Man VR from last year.

The VR Job Hub: Camouflaj, Yondr & nDreams

VR Job Hub

Every weekend VRFocus gathers together vacancies from across the virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) industry, in locations around the globe to help make finding that ideal job easier. Below is a selection of roles that are currently accepting applications across a number of disciplines, all within departments and companies that focus on immersive entertainment.

Location Company Role Link
Bellevue, WA Camouflaj People Development Leader Click Here to Apply
Bellevue, WA Camouflaj Outsource Art Manager Click Here to Apply
Bellevue, WA Camouflaj UI Designer Click Here to Apply
Bellevue, WA Camouflaj Director of IT Click Here to Apply
Bellevue, WA Camouflaj Senior QA Tester Click Here to Apply
Bellevue, WA Camouflaj Senior Substance Designer Artist Click Here to Apply
Bellevue, WA Camouflaj Senior 3D Artist Click Here to Apply
Bellevue, WA Camouflaj Senior Graphics Engineer Click Here to Apply
Antwerp, Belgium Yondr Full Stack Developer Click Here to Apply
Antwerp, Belgium Yondr Marketing Lead Click Here to Apply
Antwerp, Belgium Yondr Creative Developer Click Here to Apply
Antwerp, Belgium Yondr Senior Unity Developer Click Here to Apply
Farnborough, UK nDreams Principle/Lead Environment Artist Click Here to Apply
Farnborough, UK nDreams Principal/Lead Animator Click Here to Apply
Farnborough, UK nDreams Technical Animator Click Here to Apply
Farnborough, UK nDreams Senior VFX Artist Click Here to Apply
Farnborough, UK nDreams Graphics Programmer Click Here to Apply
Farnborough, UK nDreams Principal Artist Click Here to Apply
Farnborough, UK nDreams Principal Level Designer Click Here to Apply
Farnborough, UK nDreams VFX Artist Click Here to Apply

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 Hub to 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.

République: Anniversary Edition Coming Soon to PlayStation VR, in Digital & Physical Formats

Republique: Anniversary Edition

The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2021 keeps on giving this week with Limited Run Games’ showcase announcing République: Anniversary Edition, a reworking of Camouflaj’s mobile original, coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR soon.

Republique

République was the studios’ first title when it launched in 2014 and was subsequently brought to Steam and PlayStation – although it is now delisted on the PS Store. Camouflaj then brought out République VR for Gear VR, followed by Oculus Go and Oculus Quest.

By the sound of it République: Anniversary Edition for PlayStation VR won’t be utilising the previous VR version as this new edition has been rebuilt for PlayStation by Camouflaj’s development partners Skymap Games. There aren’t many details regarding how the anniversary edition will be different other than it’ll feature commentary: “revealing new secrets about the game’s tumultuous development,” says the press release.

With Limited Run Games handling the launch PlayStation VR owners will be able to pick up République: Anniversary Edition as a physical copy through their website, as well as finding it digitally via the PlayStation Store. A release date has yet to be confirmed.

Republique

République is a stealth-action videogame that explores the perils of government surveillance in the internet age. With over 10 hours of gameplay, you control the fortunes of Hope, a woman trapped inside a mysterious totalitarian state who must hack her way to freedom.

Stay with us as VRFocus continues its E3 2021 coverage, and as further details for République: Anniversary Edition are released we’ll keep you updated.

Road to VR’s 2020 Game of the Year Awards

It’s the time of the season again for reflection, when we look back at this year’s greatest achievements in VR gaming and remind ourselves just how far we’ve come in the four years since consumers first delved head-first into truly immersive worlds.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, this year was plunged into an global economic cooldown which saw many industries grind to a halt. Comparatively unaffected though was the games industry, which could thankfully continue as developers took to finishing their projects at home from a safe distance.

In our fourth annual Game of the Year Awards, we again put ourselves to the task of celebrating this year’s greats in VR gaming. Moreover, we salute all developers for offering up their hard work and steadfast curiosity in the face of the same personal adversity we’ve all no doubt shared. We’re grateful for having safe places where we can connect and explore, and for lighting a world which at times may have seemed grim and unrelenting.

For many, this steady stream of VR games has been a lifeline to sanity, as physically stepping outside of our homes could mean either putting ourselves or our loved ones in danger’s path. We thank you for willing your virtual realties into existence for all of us to enjoy.

Now, our games of the year:


Half-Life: Alyx

Developer: Valve

Available On: Steam

Release Date: March 23rd, 2020

If you would have told anyone back in 2016—the year the first consumer PC VR headsets hit the market—that Valve (of all companies) would one day build a AAA Half-Life game (of all franchises) specifically for VR, we’d say you were crazy. Yet here we are, in 2020, giving Half-Life: Alyx our PC VR Game of the Year Award.

But before the release of Alyx earlier this year, there was still plenty of skepticism to go around. It was Valve’s first full-fledged VR game and the first Half-Life game in more than a decade. Could Valve deliver anything to possibly meet all that hype?

Well, the answer is now resoundingly clear. It turns out that Valve’s old-school, methodical (if sometimes messy) approach to game design works just as well for VR games as it does for non-VR games.

From the very opening scene—where players are, for the first time, truly standing before the monolithic Citadel in the middle of City 17—Alyx is immersive through and through thanks to heaps of detail, an engaging and interactive world, and one of the most memorable sequences seen in any VR game to date… the dreaded ‘Jeff’.

With excellent pacing that weaves together combat, exploration, and puzzles, Alyx takes players on a seamless journey through the well-realized streets, cellars, and rooftops of City 17, all the way to a mysterious conclusion that has serious consequences for the future of the franchise.

Against all odds, one of the most legendary game developers brought one of the most legendary franchises to VR in stunning fashion. Given that the studio stood to make tens of millions (if not hundreds of millions) more in revenue by making a non-VR game, it’s hard to call Alyx anything but a love letter to the VR medium.

Half-Life: Alyx stands as VR’s new benchmark in graphics, immersion, and scope, and I’m sure that Valve itself is as eager as the rest of us to see who will be next to raise the bar.


Iron Man VR

Developer: Camouflaj

Available On: PlayStation VR

Release Date: July 3rd, 2020

While it surely brings ample opportunity, there’s nearly an equal amount of risk in using the likeness of an iconic character like Iron Man. While the character has plenty of backstory to draw from, delivering the experience of actually stepping into the character’s shoes—the experience of actually being Iron Man rather than just watching him—is no trivial task, especially in the still young and often ill-defined medium of VR.

Before Iron Man VR arrived to the rescue, there really were no standout superhero games in VR. There were attempts, certainly, but none that truly planted a flag and said “this is how it’s done.” Developer Camouflaj, however, turned out to be up to the task.

And they did it in a most ambitious way. While choosing to focus their game on a superhero that didn’t fly would have surely avoid plenty of headaches, picking one that did fly forced them to tackle the serious challenge of keeping players comfortable even as they sailed through the sky.

What’s more, the game’s innovative flying system was specially designed around Iron Man’s character—around his palm-mounted repulsor jets specifically—bringing an immersive flair to the way players control themselves in the game by aiming their hands to control thrust. The result was a truly fun and thrilling method of locomotion that balanced high-speed maneuvering with aerial combat.

But more than just coming up with a novel flight system for VR, Iron Man VR contextualized its gameplay with an engaging story that explored the man behind the mask, Tony Stark, nearly as much as his superhero persona. Combined with immersive details sprinkled throughout, Iron Man VR delivered a package that felt whole and delivered the fantasy it promised.


The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners

Developer: Skydance Interactive

Available On: Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, Steam, PSVR

Release Date: January 23rd, 2020

It wasn’t clear what to expect from Skydance Interactive’s take on the storied The Walking Dead zombie franchise. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners could have easily been a ham-handed attempt at shoehorning a standard first-person shooter into VR. We’ve seen them before, and they weren’t pretty.

As soon as you start the game though, it becomes immediately apparent that Saints & Sinners demands the player to invest themselves completely in the experience—it’s a true VR native. In this scaled-down RPG, moral choices meet zombie-killing carnage in a way we simply haven’t seen in VR up to this point. You’re instantly thrust into a world where supplies are scarce, crafting useful items is key, and coming in contact with any zombie is a fight for survival.

It’s a gruesome and realistic experience in all the right ways: a zombie can be hacked to pieces with any manner of sharp object, but you’ll lose precious stamina than you’ll need as you run away from the evening horde. If you’re a decent shot, you can try to stick to headshots the entire way, but as the mob grabs at you, you’re left with very little choice but to look them straight in the eye sockets and brain them with a knife, cleaver, or pointy stick.  Complete your mission and get the hell out of dodge, or face the consequences; with each zombie presenting potential death, the horde isn’t something you’ll ever want to face.

Outside of its impressive physics-based melee and gun combat, one of the most frightening parts is navigating the muddy waters of the New Orleans gang life, where you literally choose to side with one faction by stoking blood fueds by personally executing NPCs, or by walking your own path as a freelancer. Although the adventure isn’t open-world, discrete maps are so large and rich in detail that you’ll probably forget in the first five minutes anyway.

The standalone version of the game on both Quest and Quest 2 is lower res than its PC VR forbear, but that’s saying very little. As is, the game is more than the sum of its parts, and shines even with the obligatory knock in visual fidelity for a game of this scale, polish, and depth.


Design Awards


Half-Life: Alyx

Developer: Valve

Available On: Steam

Release Date: March 23rd, 2020

Each year we try to come up with games that shine in specific departments, so we tend to highlight titles that haven’t already won our platform-based awards. This year though, there’s simply no ignoring the titanic effort that went into making Half-Life: Alyx the most immersive VR game of 2020.

From the liquid shaders inside the many errant bottles laying around, to flippable light switches, to the full baby grand piano, every object has been loving realized with one thing in mind: immersing the player into the world of Half-Life like never before.

While full, unfettered object interaction is great for immersion, this also lets players get creative with how to use seemingly banal stuff to their advantage, like carrying a basket full of grenades when you run out of space in your inventory.

In Half-Life: Alyx, there are only a few misses in terms of immersion, which are more linked to stylistic choices by Valve. You can’t melee enemies, and the gesture-based menu pulls you out a bit from the action, but even with those minor offenses, Valve has effectively created VR’s most detailed game to date that will be difficult to rival in the years to come.


Phantom: Covert Ops

Developer: nDreams

Available On:  Oculus RiftOculus Quest

Release Date: June 25th, 2020

Building a new car is, for the most part, putting new spin on a concept that’s largely already been figured out by those that came before. While non-VR game development similarly stands on the shoulders of past giants, in VR, almost any step you take is likely to mean breaking fresh ground—right down to rethinking how players will even move around your game world.

Developer nDreams embraced the unknown and built an entire game around a novel locomotion scheme that had players sleuthing through sluices in a tactical kayak.

It might sound a little ridiculous on the surface, but dive a little deeper and you’ll see that it really fits VR well. Not only is paddling a much more immersive and intentional way to get around than using using a joystick, the kayak worked great as a sort of ‘inventory’ system for the player thanks to weapon and ammo holsters along its sides.

While a smooth moving and turning kayak could surely prove challenging from a comfort standpoint, nDreams managed to come up with a snap-turn solution that worked seamlessly with the kayak locomotion, allowing more players to enjoy their time on the waterways.

The locomotion innovation of Phantom: Covert Ops makes us excited to see what the studio comes up with next.


Star Wars: Squadrons

Developer: Motive Studios, EA Games

Available On: SteamEpic GamesOriginPSVR

Release Date: October 2nd, 2020

Flying an X-Wing in VR has been the dream ever since EA Games released the free X-Wing VR Mission DLC for Star Wars: Battlefront Rogue One in 2016 on PS4. And in a big way, EA’s Motive Studios delivered on that dream with this massive first-person dogfighter, which lets you play through an well-crafted singe-player campaign, or cross-platform online battles.

Motive Studios took on the mantle of making Star Wars: Squadrons feel like a native VR game which lets you play with a giant pool of players, delivering support for PC VR, traditional PC monitors, PSVR, PS4, and Xbox One players together. And when it comes to dropping in for a casual dogfight, you simply can’t waste time waiting around.

To boot, playing in VR has its clear advantages, as you can naturally track enemies by looking through your cockpit’s canopy windows, all while keeping an eye on your 3D radar. One of the hopes we had for the game was motion controller support for added immersion, however simulator enthusiasts know that the most immersive way to control a vehicle in VR is using a HOTAS setup, which lets you play with physical thrusters and flight sticks so you can truly feel like you’ve stepped into your own Star Wars universe spaceship. You can also play with gamepad, which is fun too since the game offers up arcade controls instead of pure simulator-style flying like you might find in Elite Dangerous (2014).

Both the world inside and outside of your canopy is a visual treat. While cinematic cutscenes are reduced to 2D windows, the game makes up for this by putting you on the deck of each ship to speak face-to-face with some of the most detailed character models we’ve seen in VR. Crafted with motion capture, the game’s NPCs seem to inch very close to the far side of the Uncanny Valley—something you’ll appreciate more from the inside of a VR headset.

In all, Star Wars: Squadrons gives VR gamers everything it has to offer on traditional platforms and more. It also sends a clear message to AAA studios that VR doesn’t have to be a second class citizen when it can slot in so well.


Cubism

Developer: Thomas Van Bouwel

Available On: Steam, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest

Release Date: September 17th, 2020

Cubism is a spatial puzzle game that shows that an interface can be beautiful through simplicity. The interface strikes a perfect balance between recognizable affordances and VR native flourishes like the use of depth and placement within arms reach. When it’s done the job selecting a level, it gets completely out of the way, allowing the player to directly interact with the puzzle before them.

The interface also hides a little secret which also doubles as a subtle but enjoyable means of ‘progression’ in the game. Each puzzle you complete represents a musical chord which you can hear when you select the level. Played one after another, each of these chords is part of a complete song which is every bit as beautiful in its simplicity as the interface itself. Once you complete all puzzles, the song is yours to enjoy.

There’s not much else to say—and that’s the point. Cubism’s interface does exactly what it needs to do and nothing more.


Pixel Ripped 1995

Developer: ARVORE Immersive Experiences

Available On: Steam, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, PSVR

Release Date: April 23rd, 2020

Indie studios take risks that larger, more established names in the industry simply won’t. And supporting those indie devs can mean playing some of the most unique and inventive games out there. Granted, there was a tad less risk involved for Pixel Ripped 1995, a retro-inspired VR game that follows in the footsteps of its popular predecessor, Pixel Ripped 1989 (2018). Still, it’s an amazingly creative slice of mid-90s nostalgia that’s expertly interwoven into the pioneering genres that made so many of us fall in love with games in the first place.

Pitching a unique ‘game within a game’ storytelling style, Pixel Ripped 1995 acts as the setting for its constant flights of fancy, mashing up the fourth console generation’s pioneering genres into a charming 3D world. Without brushing to close to infringe on any copyrights, Pixel Ripped 1995 authors a love letter to the generation’s colorful platformers, side-scrolling beat ’em ups, and RPGs.

At five hours of gameplay, it’s short and sweet, but critically doesn’t overextend itself either. Its linear gameplay offers a virtual smorgasbord of variety as you’re always left guessing at what’s next, leaving little room for boredom.


The Under Presents: The Tempest

Developer: Tender Claws

Available On: Oculus QuestOculus Rift

Release Date: Available from July 7th- November 15th, 2020

The Under Presents (2019) wasn’t released this year, but it did host a very special limited time immersive theater show to Oculus Quest and Rift-owning audiences that delved into some seriously interesting experimental territory. In a sea of graphical and technical marvels this year, the game’s immersive reinterpretation of William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest took the cake.

In a time when live actors are mostly out of work, The Under Presents invited expert thespians to lead groups of up to eight VR users through a rejuvenated retelling of the popular 17th-century theater piece. Built with user participation in mind, it felt more like acting in a high school theater play, with roles dolled out on the fly.

Showing up in the lobby, which is conveniently placed at the entrance of the game’s main area, participants were greeted with interesting toys and magical object to play around with as you hang with your fellow amateur actors. Once the show begins, you’re transported to a campfire to meet a live actor, who in the show’s meta-narrative took on the role of Prospero and many others. The guide weaves the story throughout dreamlike set pieces, and gets everyone involved in acting out parts in the story. Since players are mute, your guide acts as a professional voice over artist by filling in your lines.

In a time when interacting in large groups can be dangerous, The Under Presents The Tempest offered up a truly novel and creative experience that, even with its low-poly art style, felt like a tantalizingly real break from reality. We’re hoping to see more from developers Tender Claws in the near future, whether it be encore presentations of the experience or entirely new interactive theater pieces yet to come.


Note: Games eligible for Road to VR‘s Game of the Year Award must be available to the public on or before December 13th, 2020 to allow for ample deliberation. Games must also natively support the target platform as to ensure full operability.

The post Road to VR’s 2020 Game of the Year Awards appeared first on Road to VR.