Play Hide & Seek With Velociraptor’s Tomorrow in Jurassic World Aftermath

Jurassic World Aftermath

Oculus Quest’s library of exclusive virtual reality (VR) titles seems to be growing by the week, recently releases including Myst, Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister and Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge. Tomorrow, Coatsink will add another to that list, the intimidating Jurassic World Aftermath.

Jurassic World Aftermath

Oculus confirmed the launch tomorrow via its Twitter account today, as well as dropping a new trailer which offers a better look at the story and the terror to come. As one of the assortment of videogames revealed during Facebook Connect, Jurassic World Aftermath continues that major IP rollout into VR.

The narrative takes place two years after the event of Jurassic World, where you and your team are sent back – sound familiar? – to retrieve the highly valuable research materials left behind. The mission starts to go wrong before you even set foot on the island, crash landing at the facility. You’re not alone of course, as some hungry and very vicious Velociraptor’s stalk your every move.

So you need to find the info whilst ensuring you don’t become a light snack for these rather deadly carnivores. As the video highlights, there doesn’t seem to be any guns in Jurassic World Aftermath, only tools to help you solve various challenges. Sound is going to play an important part in your survival, you’ll be able to distract the dino’s so you can sneak by but make too much noise and its dinner time.

Jurassic World Aftermath

Jurassic World Aftermath certainly looks like it has that same helpless survival feel Alien: Isolation had – just with more creatures to avoid getting torn apart by.

At the moment Jurassic World Aftermath looks like its going to be one of the last videogames to be released for Oculus Quest in 2020. Only Crytek’s The Climb 2 is still expected this year, likely a surprise announcement in the next few days. If that happens, VRFocus will let you know.

Onward Aims for July Launch on Oculus Quest

Onward - Oculus Quest

Still in Early Access, Downpour Interactive’s military first-person shooter (FPS) Onward has been one of the most successful for virtual reality (VR) headsets. Currently a PC VR-only experience, the studio has been working with Coatsink (Shadow Point, Esper) to bring the title to Oculus Quest, confirming a launch will take place in July.

Onward - Oculus Quest

Downpour Interactive revealed development of the Oculus Quest version just over a year ago, not long after the standalone headset launched. The last 12 months have proven the device is important to support, not only because of the revenue some developers have earned but especially when it comes to multiplayer gameplay and keeping an active, diverse community of players.

Just like the PC version, the Oculus Quest edition of Onward removes common FPS features like crosshairs and mini maps for a more realistic, simulator-style experience. Players have to rely on coordination and communication with their squad to succeed, whether they’re playing on Quest, Oculus Rift or any other SteamVR compatible headset, crossplay support is fully included.

There are solo and co-op, and multiplayer gameplay modes, providing AI opponents to hone those skills before trying a 10-person battle with three objectives to chose from; safe a VIP, control an Uplink station or secure an area to upload a code.

Onward - Oculus Quest

You’ll have a range of realistic weaponry to play with; the modern MARSOC faction has the AUG, M16, M1014 P90 and the M249 light machine gun. While the insurgent Volk forces use an arsenal which includes the AKS74U, the Makarov, and an RPG launcher.

“I’m incredibly excited for Onward to come to the Oculus Quest: to have players be inspired by the freedom of the platform while at the same time experiencing the realism and immersion that Onward brings to the table,” said Dante Buckley Founder, Downpour Interactive in a statement. “And I think I speak for my whole team when I say we’re excited to see our players get their hands on the game after almost a year of development.”

The studios will release Onward for Oculus Quest on 30th July 2020, retailing for $24.99 USD through the Oculus Store. As further details are released, VRFocus will keep you informed.

The VR Job Hub: Force Field Entertainment & Costsink

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
Amsterdam, The Netherlands Force Field Entertainment Narrative Designer Click Here to Apply
Amsterdam, The Netherlands Force Field Entertainment System Administrator Click Here to Apply
Amsterdam, The Netherlands Force Field Entertainment Senior Technical Animator Click Here to Apply
Amsterdam, The Netherlands Force Field Entertainment Devops Engineers Click Here to Apply
Amsterdam, The Netherlands Force Field Entertainment Network Programmer Click Here to Apply
Amsterdam, The Netherlands Force Field Entertainment Senior 3D Animator Click Here to Apply
Amsterdam, The Netherlands Force Field Entertainment Senior Game Programmer Click Here to Apply
Amsterdam, The Netherlands Force Field Entertainment Lead Game Programmer Click Here to Apply
Amsterdam, The Netherlands Force Field Entertainment Lead Game Designer Click Here to Apply
Sunderland, UK Coatsink Games Programmer Click Here to Apply
Sunderland, UK Coatsink Games Tester Click Here to Apply
Sunderland, UK Coatsink HTML 5 Programmer Click Here to Apply
Sunderland, UK Coatsink Narrative Designer Click Here to Apply
Sunderland, UK Coatsink Producer Click Here to Apply
Sunderland, UK Coatsink Senior VR Game Designer Click Here to Apply
Sunderland, UK Coatsink UI/UX 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.

Review: Shadow Point

Coatsink Software has been a long-term supporter of mobile virtual reality (VR) headsets ever since the early days of the Samsung Gear VR. Even in the last few years with a growing roster of high-end devices the studio has still stuck with Oculus Go – the only notable deviation was Esper: The Collection for Oculus Rift. So it’s no surprise that the team would develop something for Oculus Quest – one of the few original titles available at launch – in the form of puzzle experience Shadow Point.

Shadow Point

The developer has rarely put a foot wrong with its previous VR efforts – something few studios can lay claim to – and Shadow Point is no exception. Before the videogame has really even begun you’re welcomed by the warm narration of Sir Patrick Stewart (Star Trek, X-Men, American Dad!, Ted) who leads you on the story throughout and gives the whole production a real feeling of quality only he can.

Shadow Point is a puzzle adventure set in a fantasy world based on the stars. All the puzzles are based on light and shadow, with lamps illuminating shapes which then have to be matched by in-world objects. A very simple premise and one that will ideally suit new VR players, or those simply looking for a relaxing experience. Played either seated or standing, there are enough motion options to ensure a comfortable experience, with both teleportation and smooth locomotion useable at the same time.

With seven main areas and over 80 puzzles (Coatsink’s number, VRFocus didn’t count them!) each location is split into rooms, each with varying amounts of puzzles to complete before progress can be made. While all the areas look suitably stylish and certainly feature Coatsink’s familiar design found in previous videogames like They Suspect Nothing, the interactive are purely kept to the puzzles themselves.

Shadow Point

Which is a bit of a shame as there are lots to see and look at but the majority of it can’t be picked up or played with – one area has a bow and arrows laying on the ground and bags painted with targets yet no way to interact with them. This makes exploration mostly irrelevant (even in the small areas), keeping the journey fairly linear and only partially using the freedom Oculus Quest provides.

That freedom is mostly seen in the way some of the puzzles are laid out, having to hold items to gauge their size and position relative to the shadow trying to be cast. However, this process does on occasion highlight tracking issues with hands sticking when trying small movement adjustments when controllers are near the periphery of your vision.

This tends to happen on more elaborate and difficult puzzles which can make things a tiny bit frustrating at points. The actual difficulty curve is well balanced, providing a decent challenge once you’re about halfway through the story. One problem story-based puzzle titles tend to have is a lack of replay value or additional areas to explore to beef up the experience. Shadow Point has some nicely hidden extras with each location having a trickier ‘moon’ challenge to complete. If achieved this then opens a new area at the main observatory hub.

Shadow Point

Shadow Point is a suitably well-accomplished puzzle experience. Those previous grumbles aside, there’s enough here to provide a good few hours of entertainment without breaking a sweat or running the risk of hitting a wall accidentally. Shadow Point isn’t quite up to the standard of Coatsink Software’s Augmented Empire for Oculus Go but it’s a charming adventure no the less.

80%

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  • Verdict

Shadow Point is the Latest VR Title from Augmented Empire Developer Coatsink

Oculus has finally confirmed an upgrade to the current Oculus Rift, revealing the Rift S today. Due around the same time as standalone headset Oculus Quest, the company had a couple of new titles to discuss for the mobile device, one of which is Shadow Point, the latest from British team Coatsink Software.

Shadow Point

Known for titles including Esper, Augmented Empire and They Suspect Nothingthis new virtual reality (VR) experience by Coatsink looks like an epic puzzle adventure. In Shadow Point players head up to a mountain observatory to unravel the mystery of a missing schoolgirl. They’ll head to a strange world in the heavens, encountering all sorts of surreal locations whilst solving an elaborate assortment of puzzles along the way.

Having previously used the voice acting skills of Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul), and Kate Mulgrew (Orange is the New Black, Star Trek Voyager), the studio continues to stay on point courtesy of the legendary Sir Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation, X-Men, TED). 

Shadow Point is set to include full locomotion support so players can wander around to their heart’s content, with the experience designed specifically for Oculus Quest. Coatsink have yet to confirm whether Shadow Point will be a launch day for the headset, or whether it’ll arrive soon after.

Shadow PointOculus Quest is Facebook’s completely wireless head-mounted display (HMD), with inside-out tracking, Touch controllers, built-in audio and running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. Listed for a Spring 2019 launch retailing for $399, the device has already had several videogames confirmed for launch, including Moss and most recently Beat Saber, which was only confirmed this week.

With it being the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 this week expect lots of VR news over the next couple of days, with VRFocus bringing you the very latest updates and announcements.

The Best Mobile Games Coming in 2019

Consumer mobile virtual reality (VR) may have been going longer than its tethered, high-end brother, thanks to Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard, but it was until 2018 that the industry took a shift thanks to Oculus Go and Vive Focus. While headsets like Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR have the graphical power, mobile and standalone devices have the freedom to be used anywhere, which opens up new possibilities for developers. 2019 looks to be even bigger for mobile with the upcoming release of Oculus Quest, but for now, VRFocus will be concentrating on videogames for the most currently available headsets.

The Best Mobile Games Coming in 2019

The Elder Scrolls: Blades – Bethesda

Announced during Bethesda’s pre-Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2018 press conference, The Elder Scrolls: Blades was originally due to arrive Fall 2018 for iOS and Android devices but a Tweet in November pushed the launch into this year. With classic role-playing game (RPG) mechanics the series is known for, The Elder Scrolls: Blades will feature three areas, Arena; a PvP area where players can challenge each other using melee and magical combat. An endless dungeon called The Abyss, filled with all sorts of enemies and treasure to help improve the character. And lastly The Town, which is the main campaign area, with a full storyline to complete.

Currently, there’s no precise launch date for The Elder Scrolls: Blades.

fiercekaiju_header

Unannounced Title – Fierce Kaiju/Coatsink Software

Honestly, this is a complete unknown at this stage. British developer Fierce Kaiju and Coatsink Software announced way back in November 2017 that they were working on a new VR project together. VRFocus knows that the title will be an entirely new IP, but the studios haven’t released any further details since 2017. As they have both primarily worked on mobile VR titles its safe to assume this will be the case again.

Hopefully, 2019 will be the year that Fierce Kaiju and Coatsink Software reveal more info.

Angry Birds VR Isle of Pigs Coming Soon Image

Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs – Resolution Games/Rovio

Resolution Games and Rovio Entertainment announced a couple of weeks ago plans to bring one of the biggest mobile franchises to VR. Details are still scarce, including gameplay details or what it’ll look like. When it comes to headset support they’ve simply stated it’ll be available ‘across all major VR platforms’ so VRFocus is assuming a franchise born onto mobile will keep with its mobile roots.

Expect more bird-flinging action when Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs arrives later this year.

InandOut

In&Out – Underdogz

A videogame VRFocus came across while wandering around Gamescom 2018 in Germany, In&Out is a spy adventure of sorts that’s played entirely cooperatively. Designed before Oculus Casting came about, the VR player has to navigate a secret facility with the help of their ever watchful companion viewing details on a mobile device. Without teamwork, the VR player will easily die, as they don’t have all the info to avoid traps and solve the puzzles.

We’ve not heard much about the Oculus Go compatible title since that first debut, so hopefully, 2019 will be the year for further updates.

Spectro header

Spectro – Borrowed Light Studios

From the team behind Vincent Van Gogh tribute, The Night Cafe is a rather spooky experience called Spectro. Originally announced way back in 2016, the studio has been somewhat quiet about Spectro’s development over the last couple of years. You are the sole proprietor of Spectro Co., a ghost detective agency, going out to explore haunted houses and ridding them of their malevolent spirits.

Borrow Light Studios says that: “Spectro is currently in development for all of the major VR headsets with a focus on releasing on mobile first.” That would make 2019 a great year for a frighteningly good mobile videogame.

The VR Job Hub: More Jobs Than you can Shake a Headset at

After our jaunt over to Japan for last weeks VR Job Hub, VRFocus has decided to keep things a little closer to home with plenty of roles in the UK – with a small selection in the US. So peruse at your leisure – it is a Sunday after all – and see if anything catches your eye.

Location Company Role Link
San Mateo, California Hero Hangout VR Experience Specialist Click Here to Apply
Washington, DC The World Bank Interactive Media Production Associate (VR/AR) Click Here to Apply
Washington, DC The World Bank VR Business & Project Liaison Click Here to Apply
Sunderland, UK Coatsink Software Multiple Vacancies Click Here to Apply
Guildford, UK Rogue Sun Multiple Vacancies Click Here to Apply
Manchester, UK Cherry Pop Games Multiple Vacancies Click Here to Apply
Oxford & Warwick, UK Rebellion Multiple Vacancies Click Here to Apply
York, UK New Moon Studios Business Development Agent 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.

VRLO Returns for a One Day Celebration in December

Now that Halloween is over its time to start ramping up the festivities for 2018’s next big celebration, good old Christmas. Ahead of the big day full of presents and too much food media company REWIND (The Magic Flute, Ghost in the Shell VR) will be hosting the last VRLO event of the year in London, UK.

They Suspect Nothing - Screenshot - Stamp

The one-day event will be an evening of talks, demos and networking opportunities all wrapped up with some festive celebrations.

Sponsored by HP, Jigsaw24 and Bluegfx, HP and Jigsaw24 are teaming up to bring the HP Z VR Backpack PC to VRLO, with a demo version of REWIND’s Silicon Valley: Inside the Hacker Hostel VR.

Also at VRLO will be Coatsink Software, with the studio set to demo relaxing title A Night’s Sky and comedy mini-game collection about robots They Suspect Nothing. Vive Studios will be on hand to showcase 7 Miracles, an immersive adaptation of the seven miracles of Jesus Christ from the Gospel of John. It will be the experience’s second showing in London after its World Premiere at Raindance Film Festival last month. Finally, Start VR will demo AWAKE, a character-driven interactive cinematic VR series that blurs the line between dream and reality.

Awake - StartVR

And as a festive treat REWIND will be holding The Santa’s Helper Challenge, you’ll have to attend to find out more.

VRLO will be taking place on Wednesday, 5th December 2018, starting at 7pm and running through to 11pm. It’ll be held at The Microsoft Reactor London, with tickets being free, and entry will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis. For further details and to grab a ticket head to the VRLO Eventbrite page. VRFocus will continue its coverage of REWIND and VRLO, reporting back with further updates.

Review: They Suspect Nothing

In the world of virtual reality (VR) British developer Coatsink Software is synonymous with quality videogames for Samsung Gear VR, creating some of VRFocus’ favourite titles include Esper 2 and Augmented Empire. With the advent of Oculus Go the indie studio has built a humorous mini-game compilation called They Suspect Nothing to mark the launch of the device. With a high pedigree behind them can Coatsink do no wrong this time around?

They Suspect Nothing - Screenshot - Asteroids

As soon as They Suspect Nothing starts it’s easy to see the studio’s style and quality emerge, with rich cartoon aesthetics, plenty of attention to detail and some quality narration and sounds wafting into the ears – the team even got award winning actor Jim Broadbent (Harry Potter, Moulin Rouge!, Hot Fuzz) to voice one of the characters.

The story (and mini-games) revolve around a future Earth where mankind has made the planet all but uninhabitable (what’s new there) leaving the place for robots to thrive. These aren’t The Matrix or Terminator style mechanoids, more like those found in cartoon feature film Robots. You happen to play a human dressed up in robot garb to blend in and not get spotted. But to see whether you’re actually one of them the robots have a series of tests that must be completed. Succeed and you’re one of them, don’t and well nothing happens (it’s not that sort of videogame).

After trying a few styles out in the wardrobe it’s time for the first four tests, complete them all and the next area will open. With a total of three areas and 12 tests to complete. There’s a decent amount of variety to each of them seeing as the Oculus Go controller is 3DoF, they do tend to boil down to picking stuff up and moving it from A to B, remote controlling an object, or sorting stuff. As each trial is completed you’ll be rewarded with more robot costume parts for the wardrobe.

They Suspect Nothing - Screenshot - Hungry Hippos

Everything is quick fire, none of the mini-games are what you’d called leisurely but mini-game titles never tend to be. As such the controller implementation needs to be spot on, and it is. So long as you have the controller nicely centred before starting there should be no issues, whether it’s trying to expertly fly a drone whilst avoiding missiles or frantically stamp the right books, the input feels sure and solid for all the games.

The real problem is duration, 12 mini-games just doesn’t seem enough. Even with Easy, Medium, and Hard settings for each one it’s quite easy to burn through them all in one sitting. Then it’s just time to continually replay them until boredom sets in. Make[REAL]’s Loco Dojo only had a few extra mini-games yet it seemed like a lot more, plus they were suitably zany, They Suspect Nothing feels a little held back, almost dour at points.

They Suspect Nothing is a consistent bundle of fun mini-games, yet as a launch title slightly underwhelming. It’s a safe and easy experience for gamers of all ages that looks great and plays well. On the other hand They Suspect Nothing isn’t Coatsink’s best VR work, that’s still Augmented Empire (which handily now supports Oculus Go).

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  • Verdict

Preview: They Suspect Nothing – Apart From Another Quirky British Experience

If you own a Samsung Gear VR then you should own a Coatsink videogame, it’s almost mandatory. With polished titles like Augmented Empire, Esper, Esper 2 and A Night Sky for the platform, the UK-based team have certainly fine tuned their skills for mobile virtual reality (VR), so its no surprise Oculus wanted the studio to build something for its next headset, Oculus Go. That’s come in the form of They Suspect Nothing a collection of mini-games.

They Suspect Nothing KeyartNow Oculus wasn’t exactly giving lengthy demos at its Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2018 booth, allowing what seemed like enough time to learn the controls, figure out what the hell was going on before being booted out. They Suspect Nothing is a collection of 12 mini-games that definitely seemed like a showcase for Oculus Go and its diminutive controller.

These mini-games are split between hubs, four levels in each, with VRFocus managing time for just one, a sort of weird robot surgery game that tested speed and knowledge. The task looked simple enough, a digital board brought up the name of a tool and a particular robot part that it needed to be used on. Yet this is Coatsink, so there was no grab the hammer and hit the broken pipe, nothing so mundane. No, the tools had abstract names to make them more difficult to remember and so did the organs. So the challenge was to match the two correct items up to score points, win the game and prove you’re not a human.

They Suspect Nothing - Screenshot - Asteroids

That’s because you play the last human on Earth, a world now controlled by the mechanical menace so many films warned about. These ‘games’ are in fact a human detection test, all of which need to be passed in a methodical, robot-like fashion to stop you being killed.

While that sounds quite dark and grim, They Suspect Nothing is actually very comedic and light-hearted, with a bright cartoon style that’s very much Coatsink’s style, a kind of mix between A Night Sky and Esper.

The control scheme was a drag and drop style mechanic, ideal for Oculus Go’s 3DoF controller. Without seeing any of the other mini-games its hard to judge how innovative They Suspect Nothing will actually be as it feels like a very safe bet for the standalone headset, a long way from the rather brilliant Augmented Empire.

There’s no question that They Suspect Nothing will have high production values – the voice cast includes award-winning actor Jim Broadbent – and VRFocus has learnt further hubs are planned upon, continuing the 4 games per section. But mini-game collections can be a tricky business, offering great pockets of gameplay with an overall throwaway feeling. Whether this is the case remains to be seen – you’ll have to wait for Oculus Go – with VRFocus looking forward to seeing more of the videogame.