Digigo – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

March 3, 2018

PlayStation VR Adventure Title Rangi Releasing Next Week

Rangi is a puzzle adventure title inspired by African tribal art, ancient architecture, and colourful landscapes and soon PlayStation VR players will be able to experience it.

Rangi screenshot 1

Originally set to release on PlayStation VR last month the title was delayed due to a reported mix up with Sony. The new release date has now been confirmed to be Tuesday, 6th March. Players will jump into this challenging but comfortable experience as they solve complex puzzles, explore hidden temples and revel in the joy of flight as they restore the Musiki’s stolen rhythms.

From the moment a player steps into the world of Rangi they will be greeted with stylized visuals, captivating music, and thought-provoking gameplay. With each level offering a unique artistic flavor, combining Africa’s diversity in terms of cultures and influences. Players should expect to explore a number of different environments as they take control of Guriki, a shaman, and must interact with the environment on a quest to recover the Music Giants life force. Puzzles will start of calming and accessible but soon players will need to think on their feet as puzzles becoming more complex in nature and navigating dangerous locations will add a sense of urgency to the experience.

Rangi screenshot 2

Ranji is all about the journey and the experience, meaning players are encouraged to let the music guide them and find answers within the songs. All of these elements are designed to work together to embrace the folklore inspiration and deliver a unique experience.

In VRFocus’ review of the PC version of Rangi, Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham gave it four stars, saying: “VR puzzlers can be equally entertaining and annoying at the same time, which is why they tend to have a popular following. Rangi is one of those enjoyable experiences that just works. Sure it can’t match the cinematic spectacle of FORM but then its not trying to, delivering a character all of its own.”

Rangi will be available on PlayStation VR next week, Tuesday, 6th March. You can see the latest gameplay trailer for the title below and for more on Rangi and developer Funsoft in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

February 5, 2018

Tribal Puzzle Title Rangi Coming to PlayStation VR

At the beginning of 2017 developer Funsoft launched its first virtual reality (VR) experience, puzzle title inspired by tribal art and African landscapes called Rangi for Samsung Gear VR. Later that year support came to Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Soon PlayStation VR owners will be able to test their wits on the videogame’s numerous puzzles as it launches this Friday.

Rangi screenshot 1

Set in a mysterious African landscape full of ancient architecture and rhythmic music, Rangi takes players on a journey involving a devious enemy, Matata who has stolen the life force of the Music Giants. Whilst solving the cryptic puzzles, reconstructing ancient statues and navigating deadly platforms to progress the campaign, players also need to be on the look out for hidden artifacts located around each of the levels.

With a highly-stylized, cel-shaded design, Rangi has been designed for all ages with a comfortable point to point teleportation system and full motion controller support for PlayStation Move.

VRFocus reviewed the PC version last summer, giving it four stars, saying: “VR puzzlers can be equally entertaining and annoying at the same time, which is why they tend to have a popular following. Rangi is one of those enjoyable experiences that just works. Sure it can’t match the cinematic spectacle of FORM but then its not trying to, delivering a character all of its own.”

Rangi screenshot 2

The chilled out puzzle experience will be available on 9th February, Funsoft and publisher Digigo haven’t yet revealed how much they plan on charging. For further updates from the studio about Rangi, keep reading VRFocus.

August 18, 2017

Review: Rangi

Porting videogames to more powerful platforms isn’t always that easy. Graphics can be improved but the overall feel will always come across from the original. This can be especially noticeable when bringing a Samsung Gear VR title to Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, as the differences between a smartphone an a VR-ready PC are massive. Earlier this year Funsoft released its African themed puzzler Rangi onto the mobile headset, and now its arrived on PC with full motion controller support. So has it ported well enough to be a worthwhile purchase for PC users? It certainly seems so.

On first glance the look of Rangi is fairly basic. It’s a highly stylized, cel-shaded videogame with masses of bold colours and very little textures. While this design may have been not only for artistic reasons but also performance on mobile devices, quite frankly the videogame still looks lush on the Oculus Rift. The aesthetically pleasing world that Funsoft has created can then be seen in the puzzles and music that accompany you on this mystical and at points surreal journey.

Rangi screenshot 1

VR puzzle titles have a tendency to be fairly short experiences with the difficulty ranging from easy throughout, to just plain difficult from the outset. Rangi doesn’t have this issue, with the studio managing to find that perfect difficulty curve. So the first few puzzles are rudimentary and simple, each one taking just moments to complete as you get a hang of the controls – of which there aren’t many. You can only move to set teleportation points, which can feel restrictive giving the abundance of roomscale titles, but that does mean you’re not wandering around trying to find out what goes where and what does what. Just be observant at each point and you’ll figure it out.

While the first puzzles ease you in, being nicely compact and room sized, they soon expand into massive landscape moving challenges that’ll test your memory as well as your puzzle solving skills. The one let down would be that while they do change in size and complexity, a significant portion do revolve around the same idea, moving blocks or spinning boxes to get a mixture of colours to lineup and open the next door. It doesn’t necessarily get boring, it does mean you get into a rhythm of what to do quite quickly.

Rangi screenshot 2

Because of the style of puzzle, Rangi for the most part is a relaxing videogame, allowing you to take your time to complete challenges at your own pace. Funsoft hasn’t been entirely kind however, as there are certain sections that are all about speed, with rising lava or spiked walls trying to kill you. It’s a refreshing change of pace which can catch you unawares the first time, turning into frustration should you make a mistake as you’ll get sent back to the start of the area.

VR puzzlers can be equally entertaining and annoying at the same time, which is why they tend to have a popular following. Rangi is one of those enjoyable experiences that just works. Sure it can’t match the cinematic spectacle of FORM but then its not trying to, delivering a character all of its own.

80%

Awesome

Verdict

January 23, 2017

Uncover the Mysteries of Rangi on Gear VR

Several months ago VRFocus reported on Funsoft and Digigo releasing a teaser trailer for upcoming Gear VR project Rangi. A puzzle title set in Africa, Rangi has now launched for the mobile head-mounted display (HMD).

Inspired by tribal art, ancient architecture, rhythmic music and African landscapes, Rangi mixes up puzzle and platform elements as players uncover a story line involving a devious enemy, Matata whilst recovering the life force of the Music Giants.

Rangi_05

As players explore the stylized world of Rangi, they’ll uncover hidden artifacts to find and collect in each of the different maps while listening to a soundtrack inspired by tribal music and created by Jorge Castro and Frédéric Seraphinem.

Funsoft’s Creative Director, Fabien Delpech, said in a statement: “I’m very proud to unveil Rangi to the public. We’re excited to create an experience in which you dive into a refreshing universe, where each level has its own unique flavour. In addition to today’s release, a new Rangi world will be available soon. Players can expect World Two to be darker yet just as immersive, with even more challenging puzzles. Each gameplay mechanic is pushed further, creating many surprises!”

“Today’s launch is the first in a two part, multi platform release, and Rangi fans can look forward to new content in the near future. Funsoft have released the first of two Rangi game worlds on Gear VR, with widescale release on other platforms scheduled to follow later in the year,” added Hatim Bensaid, Funsoft CEO and Rangi Producer. “Players who purchase Rangi can look forward to checking out World Two before the end of February. This additional DLC will be available at no extra cost.”

Rangi can be downloaded now from the Oculus Store for $7.99 USD/£5.99 GBP.

January 16, 2017

‘Rangi’ is a VR Puzzle Game from Ex-Ubisoft Devs That Lets You Explore Mythical Africa

In the fervor of the holiday season surrounding the release of PlayStation VR and Google Daydream, followed by the Oculus Touch controllers and the never-ending onslaught of new games and experiences on the Steam marketplace, it’s easy to forget about Samsung’s Gear VR. At CES 2017 it was quietly announced that they’d sold over 5 million headsets to date, purportedly putting them at the top of the food chain in terms of sheer market penetration, along with a surprisingly deep and diverse library of content.

Early adopters of PC-based VR and industry enthusiasts might be focused on more powerful alternatives, but the Samsung Gear VR appears to be the little headset that could and it keeps on pushing. That’s why stylish, new releases on the device, such as Rangi, should not fly under your radar.

Rangi is a visually beautiful upcoming puzzle/adventure title in development by Funsoft, published by Digigo. At first glance, it looks a bit reminiscent of other mobile VR titles such as Land’s End or Esper, with a unique mythical African twist.

From a gameplay perspective, you spend your time solving puzzles by interacting with objects such as ruins and exploring a detailed ancient environment. You can tell from the trailer above that solutions often involve lining up runes and lines to connect currents of energy, which all feeds back into the central narrative of the game’s world.

The development team is located in Casablanca, Morocco and is actually made up of several ex-members of Ubisoft Casablanca. “We sought to create in Rangi a strong relationship between the puzzle-based gameplay and African tribal art,” said Fabien Delpech, Creative Director at Funsoft in a prepared statement. “The level design entices players to interact with a multitude of elements within the environment, which makes the VR experience even more meaningful. Rangi is a truly unique mobile game due to it drawing inspiration from African music, folklore, and art, and we know that gamers will love playing it as much as we’re enjoying creating it.”

From what I’ve seen so far, the narrative is rather esoteric and cryptic in its delivery, insisting on a decidedly obscure presentation, which all lends itself well to the established setting. The music utilizes the 3D audio of the Gear VR very well to create an encompassing all-around you feeling.

The lack of position tracking continues to make the Gear VR feel inferior to the PS VR, Vive, and Rift, but that’s not Rangi‘s fault. It just so happens that the game delivers a rich world with such great visual individuality that you’ll often find yourself wanting to lean in and get a closer look even though you can’t.

Despite it all, Rangi isn’t going to be a game for everyone. It leans heavily on its stylized visuals, entrancing music, and thought-provoking gameplay to provide a deep and rewarding puzzle experience, but it’s far from the next great narrative masterpiece from what I’ve seen. Fans of the excellent Land’s End and challenging Esper series will feel right at home and should certainly keep their eyes on Rangi as it continues development.

Funsoft is planning to release Rangi for Gear VR early this year in 2017. You can find more information on the official website.

Tagged with: adventure, digigo, exploration, funsoft, puzzle, rangi, ubisoft

October 21, 2016

African-Themed Gear VR Title Rangi Reveals First Footage

The Samsung Gear VR head-mounted display (HMD) has become one of the most widely used virtual reality (VR) platforms due to the wide range of content available. This has attracted more developers to create experiences for the mobile headset and recently indie studio Digigo revealed its upcoming title, Rangi.

Currently the developer hasn’t revealed many details on the upcoming videogame, with only a few screenshots and a brief trailer showcasing the design.

Rangi_01

The video (seen below) features a couple of slow moving shots, one inside a building and the other outside an ancient temple or building of some sort. While it maybe hard to discern the actual gameplay in store – could it be an role playing game (RPG) or a puzzle title – the trailer does feature an African-themed song through out. And with ancient symbols, giant stone columns and a giant creature just walking on by there’s certainly some thing mysterious going on.

Rangi is scheduled for release on Gear VR in early 2017, and as VRFocus learns more about the title we’ll let you know.