Horizon Call of the Mountain review: PSVR2’s first big outing is a mixed journey
Horizon Call of the Mountain works better as a fancy fitness game than an action-adventure epic.
‘Horizon Call of the Mountain’ Promises “multiple paths”, New Clips Captured on PSVR 2
Horizon Call of the Mountain, an exclusive title headed to PSVR 2, got its first gameplay trailer earlier this month which suggested VR’s first Horizon series game would be more than just an ‘experience’. Now Sony has tossed out now new clips alongside an expanded description of the game, which promises “multiple paths to take.”
Developers Firesprite and Guerrilla Games are still playing it pretty tight-lipped on just how in-depth Horizon Call of the Mountain will be; it’s first gameplay trailer suggested it will be significantly more than just a short Horizon-flavored experience.
Now the studios have updated the Horizon Call of the Mountain landing page to include a new game overview:
Conquer colossal peaks, overcome fearsome machines and uncover a hidden danger to the world of Horizon – as you answer the call of the mountain in an immersive new adventure for PlayStation VR2.
Enter a living, breathing world of dangerous machines, tribal lore, exciting quests and new and returning characters. Explore a diverse landscape – embark on a journey with multiple paths to take where you’ll have to look all around you to uncover the secrets of the mountains.
The “multiple paths” could mean a few things: it might point to the possibility of a branching story that lets you choose your own adventure, or it may just suggest there are several actual paths you can take through the world in your journey up the mountain, all of which lead to the same conclusion.
It also appears there won’t just be singular boss fight interludes like we saw in the gameplay trailer (at the bottom of the article), as the studios threw out some new gifs on the updated page as well to show off encounters that will require you to fight multiple enemies at once. We’ve strung them all together here:
What’s more, the clips state they’ve been captured on PSVR 2. That’s an encouraging sign that Horizon Call of the Mountain is aiming for a pretty high degree of visual polish.
Granted, there’s still no official release date for the game—or PSVR 2, which is rumored to arrive anywhere from Q4 of this year to early 2023.
Check out the gameplay trailer from earlier this month below:
The post ‘Horizon Call of the Mountain’ Promises “multiple paths”, New Clips Captured on PSVR 2 appeared first on Road to VR.
Sony-Owned Studio Firesprite Moving To A Much Larger Office
As first reported by Video Games Chronicle, the Liverpool-based studio Firesprite is moving to a much larger office, likely indicating some form of expansion.
Firesprite are the developers behind The Persistence, a timed exclusive on PSVR, and The Playroom VR. Almost a year ago, Sony acquired Firesprite and we later learned that the studio is developing Horizon: Call of the Mountain alongside Guerilla Games.
According to Invest Liverpool, Firesprite and Sony signed a 10-year lease on the new office, located in the Ropewalks district of Liverpool. The new office covers 50,000 square feet – a significant upgrade over the studio’s current office space, which covers just 2,519 square feet.
Given the huge upgrade in space, this could signal that Firesprite is gearing up for expansion and potentially taking on more projects in the near future. Sony looks likely to launch PSVR 2 in 2023, and while we don’t have a confirmed release date for Horizon: Call of the Mountain, it could be a launch title.
Regardless of its final release date, Horizon is likely in the latter sections of development. We recently got our best look at the game yet, featuring a full story campaign and a separate river ride experience. With all that in mind, it will be interesting to see what direction Firesprite heads in after Horizon.
We now know that the headset will also be receiving VR support for Resident Evil 8, alongside ‘VR content’ for the upcoming Resident Evil 4 port, as well as a handful of multi-platform releases. You can read about every confirmed and rumored PSVR 2 title here.
Horizon Call of the Mountain Coming Exclusively to PlayStation VR2
CES 2022 was feeling a bit muted when it came to virtual reality (VR) announcements. That was until Sony held its press event which quickly drew a lot of interest thanks to its mention of PlayStation VR2. Alongside the official name reveal as well as the specs, one videogame was also mentioned, Horizon Call of the Mountain.
The announcement finally confirms a rumour that surfaced last year when the Xbox Era podcast suggested that Firesprite Games is “working on a Horizon VR game.” That was very much on point, as Firesprite and Guerilla are both working on the project, an entirely new adventure set within the Horizon universe. Horizon Call of the Mountain is being made specifically for PlayStation VR2, with Guerilla’s Studio Director and Studio Art & Animation Director Jan-Bart van Beek saying in a blog post that: “this unique experience has been designed to push hardware technology, innovation, and gameplay.”
To go along with the confirmation the teams released the first teasing footage of Horizon Call of the Mountain, showcasing a lush forest and one of the giant mechanical animals the Horizon franchise is known for. While no gameplay has been shown just yet, van Beek has said the narrative: “will be told through the eyes of an entirely new character.” There will be other new characters of course, but for fans of Horizon, some familiar faces are set to return.
Not much else is known at the moment with Guerilla currently focused on the upcoming launch of Horizon Forbidden West which is due out on 18th February.
Most of the excitement though is firmly focused on PlayStation VR2, the long-awaited successor to the 2016 headset that’s managed to hold up quite well alongside modern VR advancements. But PlayStation VR2 not only has big shoes to fill it also needs to excel in a far more competitive market, one that’s dominated by Meta Quest 2.
While the Quest 2 is standalone, PlayStation VR2 will be tethered to the PlayStation 5, which could work in its favour when it comes to visuals but not when it comes to flexibility due to the cable. On the other hand, PlayStation VR2 will sport in-built haptics, eye tracking, and those nifty looking Sense controllers.
As more details on Horizon Call of the Mountain come to light, VRFocus will keep you updated.
Latest Horizon VR Rumour Points to Firesprite & PlayStation VR 2
The next PlayStation VR is coming, it might not be this year but it is definitely set to arrive in the near future. And just like any new hardware, it needs some good videogames to back it up. Big IP certainly helps in that regard with a new rumour suggesting that Firesprite – the studio recently acquired by PlayStation Studios – could be working on a virtual reality (VR) title based within the Horizon: Zero Dawn universe.
The new rumour comes by way of the most recent Xbox Era podcast and Xbox Era co-founder Nick Baker, who has been informed by sources that Firesprite is “working on a Horizon VR game” which will supposedly be separate from the other titles, so it won’t be Horizon: Zero Dawn in VR. He went on to say: “I didn’t get told if it’s a full-blown game like Half-Life: Alyx, or if it’s an “experience” like that Batman [Arkham VR] thing. That part I don’t know.”
Now, it isn’t the first time that VR and the Horizon franchise have been mentioned in the same sentence. A rumour surfaced in 2019 that Sony London Studio was apparently working on something but that rumour never came to anything.
This one could have a bit more credence thanks to the fact that Baker has a good track record with accurate leaks and that Horizon’s bow gameplay is a great fit for VR as numerous titles like Apex Construct have shown. Plus, with Firesprite now under Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) wing and the studio having plenty of experience in the technology thanks to titles like The Persistence, it would be a good fit.
Additionally, when it comes to Baker’s remark about whether it could be a full-blown videogame or not, previous leaks regarding SIE’s plans for the PlayStation VR 2 suggest it would be. August saw information arrive that PlayStation wants to move away from “VR experiences,” focusing efforts on console-quality AAA videogames. Again, that would easily align both of these rumours.
As always this info has to be taken with a pinch of salt because at the moment there’s still no confirmation regarding when PlayStation VR 2 may arrive, just speculation it’ll be holiday 2022. As and when VRFocus can confirm these rumours we’ll let you know.
PlayStation Studios Acquire The Persistence Studio Firesprite
Firesprite, the UK-based developer behind virtual reality (VR) titles The Persistence VR and The Playroom VR has been acquired by PlayStation Studios, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) announced today.
No details pertaining to the purchase have been released but Firesprite has a long history with PlayStation. Some of the team used to be part of Sony Liverpool, the studio behind Wipeout that shuttered in 2012. Since then, Firesprite has grown considerably to more than 250 staff.
Firesprite’s biggest IP has to be The Persistence, originally a PlayStation VR exclusive set aboard a doomed spaceship. Featuring procedurally generated environments and an asymmetric multiplayer, the horror title then made it to more VR headsets alongside a flatscreen edition.
“We are delighted to welcome Firesprite into the PlayStation family,” said Jim Ryan, President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment in a statement. “We have a rich history of working with the founders of Firesprite and are excited to grow the PlayStation presence in Liverpool. The portfolio of titles Firesprite has developed has continually demonstrated the team’s ability to transcend traditional gameplay experiences and brilliantly showcase the potential of our hardware.”
“At Firesprite, we’re always striving to bring something new to a game or genre and developing for new technologies is a driving force of our passion at Firesprite,” adds Graeme Ankers, Co-Founder and CEO, Firesprite. “Joining PlayStation Studios will allow us to amplify this passion, working more closely on cutting-edge hardware without any limitations and furthering our studio’s heritage of creativity and technical innovation to offer some truly unique experiences for PlayStation fans.”
As for what’s next now that Firesprite is part of PlayStation Studios the developer is staying tight-lipped. Currently, its careers page lists vacancies for a “narrative adventure” and an “action shooter”. Considering Firesprite’s expertise in VR, the acquisition could be gearing up for the launch of PlayStation VR 2 which is expected to happen in 2022. For continued updates, keep reading VRFocus.
Sony acquires Firesprite, developer behind Playroom games, The Persistence
Firesprite marks the third acquisition by Sony this summer, following Housemarque and Nixxes Software purchases earlier this year.
Sony Acquires The Persistence Developer Firesprite
Sony Interactive Entertainment today announced it is acquiring Firesprite, the developer of VR horror hit, The Persistence.
The acquisition was announced over on the PlayStation Blog, though no financial details of the deal were disclosed. Firesprite itself is based in Liverpool, UK and features members of WipeOut developer Sony Liverpool, which closed its doors in 2012. Alongside The Persistence, which launched as a timed exclusive for PSVR, the team worked on The Playroom VR too.
Sony Buys Persistence Dev
Neither Sony nor Firesprite confirmed what their next project will be, nor made any mention of working in VR specifically. That said, in February of this year we reported that Firesprite was hiring for a VR game based on one of the “successful multimillion selling console IP titles in the last 10 years.” The game will be a “whole new chapter” in a “highly original universe” and utilize “the full immersive capabilities in VR”.
Job listings for that game, described as an action-adventure, are still live on Firesprite’s website. At the time, we speculated that the project could be tied to Sony given the team’s close links to PlayStation. The company has several other projects in the works, though it’s not clear if these are VR-supported or not.
Notably, the news also comes after Sony closed another PSVR-exclusive developer in the nearby town of Manchester last year. That team was reported to have been working on a helicopter action game for the headset.
The headline also breaks as we await more information about the confirmed PS5 VR headset. We know it’s not releasing this year and that we won’t see it at Thursday’s big PlayStation Showcase, but we are expecting to hear much more in 2022. UploadVR was the first to reveal specs for the device earlier this year.
Raytracing & DLSS Enhance The Persistence This Week
We’re starting to see more virtual reality (VR) titles make use of NVIDIA’s DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) technology which began last month with the likes of No Man’s Sky and Into the Radius. At the end of this week another will be added to that list, Firesprite’s procedural horror The Persistence. In doing so players will also gain access to an experimental feature, ray-traced reflections.
All part of a larger update called The Persistence Enhanced, Firesprite is adding a bunch of lighting and particle improvements alongside quality of life and UX/UI refinements for both VR and non-VR players. With the addition of full DLSS support for NVIDIA RTX graphics cards – which uses AI to boost a PC’s graphical performance – players can unlock the experimental ray-traced reflections feature to make their gameplay experience look even better.
And when Firesprite says experimental it means it, saying: “we are not going to develop this any further, but we want to include this for those that want to tinker.” The studio does recommend using one of NVIDIA’s higher-end RTX cards like the 2080 Super – or an RTX 30-Series if you can get hold of one – so The Persistence maintains the necessary VR framerate.
If you have the hardware capable of running the new features then all you have to do is: “head to the “Raytracing” menu to turn it on along with configuring a DLSS profile,” the developer advises. However, it’s worth noting that: “Realtime Global Illumination and Ray-traced Shadows unfortunately cannot be enabled whilst in VR as the game does not boot.”
Originally for PlayStation VR back in 2018, Firesprite brought The Persistence to multiple platforms including PC VR headsets in 2020. Finding yourself onboard a doomed deep space colony starship in the year 2521, you play a security officer who wakes up to find the crew have been turned into horrific monsters. All the levels are procedurally generated so every time you die it’ll change, offering an everchanging labyrinth to explore and survive through.
Firesprite will be releasing The Persistence Enhanced update this Friday, 11th June as a free enhancement for current PC owners via Steam. Take a look at the new ray-tracing reflections in action below and for further updates on the latest VR videogames supporting ray-tracing and DLSS, keep reading VRFocus.
Persistence Dev Firesprite Hiring For VR Game Based On ‘Multimillion Selling Console IP’
The Persistence developer Firesprite is working on a new VR game based on a new, multimillion-selling console title from the last decade.
Job listings for the UK-based studio (first spotted on Reddit) outline an action adventure game that’s “adapted from one of the most original and successful multimillion selling console IP titles in the last 10 years.” A listing for a Lead Producer says the developer is working with the IP holder to release a “whole new chapter” in a “highly original universe”. It will also uitlize “the full immersive capabilities in VR”.
There’s no other hints about what the title could be but it’s worth noting that The Persistence was initially released as a PSVR exclusive with the help of Sony before coming to PC VR and flatscreen consoles. Given that that relationship already exists, and the fact that Sony has released multiple successful new IP in the past 10 years, could the team perhaps be working on another PSVR project? If so, which IP would you want to see brought to VR?
The developer appears to have multiple other projects in the works right now, including an action shooter and a narrative-led title, but these don’t appear to be linked to the VR project.
We were very fond of The Persistence when it released a few years back. “The Persistence offers something fresh and engaging by mixing different genres that we don’t often see melded together so well,” we said, awarding the game 8/10 (yes, we used to do that scale). “On a moment-to-moment basis the horrors lurking around every corner keep you on your toes and the give-and-take aspect of its roguelike nature ensures that no two runs are ever quite the same.”
What do you think Firesprite is working on in VR? Let us know in the comments below!