Fivefor – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

November 1, 2018

VR Ninja Dojo Will get Debut at IAAPA Expo

Five for Co Ltd have announced that its upcoming virtual reality (VR) location-based experience VR Ninja Dojo will get its worldwide debut at the IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando, Florida in early November. To coincide with this announcement, the company has also launched the first promotional trailer for the experience.

VR Ninja Dojo is planned to open in Kanda, Tokyo in February, 2019, where it will provide visitors to Japan with what the company describes as an ‘unforgettable ninja adventure’.

The VR experience combines exercise, martial arts training, performances by trained experts and a final ‘test’ of the skills of the participants designed to add up to an immersive ninjas experience for visitors.

Players will dress in ninja costumes and take part in ‘ninja training’ in VR, learning things such as swordplay, how to throw shuriken (throwing stars), martial arts techniques and the illusive practise of stealth and ninjutsu.

Visitors will then be faces with a final test to earn their ‘ninja status’, donning a VR headset to enter a virtual world and put their skills to use facing a horde of enemies who can be dispatched as part of a ‘ninja battle experience’.

Friends and family can also enjoy the action by watching on outside monitors. Those not wearing VR headsets will also be able to enjoy the performances by high-level players and the ‘ninja master’ staff.

The building where the VR Ninja Dojo will be located is planned to be decorated with suitable Japanese cultural theming, and professional martial artists and performers will act as instructors. The monsters that players will face in the VR world have been designed based on monsters from Japanese mythology to further tie into the theme.

VR Ninja Dojo will debut at IAAPA Expo in Orlando Florida on 13th November, 2018, with its launch at the Kanda, Tokyo location expected for 10th February, 2019. Further information can be found on the official VR Ninja Dojo website.

For future coverage of location-based VR experiences, keep checking back with VRFocus.

September 4, 2017

Capcom Reveal Monster Hunter VR Experience

Capcom’s push for virtual reality (VR) experiences has taken on new ground. Following the hugely successful Resident Evil 7: biohazard launched for PlayStation VR back in January of this year, another big franchise has received the VR treatment: Monster Hunter.

Monster Hunter VR Designed as an out-of-home experience, Monster Hunter X Circle of Saviors is a collaboration with Fivefor, a Japanese development studio for whom the business model includes making multiplayer VR experiences designed for a mixed reality (MR) suite. This allows the players to team-up in unique ways, with Circle of Saviors offering VR to one player while a second acts as support shooting a crossbow to take out enemies in the virtual world.

Monster Hunter X Circle of Saviors is built upon that core Circle of Saviors experience, bringing original Monster Hunter enemies and weaponry into the videogame. Players are also able to eviscerate their fallen foes, taking with them the ingredients for new equipment, just as in the Monster Hunter videogames.

Monster Hunter X Circle of Saviors is played with a HTC Vive and is currently available at Capcom’s GameLand venue in Aeon Mall, Tsudanuma. Other VR titles on offer include HordeZ and HTC’s own Front Defense.

Monster Hunter VR at GameLand

There’s currently no word on whether Capcom intend on bringing Monster Hunter X Circle of Saviors to other territories or releasing the title on home systems – the version seen in Tsudanuma does not make use of any modifications to the HTC Vive head-mounted display (HMD) – however the project is billed as a ‘limited collaboration’, so it doesn’t appear likely. VRFocus will of course keep you updated with all the latest details on Monster Hunter X Circle of Saviors and other VR titles from Capcom.

June 28, 2017

Defeat Monsters with Swords in Circle of Saviors Whilst Your Friend Provides Crossbow Air Support in Mixed Reality

VRFocus covers a lot of virtual reality (VR), but has also touched on the developments in Mixed reality (MR). If you’re confused about the differences, check out this nifty guide on the differences of immersive technologies. VR is a very personal experience, once you’ve got the headset on, everything around you disappears, especially with headphones on. Your sense of sight and sound are taken away from you when you go into VR. That’s why watching somebody with a VR headset on, can be quite boring. You have no idea why they’re moving their hands, why they’re smiling or what they’re reacting to. This is more apparent in VR videogames, where a player is asked to interact with objects and their surroundings. With MR and the help of a green screen, it becomes a lot more easier to understand why your friend jumps or why they’re actively swinging their hands around and screaming.

Fivefor show off their videogame with the help of mixed reality and green screen.

Continue reading “Defeat Monsters with Swords in Circle of Saviors Whilst Your Friend Provides Crossbow Air Support in Mixed Reality”

June 8, 2017

Japanese VR/MR Sword Slinging Game to Exhibit at E3

Sword fighting game Circle of Saviours by developer Fivefor will be exhibited outside of Japan for the first time at E3, where the developers will be seeking distributors, investors and international partnerships.

The Fivefor development team will be exhibiting the latest version of Circle of Saviours, which includes a playable demo with new features such as a multiplayer mode with sword and crossbow, a third-person Mixed Reality (MR) multi-angle viewer, twin MR mixer which allows an audience to watch the game being played while the player is ensconced in the virtual reality (VR) environment.

Circle of Saviours is a multi-player experience where the players need to defeat waves of monsters using sword and shield or a crossbow. The multiplayer uses an interesting mechanic in that player 1 is in a head-mounted display using sword and shield to cut down monsters, meanwhile, player 2 has an MR monitor that acts as an in-game crossbow, allowing the second player to shoot down enemies from a distance, such as flying creatures that the melee-focused player cannot reach. Each stage ends with a boss battle that the players need to team up and use combined strategy to defeat.

The title is planned for release on the HTC Vive, and there is word that a Samsung Gear VR version is also being worked on. There is currently no news on what the release date or price point will be, or if the title will be ported to any other platforms.

An E3 gameplay trailer of Circle of Saviours is available to view below.

VRFocus will bring you further information on Circle of Saviours and other HTC Vive titles as it becomes available.