Glyph Is A New Free-To-Play VR Game From The Makers Of Dick Wilde, Out Now

Bolverk Games unwrapped a Christmas present a little early last week, launching its new VR game as a free-to-play experience on SteamVR. Meet Glyph.

Glyph is very different to Dick Wilde, trading backwater shootouts for a new type for VR platforming. You control a golden scarab that bounces through desert-themed levels as an orb, occasionally stretching its wings to fly further. You play from a third-person perspective and can play with a bunch of different controller types.

Your objective is to get through levels pretty much however you see fit. Environments are non-linear, with multiple routes through. However the game also features multiplayer support so you can play tag as you roll through environments.

Though Glyph can be downloaded for free, Bolverk is charging for additional level packs. The snowy Tsukinawa level pack, for example, released on launch day for $7.99. It includes ten new levels to bounce around, new skins and more.

This is Bolverk’s fourth VR release overall. The studio released a strange tower defense game named Kittypocalypse in the early days of the Oculus Rift before developing Dick Wilde and its sequel. Both were serviceable wave shooters that gained tracking on PSVR for their support of the rifle-shaped Aim Controller. It was a pretty good workout too, though it did have a sort of weird obsession with killing animals.

Glyph, meanwhile, supports all major PC VR headsets (Rift, Vive and Index) and is also coming soon to PSVR. Are you interested in jumping into the game? Let us know in the comments below!

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Bolverk Games Launch Glyph as Free-to-Play VR Platformer

It’s never easy making money in virtual reality (VR). Pricing a title just right is a tricky business, aim too high and no one will be interested – unless it’s a big IP – while aiming low can then be difficult to recoup that investment. For the most part, VR videogames cost money because nothing in life is free; unless that happens to be Glyph, Bolverk Games’ latest which just so happens to not cost a penny.

Glyph

The studio is best known for its comedic shooter franchise Dick Wilde so Glyph is a somewhat different approach to VR gaming. First teased back in October the premise behind Glyph is to control a ball across a series of open levels, collecting coins and crystals en route – the crystals are required to open a portal and finish the area.

This is no ordinary ball as no only do you have a double-jump function you can also fly short distances by unfurling into a scarab. Mastering these gameplay mechanics is essential because apart from the pillars jutting out of the sand the rest of the environment is deadly. Bolverk Games has designed each level so that there are multiple ways of completing it, all depending on how you prefer to play. Whether that’s slow and methodical or fast and reckless.

Offering a single-player campaign with a ghost mode so you can speed run levels, Glyph also provides a multiplayer option which is unusual for a puzzle title. This mode is a game of tag for up to four players with the same movement and death rules applying.

Glyph

Supporting Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index headsets on Steam, the core Glyph experience is completely free. Bolverk Games plan to monetise the title via DLC expansion packs, with the first Tsukinawa Level Pack already available for $7.99 USD/£5.79 GBP. Offering 10 levels, the environments change to the snowy landscape of ancient Japan, with the levels being a little more difficult ranging from medium to hard. You’ll not only have new dangers to face but you’ll also be rewarded with a dragonfly character model, to be used in all single-player levels and multiplayer arenas.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Bolverk Games and Glyph, reporting back with further updates.

The VR Game Launch Roundup: Reaching new Heights in VR

VRFocus rounds up all titles being released across virtual reality (VR) headsets over the course of next week. In a good week for Oculus Quest users, next week will see a total of 3 VR titles from 2016 reworked for the standalone headset. Make sure to check out our accompanying video to get a preview of each title’s individual gameplay.

Glyph

Glyph – Bolverk Games

In this third-person adventure, work to direct this mechanical and spherical scarab through a series of non-linear desert settings, picking up various relics as you go. The scarab can fly small distances and must bounce off of other objects in the environment to keep going. Compete with friends online or work to beat your personal best speed.

Stardust Odyssey – Agharta Studio

In this fantasy spaceship shooter, race across 14 levels in both solo and co-op modes. Scavenge through merchant ships searching for hidden treasures and work to upgrade your ship to protect yourself from bosses, parasites and traps that surround you.

  • Supported platforms: PlayStation VR
  • Launch date: 3rd December

The Climb

The Climb – Crytek

Previously released 2016, German developer Crytek is now giving their immersive climbing experience the Quest treatment. Experience and perfect free solo climbing across four different locations. Explore caves and work the best routes and shortcuts while trying to earn over 100 achievements. Race and compete with others in multiplayer and online modes, featuring varying difficulty modes such as “Tourist Mode” for beginners in VR.

  • Supported platforms: Oculus Quest
  • Launch date: 3rd December

Waltz of the Wizard: Extended Edition – Aldin Dynamics

Revisit the magic in this new Oculus Quest version of the 2016 title, Waltz Of The Wizard. Learn what it’s like to have magical powers as you combine ingredients into a boiling cauldron to create new and extravagant creations. Dodge guards and traps that surround you, play a series of minigames and look for artefacts and Easter eggs along the way.

  • Supported platforms: Oculus Quest
  • Launch date: 5th December

Arizona Sunshine - Oculus Quest

Arizona Sunshine – Vertigo Games

In another reworking of a title from 2016, in this Oculus Quest re-release of Arizona Sunshine, you once again must fight through hordes of zombies in a desperate attempt to make contact with the last remaining signs of human life. Set in this post-apocalyptic Grand Canyon setting, you set off on a dangerous mission after hearing the faint sound of human life on your radio. Utilise over 25 weapons and make a journey across huge deserts, mines and canyons, also featuring multiplayer modes for up to 4 players.

  • Supported platforms: Oculus Quest
  • Launch date: 5th December

Dick Wilde Developer Working on Bouncing Puzzler Glyph

Danish virtual reality (VR) developer Bolverk Games has released three titles since 2015, most notably comedic first-person shooter series Dick Wilde. Recently, the studio has confirmed its latest project moves away from that action-oriented genre and into the puzzle sphere, unveiling Glyph.

Glyph

Initially teasing details of the project via Twitter, saying that the team would be showcasing the title during Game Week at Fisketorvet in Copenhagen this week, this was then followed up yesterday with the first footage being shown during PSVR Without Parole’s PlayStation VR Awards Show.

A world premiere for the show, the video demonstrated what looks like a bouncing ball, to begin with. It then suddenly changes form, unfurling into a scarab which can then fly small distances. The ball can bounce in mid-air or off of environmental objects to gain height, making traversing the ancient desert locations easier. It looks like the main goal is to collect a number of red gem-like items littered around each location before travelling to a glowing portal. There are also several floating coins around the level, possibly as a side mission or maybe for upgrade purposes?

Other than that gameplay details are fairly scarce. Will there be a star type system for completing levels, different balls with unique features and is it purely single-player? What is known is that it’ll definitely support PlayStation VR although Bolverk Games has previously released its other titles for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, so a PC VR version is likely. Additionally, the studio has confirmed plans to launch Glyph this year.

Glyph

Glyph returns the Bolverk Games’ strategy routes, with its first VR title being Kittypocalypse, a strategic tower defence videogame featuring aliens disguised as cute kittens. 2017’s Dick Wilde was very much of its time, expanding the wave-shooter genre with some American deep south drawl and inventive weaponry. Dick Wilde 2 arrived earlier this year, keeping the same charm whilst putting you on a moving raft with new guns to play with.

Offering open worlds to explore as you see fit and a different gameplay design Glyph has all the hallmarks of an interesting puzzle experience. As Bolverk Games announce further details for Glyph, VRFocus will keep you updated.

HBO-Serie Silicon Valley: Viel VR und Prototyp statt Attrappe

Für VR-Fans enthält die aktuell laufende Staffel 4 von Silicon Valley etliche Anspielungen und einige Überraschungen: Die futuristisch wirkende VR-Brille in der HBO-Serie entpuppt sich als früher Prototyp des Avegant Glyph. Aufmerksame Zuschauer entdecken in der Satire auf Startups im Silicon Valley auch Querverweise auf den Oculus-Gründer Palmer Luckey.

Silicon Valley mit Avegant Glyph

Was in der Serie die Rolle einer VR-Brille spielt, ist gar keine. Trotzdem ist die Glyph des Herstellers Avegant eine interessante Lösung für ein echtes Kopfkino: Anstatt Displays verwendet die Brille zwei Mini-DLP-Projektoren, die ein HD-Bild direkt auf die Retina projizieren. Tests bescheinigen der futuristisch anmutenden Lösung, die direkt aus einem Star-Trek-Film kommen könnte, eine gute Bildqualität, allerdings nimmt die Schärfe am Rand ab. Eine 3D-Darstellung ist ebenfalls möglich sowie ein Head-Tracking. Der große integrierte Kopfhörer sorgt für angenehme Soundbeschallung.

Silicon Valley mit Brille

Die Serie Silicon Valley gibt den Prototypen der Glyph als VR-Brille aus.

Nachteile der Glyph: Sie ist mit derzeit knapp 550 Euro nicht gerade günstig und kämpft noch mit Kinderkrankheiten. In der HBO-Serie Silicon Valley kommt nicht die Consumer-Variante zum Einsatz, sondern ein älterer Prototyp. Das transparente Plexiglas der Kino-Brille gibt den Blick auf ihre Platinen frei, was für ein durchaus eigenwilliges Retro-High-Tech-Design mit leichter Steampunk-Note sorgt.

Grüß mir die VR-Szene

In der aktuellen Staffel von Silicon Valley rückt VR in den Mittelpunkt, wie Road to VR feststellt, und führt einige Beispiele auf. So sichtete das Magazin beispielsweise auch gleich Brillen von Oculus und die 360-Grad-Kamera 360fly. Eine Anspielung auf Palmer Luckey erkennt der Autor im Seriencharakter Keenan Feldspar, ein Beweis wäre sein Hawaii-Hemd. Außerdem benutzt Luckey in seinem Social-Media-Profil auf Twitter das Bild des Serien-Gründers.

Abschließend ergänzt Road to VR noch einen Schnittpunkt der Serie zum echten VR-Leben: Der Hauptdarsteller Thomas Middleditch war Gastgeber bei der Vergabe des jährlichen VR-Preises Proto-Awards. Wer selbst auf Spurensuche in Silicon Valley gehen will, wird bei diversen Video-on-Demand-Anbietern – meist kostenpflichtig – fündig.

(Quelle: Road to VR, Bilder HBO)

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