This was a really busy week in terms of new releases and big VR news. We’ve got a full slate in this episode of the VRecap from Facebook ads to Quest hand-tracking and even topped off the giveaway for three separate things this time around, including signed vinyls and physical VR game copies!
The Game Awards were last night, in which Beat Saber won top honors and we learned news of Facebook’s latest Oculus Rift S deal, in which it comes bundled with Asgard’s Wrath for a limited time. Besides that the Quest got hand-tracking this week, but you can’t do much with it yet. Facebook also announced that messaging and better party support is now rolled out to the Oculus platform, but as a result they’re monitoring user VR activity to better serve ads. No surprise there, frankly.
Rounding out the biggest stories of the week are two low points, in which social VR app High Fidelity laid off half its staff and is pulling the app soon, as well as the revelation that Magic Leap has only sold around 6,000 of its initial Creator’s Edition device. That’s admittedly pretty low.
It pains me to say that, honestly, I couldn’t fit all of the major topics into the video this week. So, if you really do care about VR, AR, and everything else happening in this industry, you’re just gonna have to visit the home page and scroll through the week’s stories. There’s no way around it, I’m afraid.
For this week’s giveaway we’ve got three separate things going on. First up is a physical copy of PSVR-exclusive adventure game, Golem. This giveaway ends next Thursday, 12/19/19 at 11:59PM PT. Enter here or down below:
Next up is the chance to win a signed, physical vinyl of the Golem soundtrack. We’ve got three of these to give out and five digital soundtrack keys, so three people will get both, two will get just the digital version. This giveaway also ends next Thursday, 12/19/19 at 11:59PM PT. Enter here or down below:
Finally, we’re also giving away two download keys for Radial-G: Proteus on Oculus Quest. The game releases next week and you have until Thursday, 12/19/19 at 11:59PM PT to enter. You can enter into that giveaway here or down below:
Since launch earlier this month, PSVR exclusive Golem has split people down the middle. Many love the game’s sprawling world and tough combat. Others struggled with it’s locomotion options.
But a new patch for the game from developer Highwire Games is looking to address some of those complaints.
Movement options are the core focus of Golem v1.02. For example, you can now turn off the adaptive turning feature, which changes your direction with slight twists of the head. It’s primarily used with the lean-based Incline control scheme, but it’s made some players feel sick. With the option disabled, you can rely on the quick turn buttons instead. Quick turn options have also been expanded to include more angles and other tweaks.
Elsewhere Highwire also removed a feature that slowed your golem’s movement when looking at your feet. This was implemented in an attempt to communicate that you did not need to look down to move your golem; you need to lean forward. But, in the developer’s own words, players “began complaining that their golem was too slow while they were looking at their feet.”
Perhaps the most interesting of the movement updates, though, is support for the PlayStation Navigation Controller. This was a companion device for the Move when the motion controller originally released on PS3. It sported an analogue stick, a little like a Wii nunchuck. Very few (if any) PSVR games actually support it, and it was never put back up for sale like the Move. Still, if you want to use one instead of awkwardly holding the DualShock 4 for stick-based movement, you can do that.
Also included in the patch is a left handed mode and some other fixes.
Another update is also in the works, and Highwire is thinking of including several features. That includes continuous smooth turning and potentially even support for another Move controller as a virtual stick. Finally, the game could also get a Hard Mode, for those that really like to punish themselves.
We can’t help but think that support for the 3drudder foot controller might be a good idea too, given that’s designed for seated locomotion and Golem is intended to be played seated. What updates would you like to see for Golem? Let us know in the comments below!
Your first few hours of Golem might be agonizing. You might, as I did, wrestle with the game’s troublesome locomotion systems, which appear sluggish and imprecise, lacking the instinctual reactions its combat seems to demand. You might encounter some enemies that are less forgiving of the occasional bugs, which can set you back 15 to 20 minutes of gameplay without it ever being clear if you got something wrong, or the game did. You might, as I was, be nearly ready to give up.
But, with persistence, you can mostly overcome Golem’s shaky start. Though far from perfect, it’s movement options start to feel more natural and manageable the more you play. Slowly but surely, you become more accustomed to its combat which offers a rare heft of effort and even rarer sense of achievement when it works. You’ll play long stretches of the game where its early issues seem to have all but disappeared. Inevitably, though, you’ll come crashing back into them from time-to-time.
The enormous stone monsters you commandeer in Highwire Games’ long-delayed debut appear to be a cunning allegory for the current state of VR. They’re plodding and lumbering, majestic when they work and hopelessly clumsy when they make mistakes. You control these behemoths from afar, playing as a young girl name Twine. She’s confined to her room following a tragic accident but discovers the ability to possess Golems, using her newfound talent to go beyond her four walls and explore the ruins of an ancient city.
Your first thoughts when jumping into the game will probably be of pleasant surprise. Golem is absolutely gorgeous; a game of dusty abandoned landscapes, appreciated minute details and some of the best character models I’ve seen in VR. The striking vistas and impressively involved voice acting had me sitting up to pay attention to the occasional lore drops you’ll find throughout, even if the story ultimately appears to be the first act of something bigger. Special mention also goes to Marty O’Donnell’s Hollywood-like score, which seems to tell a story of its own with its wistful enthusiasm.
Making a less successful first impression is the movement, which offers two modes. Highwire is clearly proud of its Incline system, which has you holding the trigger on a single Move controller and then making small, subtle leans and twists to march forwards and backwards. For the more traditional player though, there’s the ability to play with the DualShock 4 in one hand (or a PlayStation Navigation controller, if you can find one buried under the cobwebs) to use the analog stick instead.
To be frank, neither system is perfect and you might well start out hating both. Once you gather momentum, the slight tilts and turns used to navigate the Incline system can come quite naturally, provided your path is wide. But once you come to a stop, as you often will, it’s a lofty mental process to get started up again in the right direction. There’s some tossing and tussling involved until you start clambering off in a way that feels right again, which is a constant distraction.
Not to mention that the gliding turns you’ll take when twisting your head can feel very uncomfortable (there are, however, generous and thoroughly immersive blinder options). After a few hours of the game, I’d overcome this tricky learning curve, but there were still plenty of tight situations where the navigation just doesn’t deliver the precision you’d hope. Not only that, it’s almost impossible to take in and enjoy your surroundings as you move.
You will, eventually, get there, but the game isn’t interested in helping you much. In fact, Golem is a strangely ambiguous experience at times, providing you with only a very basic early tutorial and then forcing you to learn the ropes by yourself. There’s no map to help you navigate and memorize the innards of the city, which at one point had me wandering aimlessly around for hours until I finally located a staircase I’d missed closer to the start. Given you’re so slow on your feet, trekking from one end of the map to the other often comes off as a chore.
It might like to think it’s Dark Souls, but even the Souls games offer you more in the way of instruction and mentorship. It’s often unclear, for example, which weapons do the most damage or even how much health you have. In fact I still don’t know if Golem has a set health bar or a meter that regenerates all the way, and I’ve completed the entire game. You just have to do all of this off of guesswork.
Almost inexplicably, the same is true of your inventory system, which is one of the game’s most puzzling elements. Every time you kill another Golem, you collect its weapon, life gem and mask. Gems have different health benefits while masks open different doors. To equip any of them, or even just check your inventory, you have to scrap your current Golem. That means losing your current gear and restarting back at the game’s central hub and then having to make your way back to your desired destination. So if you pick up a new, more powerful weapon mid-journey, you won’t be able to equip it without having to retrace your steps and refight the same battles to get back to where you were. Sometimes that means tens of minutes of repetition.
The same happens when you die in combat, making some of the game’s battles absolutely infuriating. Fortunately, the vast majority of encounters in Golem are genuinely thrilling, at least once you’re attuned to its systems. It’s similar in design to Vader Immortal; hold your weapon up to block an incoming attack based on the direction of a swing, then take a stab of your own when the enemy is exposed.
But it’s also a war of attrition; the gaps between openings are long and enemies often require a lot of hits to be taken down. With every successful block the stakes are raised and it’s not uncommon to end a fight with your heart thumping, arms aching and a proud sense of victory. Plus, the more confident in combat you become, the more you learn about it, like the need to push forward between swings, close in distance and maximize your hits, or the chances to score last-minute damage by defending sudden attacks. When it works, Golem’s combat can be some of the most rewarding VR.
When it doesn’t work? It can be a nightmare. Sections of the game have almost no sympathy for VR’s unstable foundations. Sometimes weapon blocks go completely unregistered as do your own attacks. This is not a case of a poor tracking setup; Golem is a fuss-free experience in that department, it’s a case of sometimes the exact same movements having completely different outcomes. Check out the GIF below, for example. I raise up my sword to block an enemy. His blade meets mine, but then his attack seems to slow as it drags downward. I didn’t take any damage in this instance, but his attack carried through when the follow-up rebounds away.
In most encounters, these issues are damning, but not fatal. However, the game has a handful of enemies that can kill you in one hit and, frankly, they’re not worth the pain. Fortunately, these guys are all optional and didn’t stop me from getting to the end of the campaign. But, when you lose a battle to a bug/unclear parameters, lose a bunch of your best equipment and are then teleported a ten-minute walk away with three other battles between you and your destination, Golem is almost daring you to stop playing.
Other bugs aren’t as troublesome, but still of note. Smaller spear-throwing enemies are able to toss projectiles through walls, for example, and I got caught in the environment once or twice, costing me a battle. We waited five years for Golem but, if a few more months had meant the removal of these issues, I’d have happily waited.
Golem is a 4/5 action game with a handful of 2/5 design decisions and bugs, frustrating what should be one of PSVR’s best games. It’s an experience you grow with, eventually taming its unwieldy locomotion and learning the ins and outs of the combat system. By the end of the experience, I finally felt in stride with its intricacies, learning when to press the attack and when to hold back. But the game’s needless desire to brutally punish your mistakes paired with occasional combat bugs that are annoying at times and unforgivable in others had me torn throughout. When Golem’s working with you, it absolutely shines, but it also has a stubborn desire to test your patience to the absolute limit.
Another week of news and new releases means another Friday of our weekly news recap showVRecap. Buckle up — there are some big headlines this week you might have missed!
First up is the big news from Camp Carmack that he is reigning in the amount of time he spends working on VR at Oculus. For now on he is simply consulting with the company and is no longer the CTO. That doesn’t mean he is giving up on VR, but he wants to spend more time working on AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) instead right now — which could have amazing cross-over benefits for VR anyway.
Other than that on VRecap, Oculus is finally letting people customize and update their Oculus Quest home environment a bit, which is nice if you’re getting tired of that old loft apartment window. Apparently Apple is also working on a pair of AR glasses, which we’ve been hearing rumors about for years. Plus you can read our reviews for new releases like Stormland, Dr. Who: The Edge of Time,The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets, and see why we don’t have a review for Golem just yet.
That’s a lot of big new releases this week for VRecap. Which is your favorite that you’ve played? And if you missed this week’s episode of The VR Download, we interviewed one of the developers at Fast Travel Games about their latest release, The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets.
Speaking of…that’s our giveaway for this week as well! Enter in the form down below for a chance to win!
Golem, a long-delayed PSVR exclusive, finally emerged from the shadows this week. First announced in 2015, the debut title from Highwire Games has made a habit of disappearing for months on end following last-minute push backs. This week, all that ends. But there’s still one more Golem-related delay we have for you, and that’s for our full review.
See, there’s a lot to talk about with Golem. From its troublesome movement system that upsets an otherwise lavishly-produced game, to the puzzling roguelike elements and the considered pacing of its combat. But it’s that last point that’s led me to an unfortunate stalemate with a game I so desperately want to love but keep being rejected by.
Golem’s melee-based combat works a lot like Star Wars: Vader Immortal. You must first hold your weapon of choice up to block an incoming attack, telegraphed by the movement of your gigantic opponents. Block a succession of attacks and you’ll momentarily expose a weak point. You need to really seize that opportunity; hesitate for even a second and you’ll miss your window.
When the game works, this makes for a thrilling war of attrition. When it doesn’t, it amounts to one of if not the most infuriating experience I’ve had in VR, one I can’t justify continuing on with right now.
Sometimes, Golem’s blocking doesn’t really seem to register. I hold my weapon out, confident I’m about to block an attack and it just… doesn’t work. With most encounters, this is frustrating, but it won’t cost you the battle so long as you quickly regain your focus. Not only that but sometimes an enemy exposes their weak point just out of reach from you and, with the game’s sluggish movement, you can’t react and close the gap in time. Worse yet, sometimes they expose their weak point just before a heavy attack that can’t be blocked. If you’re out of reach you’ll miss your shot, but they probably won’t miss theirs.
A short time into the game, though, you encounter an enemy that, with the right amount of force, can kill you with one hit. One mistake, either on your part or (what I perceive to be) the game’s and you’re gone.
But you’re not just gone. You’re back to a checkpoint ten minutes away, forced to slog through the environment again and do another two or three other battles again before you reach that moment. Plus you’ll lose the gear you had in that battle, so there’s a chance you’re heading into the fight in worse shape than last time. So losing isn’t just a little annoying, it’s deeply costly.
So, I present to you Exhibit A. This is the culprit. In this video I make two blocks; one around five seconds in, another around 30 seconds in. Watch along.
Now I’ll give you that the first block might not seem legit; I hold the weapon upside down to give myself more room, though this usually works. Plus you can hear the sound of the block. The second hit, however, I find pretty indefensible. In my mind, I’ve clearly made that block; my weapon is there in time. Not that I’m obsessing too much about this (can you tell?) But here’s the exact millisecond before I die.
I mean, that looks like it’s on course for a block, does it not? It doesn’t seem like the game cares either way. Even if I get lucky on the blocking, chances are he’ll execute a heavy attack, I’ll take a swipe to try and stop him, realize I’m not standing close enough and, by then, it’s already too late.
Now, I’ve agonized over this today. I know that some people have got past this section. I know some people will tell me to just ‘git gud’. I’m frankly a little terrified that there’s something I’m missing or I’m just not playing the game right. But then I started to think back to all of the other sword-slinging VR games I’ve conquered. Vanishing Realms, for example. Heck, I think I was one of the first people to surpass Wave 40 in Vader Immortal’s Lightsaber Dojo.
To put it simply, I have had enough experiences with great VR melee combat to know when something doesn’t feel right.
So I’m not going to stick a review score on Golem, at least not right now, as much as I’d like to. I frankly haven’t seen enough of the game and refuse to subject myself to much more of this random torture. I’ll be fascinated to see if players have a similar experience to me as they start getting their hands on the game tomorrow. If there is a deeper problem, I’m hopeful Highwire is able to address it through patches. Right now, however, Golem feels stuck in the stone age, and I have no desire to spend much more time there.
VRFocus kicks off the run-up to Christmas with a list of hotly anticipated new virtual reality (VR) titles being released for various headsets over the course of the next week. Make sure to check out our accompanying YouTube video for a preview of each videogame. These articles and accompanying video will be published every Friday, so be sure to follow all our social media channels to keep up to date.
Doctor Who: The Edge of Time – Maze Theory
Grab your Sonic Screwdriver and join the Thirteenth Doctor, voiced by Jodie Whitaker herself, travelling through time and space solving puzzles. In Maze Theory’s long-awaited Edge Of Time, you must work to fend off two of The Doctor’s deadliest foes – the Weeping Angels and the Daleks as well as some new and original monsters.
VR Ping Pong Pro – Reddoll Srl, IVP, ONE-O-ONE GAMES
Grab a racket and test your Ping Pong skills in this long-awaited follow up to 2016’s VR Ping Pong. Featuring realistic, true-to-life physics, choose a range of different rackets and work to rise up the ranks to become a professional in 8 levels consisting of different photo-realistic environments.
In Thief Simulator VR, challenge yourself to rob the most secure houses in the neighbourhood. Featuring a free-roaming sandbox mode, equip yourself with anything from a torch, to the top of the range burglary equipment and plan your attack on a desired building. Steal as many valuables as you can, without letting less-expensive items take up too much space in your bag! The police and the house’s occupants are always out to get you, so it’s up to you to perfect your burglary tactics while going unnoticed.
In this escape-themed adventure videogame, work to flee a mansion filled with hidden dangers. Find yourself in an unknown dark room, strapped to a wheelchair. You catch the sight of a mysterious girl nearby who speaks in a non-discernible language. You must work out a non-verbal communication method in the form of nodding and pointing, in order to guide and instruct her to find a way for both of you to escape this mysterious location alive. First announced during the Tokyo Games Show in 2016, this title is finally being released following successful Kickstarter funding.
In Stormland, play as a damaged android as you have complete freedom to glide, fly and climb your way through this ever-changing cloudscape with the aim of reclaiming your land. Featuring both single and multiplayer modes, create and customise the best weapons and body armour possible, while detonating explosives to save yourself and others.
The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets – Fast Travel Games
The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets is a heart-warming interactive tale which takes place in a series of unique miniature worlds. Guided by your grandfather’s voice, you solve a series of puzzles in worlds created in your childhood to reveal the hidden pets.
Originally planned for release on the 8th of November, in this new PlayStation VR exclusive, you play as an injured child, Twine, who has developed the ability to see the world through the eyes of large stone golems. Control their movements as you explore the ruins of an abandoned city and collect artefacts as you go. First announced in 2015, this long-awaited title also featuring a new original soundtrack from Destiny and Halo composer, Marty O’Donnell.
Just like night follows day, Highwire Games’ PlayStation VR exclusive Golem has been delayed once again (right after VRFocus’VR Game Launch Roundup went live). Perp Games made the announcement today but luckily gamers keen on finally seeing this title come to market won’t have too long to wait, as it’ll still be this month.
Just like before the launch will be split, with a physical European release starting things off on 15th November. This will then be followed by a worldwide digital release on 19th November. Finally, North America will get a physical retail version on 22nd November. This time Perp Games has said these dates are confirmed.
Having been delayed on a number of occasions since its first reveal in 2015, Golem is still a highly anticipated title thanks to Highwire Games’ team of veteran videogame designers. These include Jaime Griesemer, the Game Designer on Halo and Destiny and award-winning composer Marty O’Donnell, creator of the soundtrack for Halo and Destiny. If you by a physical copy then you’ll get a downloadable version of “Echoes of the First Dream,” the musical prequel.
Golem’s story revolves around a kid called Twine who has been critically injured by a serious accident. An adventurous soul now confined to her bed, she develops an extraordinary ability to create and control large stone golems and see the world through their eyes. This enables Twine to go on adventures collecting treasure and artefacts in an abandoned city, unravelling a deeper mystery and discovering the connection between the city and her family.
Using free-locomotion mechanics players will be able to wander freely as these stone giants, engaging in one-to-one melee combat where you can feint, block, and counterattack your enemies.
Hopefully, this will be the last delay for Golem and PlayStation VR owners can enjoy the experience in time for the festive season. For any further updates to the videogame, keep reading VRFocus.
As the run-up to Christmas begins, the virtual reality (VR) offerings are at an all-time high, with first-person shooters (FPS) and rhythm-action titles particularly popular this week. Make sure to check out our accompanying video and keep following our various social media feeds to get all the latest VR news and updates.
Galactic Rangers VR – DGMA
In this first-person space adventure, immerse yourself into an epic space battle fight your way through endless hordes of enemies and asteroids as you venture deep into space. Made in the spirit of many classic arcade cabinet games, this fast-paced VR extravaganza features a range of different weapons and powerups to assist your adventure.
A mixture of Beat Saber and the classic Shoot ‘em Up’s, set in a huge galactic arena, you fire at different oncoming targets to an original soundtrack. Currently, in early access, the videogame in its present form features 24 tracks of Harmonix’s award-winning music gameplay. This VR “rhythm shooter” features an online leader board, a range of difficulty levels, practice mode and additional environments and weapons.
Supported platforms: PlayStation VR
Launch date: 5th November
Into the Radius – CM Games
Mobile game studio, Creative Mobile (CM Games) presents its first VR title in the form of Into the Radius. In this single-player shooter, utilise a range of realistic guns with equally realistic mechanics to survive in this cold, open-world, post-apocalyptic, ex-soviet setting featuring both a campaign and ‘free-roam’ mode. Currently, in Early Access, the final game is to have over 15 hours of playable storyline.
The newest addition to the ever-growing rhythm-action genre for VR comes Pistol Whip. New from Cloudhead Games, the studio behind The Gallery series, this is an action-rhythm first-person experience where users shoot, melee and avoid targets to your own choice of song. Designed as a ‘pick up and play’ title, Pistol Whip features a simple control scheme and each scene features its own unique soundtrack. Challenge and compete with your opponent’s thanks to online leaderboards and with top-notch comfort-first game design, you are guaranteed an enjoyable experience without the risk of motion sickness.
In this new PlayStation VR exclusive, you play as an injured child, Twine, who has developed an extraordinary ability. While completely bedridden, you have the power to see the world through the eyes of stone golems. You are able to control their movements, as you explore the ruins of an abandoned city and collect artefacts on your travels. First announced back in 2015, this long-awaited title also featuring a new original soundtrack from Destiny and Halo composer, Marty O’Donnell.
I can’t believe I’m writing this, but PSVR exclusive Golem has been delayed again. Don’t worry, though, it’s only a small delay and (probably) the last one. Maybe. Hopefully.
Back in October we reported that the long-awaited debut from Highwire Games would finally launch physically in the EU on November 8th, published by Perp Games. A digital release was supposed to follow on November 12th.
Well, the physical EU release is now on November 15th. The digital launch will follow on November 19th. Finally, the US physical release comes on November 22nd. It’ll be available through Target for $29.99 and will come to other retailers in the near future.
In Golem, you play as a young girl confined to her bedroom. She discovers the power to possess stone golems. She uses them to escape beyond the walls of her room. The game features sword-based combat using a PlayStation Move controller. Highwire itself is made up of former Halo developers, hence why we’ve kept such a keen interest in the project.
At this point we probably don’t need to tell you about Golem’s beleaguered development cycle. The game was announced before PSVR itself had even launched in 2015. It was shaping up for launch in early 2018, but suffered a last minute delay before going into hiding. It finally resurfaced at our E3 VR Showcase earlier this year.
Even with the delay, we’re still relieved to see that the game is finally coming this year. Will you be picking up Golem? Let us know in the comments below!
It’s been a long time coming and hopefully it’ll have been worth the wait, as Highwire Games in collaboration with Perp Games has finally announced the launch date for PlayStation VR exclusive Golem.
The pair announced back in August that the launch would be taking place this Fall, but this time there are concrete dates. Yeah, there are multiple release dates in fact – just to make things tricky – with a European retail launch as a physical copy taking place on 8th November, with a North American one on or as close to that date as possible. As for the digital version, that will see a worldwide launch via PlayStation Store on 12th November.
Featuring music from award-winning composer Marty O’Donnell (Halo and Destiny soundtrack creator), the physical edition of Golem will also include a downloadable version of “Echoes of the First Dream” the musical prequel to the videogame.
“It’s so gratifying to see our original vision for Golem come together into a full experience. We’ve really had to push ourselves and the technology, but I think the game is beautiful and I can’t wait for everyone to be able to play it,” said Jaime Griesemer, Creative Director at Highwire Games in a statement. “And we’re pretty old school, so it won’t feel ‘finished’ for us until we see it on store shelves.”
“Golem has been a long-time coming but the wait is almost over. It is our honour to be working with such an amazing team of world-class talent. We can’t wait to explore Golem’s secrets,” adds Managing Director of Perp Games, Rob Edwards.
Initially announced back in 2015 the title has seen numerous delays over the years, with launch windows coming and going as Highwire Games polished and refined the experience. You play as a kid called Twine who has been critically injured by a serious accident. Confined to your bed, you develop an extraordinary ability to create and control large stone golems and see the world through their eyes, going off on adventures collecting treasure and artefacts in an abandoned city.
Check out the new trailer below, and for any further updates to Golem, keep reading VRFocus.
Galactic Rangers VR – DGMA
