Hurl VR

December 28, 2017

The Best HTC Vive Games You’ve Never Played

Having covered the creme de la creme for virtual reality (VR) in our ‘Best Oculus Rift Games’, ‘Best HTC Vive Games’ and ‘Best PlayStation VR Games’ articles, VRFocus has now decided to look at those videogames you may have missed during the course of 2017 that are still worthy of your time and money.

With both the ‘Best Oculus Rift Games You’ve Never Played’ and ‘Best PlayStation VR Games You’ve Never Played’ already covered it’s now the turn of HTC Vive, with the headset having a considerable selection on offer. If you can peel yourself away from Fallout 4 VR or DOOM VFR for one moment then how about checking out these lesser-known, but still very good titles.

HTC Vive stock image 1

FORM

Mixing a science fiction storyline along with a surreal puzzle adventure, Charm Games’ FORM does just about everything right when it comes to immersing you in a fantastical VR experience. You play a scientist trying to unlock the mysteries of an ancient artifact, and in doing so are transported to an awe inspiring world filled with puzzles to test your mind, memory, hearing and more. Having launched in early June it can be quite easy for some videogames to get lost in the maelstrom that is the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

FORM-VR-Screenshot-02

The Invisible Hours

Tequila Works’ The Invisible Hours is fairly new having only launched in October for HTC Vive. The experience is a murder-mystery who-dun-it, a virtual reality (VR) version of Cluedo for those boardgame fans. Rather than play an actual character, you’re instead a kind of fly-on-the-wall, able to freely wander around the mansion, watching the story evolve whilst uncovering an intricate web of interwoven stories to discover clues to the murder of Nikola Tesla.

The Invisible Hours screen1

Siegecraft Commander

There are a few real-time strategy (RTS) title out there for HTC Vive depending on what you’re after. One that might have escaped your attention was Siegecraft Commander by Blowfish Studios. Released at the beginning of the year, Siegecraft Commander offers an intriguing twist on tower defence style gameplay, where you have to launch your next tower from the last, with a wall interconnecting the two. This eventually leads to a carefully laid out web of towers and walls which can all come crumbling down at a moments notice should an enemy destroy a key early building with many branches leading off it. While an RTS, tower defence title may not be to everyone’s liking, it’s certainly worth a look if you enjoy a tabletop style challenge.

Siegecraft Commander - screenshot

Left-Hand Path

Another newbie that could’ve easily been overlooked thanks to another role-playing game (RPG) being released, Left-Hand Path is a Dark Souls inspired adventure that’s been created by indie studio Strange Company. Armed with arcane powers, players must wield their newly-found powers and explore to find even more powerful spells and rituals, while trying to stay alive long enough to solve the mysteries that lay before them. If you’re after a big RPG that offers something different to Bethesda then Left-Hand Path is certainly worth a look.

Left-Hand Path screenshot 1

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life than can be the most rewarding but also most easily missed. For most of you reading this Hurl VR probably brings up blank expressions, sounding like a drunk party game that involves way too much liquid. That’s not the case however, as Hurl VR is about precision throwing (basketball style), trying to get a ball into a goal. Sounds easy enough but there are several types of platforms that need to be utilised to bounce and teleport the ball accurately. Hurl VR is simple to pick up yet fiendish by the end, so don’t overlook it if you’re after a cheap puzzler.

Hurl VR

September 12, 2017

Review: Hurl VR

There are plenty of virtual reality (VR) videogames that have puzzle elements to them, either as a core mechanic or as an additional bit of brain teasing. For the true puzzle aficionado, additional extras such as storyline or multiplayer options aren’t so much of a concern if there’s enough variety and difficulty to provide a worthwhile challenge. Enter Hurl VR, a title that mixes light sporting skill with puzzle gameplay for a unique, but short lived experience.

The aim of Hurl VR is simple, all you need to do is get a ball in a goal. This is made all the more difficult by a range of additional features that must be utilised in a certain pattern. You need to ricochet the ball off blue panels prior to hitting the goal, if they’re not all hit then the level isn’t completed. This is then further complicated by yellow panels which can launch the ball, and wormholes which transport it to another location.

The true test in Hurl VR isn’t so much figuring out where to start as it is about getting the shot correct. This is pure physics-based puzzling at its best. The goal might only be a short distance away but the location of the panels means that each level requires careful use of power and angles to get that perfect shot. If you’re out by a few degrees, or launch the ball with too much force and the shot might just sail past the target. So to get that perfect angle requires good use of the roomscale environment.

Some levels might need you to step further back on the platform you’re on, while others may need you to move towards the edge. Due to the physical nature of the gameplay some levels might be easier for someone who’s tall, with others offering those of a smaller stature a better chance of completion. Because of this Hurl VR isn’t just a test of your grey matter, it really makes you think about your body position to get the most effective bounce from each panel.

Hurl VR

This of course can lead to frustration, especially on the later levels when the panels start moving, so timing the shot becomes even more crucial. You can throw ball after ball and just miss that sweet spot to begin the chain of bounces. To help, developer Rusty Oak has added some assists to help in those times of woe. There’s Trail, which gives you the best line to complete the level. Pull-in, which adds a magnetic halo around the goal to grab the ball should it get close enough. And Timestop, to pause those pesky moving panels. All of the assists have a limited time so they need to be used wisely, or if you can help it not at all. Completing a puzzle you’re stuck on using the assists gives a sense of relief but it’s nothing compared to the satisfaction of beating a level on your own.

Hurl VR is great fun, so much so that you’ll probably finish it in one sitting – completing it took just under one hour for this review. The other issue is the lack of replay elements, as once you’ve successfully played through all 30 levels there are no additional features – apart from achievements – to entice you to replay the videogame. Aside from that Hurl VR is a finely polished title, with good looking sci-fi visuals and solid physics-based gameplay.

80%

Awesome

Verdict

September 12, 2017

Tactical Puzzle VR Game Hurl VR Tests Your Ability to Throw Balls

VRFocus covered Hurl VR in a previous post when it was announced this summer. At Gamescom in Cologne, Germany Nina spoke to Petra Malinauskas the Co-Founder of indie developer Rusty Oak.

A ball throwing simulator that is coming to Steam for HTC Vive this summer, Hurl VR is a tactical puzzler that requires the player to hit multiple platforms with a ball in the correct patterns to reach the gateway platform. With three chapters and 10 levels each, you’ve got a total of 30 levels.

The game will be released today for five dollars on Steam. It’s probably a great training for trying to beat your college mates at beer pong. Note: Please wear safety straps and don’t throw your controller – it’s just a simple motion with the controller.

September 12, 2017

Hurl VR Launches On Steam

Pinball-inspired puzzle title Hurl VR is being launched today for HTC Vive. Players will be able to practice their tactical physics skills in this neon-lit arcade title.

Developer Rusty Oak has announced that its debut title Hurl VR will be available from today, 12th September, 2017 on Steam for the HTC Vive. Inspired by the fast-paced physics action of ricochets, bumpers and flippers of pinball, and borrowing from that neon-lit classic pinball aesthetic, Hurl VR challenges players to throw a projectile in the correct way to bounce it off platforms and hit the goal.

Each different platform has its own type of properties, such as higher bounce, or speeding up the ball, or even teleporting the ball elsewhere. Players will need to learn how to take advantage of those properties to advance through the levels.

“Hurl VR is our tribute to the arcade Pinball machines we loved as kids and we are delighted to launch it on Steam,” said Petras Malinauskas, Co-Founder at Rusty Oak, “We’ve borrowed the premise and atmosphere from the original Pinball tables and time-travelled the concept into the 21st century by transferring it to virtual reality and embracing players’ physical aspects to make it a more individualized and immersive experience.”

On launch there will be 30 levels available to play, with new challenges and new platform types being added every few levels.

Hurl VR will be priced at $4.99(USD)/£3.99(GBP). Further information and updates can be found on the Steam store page.

Keep an eye out for the VRFocus review of Hurl VR coming later today.

September 5, 2017

Pinball-Inspired Physics Puzzler Hurl VR Is Coming to Steam

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to be inside a pinball table, directing the ball to the bumpers and flippers as neon flights flash and flicker around you, then developer Rusty Oak have created a virtual reality (VR) title that might appeal to you.

Inspired by the physics and bright lights of pinball tables, Hurl VR is a physics puzzle title that involves aiming and throwing a projectile at various types of platforms in order to make it bounce the right way to hit the goal. Each platform type has its own properties, so careful tactics must be deployed in order to send the ball in the right direction.

Players advance through the levels by hitting the platforms in the right order to unlock the gateway. Some platforms will boost the speed of the ball, others will bounce the ball considerably further, or teleport it to another location. There are plans for 30 levels, with new challenges and platform types being added every few levels.

The aesthetics are strongly reminiscent of the pinball tables that are the inspiration, featuring dark, moody backgrounds in sharp contrast to the brightly coloured lights of the platforms, ball and gateways.

The developers are planning on releasing Hurl VR on to Steam for the HTC Vive on 12th September, 2017. A price point is yet to be confirmed, and it is unknown if there are plans on ports to other VR platforms.

You can view the announcement trailer below. Further information can be found on the Steam store page.

VRFocus will bring you further information on Hurl VR as it becomes available.

August 17, 2017

Rusty Oak to Debut with Hurl VR on HTC Vive this Summer

Independent developer Rusty Oak has today announced that their debut title Hurl VR, a pinball-like puzzle videogame, is coming to Steam for HTC Vive this summer. Hurl VR is a ball throwing simulator in virtual reality (VR) with a touch of tactical puzzler, requiring skill, logical thinking and precise timing.

Hurl VR begins as a simple ball throwing simulation, adding tactical puzzle gameplay to the mix by putting the players’ own technique and reaction to the test. Players advance in the videogame by hitting multiple platforms with a ball in correct patterns, thus reaching the gateway platform. Each of the platforms has its own unique properties from boosting the speed of the ball to teleporting it to another platform in a new angle.

“We like to call Hurl VR the pinball machine of the 21st century,” said Petras Malinauskas, Co-Founder at Rusty Oak, “We took the simple gameplay mechanics of pinball, added a level of tactics and skill that requires a level of physicality and wrapped it in a mysterious virtual reality world with futuristic music and visuals.”

The videogame will launch with 30 levels with new types of platforms and challenges added every few levels, utilising a 360-degree environment. The unique angle of Hurl VR lies in embracing the physical aspects of individual players; a shorter player might find it extremely easy to complete a certain level that requires a low and tactical throw, whereas a tall player might find it more challenging to tackle the same level.

Hurl VR Screenshot Rusty Oak will debut Hurl VR at Gamescom, Cologne, next week, where VRFocus will meet with the team. A debut trailer for Hurl VR is available below and more details will be available very soon.