Category: light strike array

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Something For The Festive Weekend: Steam & PlayStation VR Discounts

And so it came to be that the last edition of Something for the Weekend before Christmas falls appropriately enough on Christmas Eve. So if you’re still unsure as to what to get yourself, are looking to get something new for the family to enjoy as they try out virtual reality (VR) over the holidays or you’ve suddenly realised that you’ve forgotten someone and you need to get them a present sharpish a purchase on Steam might just be the ideal present buying get out of jail free (Christmas) card.

Also, before we look at some of the VR titles available a reminder that you can set the date for when people receive your gift as well so it doesn’t have to show up immediately. Look in to the options when you purchase.

Anime Girls VR

Compatibility: HTC Vive & Oculus Rift

There’s not exactly any way to sugar coat this one. Yes, Anime Girls VR is a videogame. Yes, it features anime girls. Yes, the content is… exactly what you think a game called Anime Girls VR would end up being about. It possesses the nudity tag on the Steam listing. Say no more, eh? Get to know middle school teacher Yoko, maid Mizuka and sport loving Kaori all of which love to dance. According to the publishers you’ll need to go some to keep up with them.

If you’d like to take a waifu home this Christmas, Anime Girls VR is currently at 20% off until December 30th 2017, and you can get it now at £7.43 (GBP) as opposed the usual £9.29.

TrainerVR

Compatibility: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift

The first thing to say about this one is that no, despite the name this is nothing to do with physical fitness.

When I was very young the toy I wanted most of all was a BRIO train set. If you’re not familiar with the name BRIO are the makers of the wooden train set with the grooves in the wooden track pieces (sort of an inverted track). Nowadays there are all kinds of knockoffs of it around the place but BRIO are the originals.  TrainerVR give you your own virtual train set in that BRIO-style. Not only that but the whole thing is physics based, so if you want to create a steep incline your train will struggle. Also if you lose your temper the entire thing can be flung to the four winds.

An Early Access title from developers sumalab, until December 30th 2017, TrainerVR is available at a30% discount. Bringing the total to £7.97 (GBP) from £11.39.

Little Einar

Compatibility: HTC Vive

Released onto Early Access only yesterday by developers MADBones Games, Little Einar is currently available for £8.09 (GBP) from £8.99 and will in the future be coming to Oculus Rift also.

“This release comes with seven levels with the last three of the chapter to fast follow. The intention is to incorporate feedback into the last few levels and go through an optimization pass before moving into chapter 2, chapter 3 and eventually full release.” Explain MADBones Games. “While developing Little Einar, we wanted to rekindle the old school feeling of retro video games without creating a retro game. The classic experience of a side-scrolling platformer is revitalized in VR. We hope you enjoy it and we look forward to your feedback to make Little Einar better.”

Light Strike Array

Compatibility: HTC Vive

Our last Early Access title for a while, Light Strike Array is a room-scale action strategy videogame by developers Unwieldly Systems.

In Light Strike Array two teams (Bands) battle over a mysterious resource called “salt” – we’re pretty sure it isn’t actually just salt – you’ll need to mine it and gather your strength up if you’re going to take on your opponents. The end of the game is to take your crystalline ‘Shards’ and destroy the enemy’s Heart.  You’ll need to first wear down the protective shield that surrounds it, however, and the shield referred to as a ‘cornoa’ is more than capable of obliterating the light that makes up your crystal soldiers.

You can get Light Strike Array at 12% off on Steam until December 29th 2017. With a price of £16.71 (GBP) from £18.99.

Nevrosa: Escape

Compatibility: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift

What would Christmas be like without a little blood and gore, eh? Um… well, actually just peachy, thanks. But GexagonVR’s puzzler Nevrosa: Escape isn’t exactly about bringing cheer to the world.

GexagonVR describe it as “an escape room game with horror and action elements, where you are trying to find your way out of laboratory through solving puzzles while being locked with a strange creature. Mystical machines, old family curse and various endings depending on your ways of play.”

Nevrosa: Escape is available at a rather generous 40% off – £8.99 (GBP) from £14.99 – until December 29th.

Tactera screenshotTactera

Compatibility: HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality

If there’s one developer we have remained consistently impressed by on VRFocus it would be E McNeill. Other VR titles Darknet and Skylight have both performed well in reviews with the latter already featuring once on the site this week as part of our Best Gear VR Titles Of 2017 list.

In our Gear VR review of Tactera from last year we explained how the videogame felt like to play: “Tactera actually plays out in two phases: grand battle strategy and real-time combat. The player is first greeted by a grid-based map which plots their advance on enemy territory, taking it in turns to deploy troops and move across the map until combat is initiated. Once enemy units meet yours, the player may choose one of the combat instances (if more than one occurs simultaneously) to play in direct command of, whilst others will be simulated. While still learning the ropes this may seem like an unfair advantage on behalf of the AI enemy, however once some knowledge has been attained planning and forethought will avoid any unnecessary weakness in your strategy.”

Presently available at £7.51 (GBP) from £11.39, Tactera is currently discounted on Steam by 34% until December 29th 2017.

Boxed In

Compatibility: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift

Developed for VR, but playable out of it if you like, in Red Chain Games’ Boxed In you need to clear the various rooms of multicoloured blocks which can appear from above, the left or the right.  There’s 36 variations of play and it’s a good title for those of you looking for a casual gameplay experience this Christmas.

Boxed In is available on Steam for £3.83 (GBP), a 20% discount.

Quantized

Compatibility: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift

“Quantized is an audio reactive, procedurally-generated sensory experience. Play your own local songs to generate a fun, exhilarating musical journey.”

A videogame by developers Chris Mahoney and Kenny Bier and published by Abstractron, Quantized has a 15% discount on its regular price of £10.29 until December 28th. Meaning you can pick it up for only £8.74.

And finally, whilst it is a Steam week here on Something For The Weekend, here’s a bonus couple of entries for our PlayStation VR owning readers.

Virry VR: Feel the Wild

Bafta award nominated experience Virry VR: Feel The Wild is currently on promotion on the US PlayStation Store for $3.99 or $1.99 for PS Plus users – a 60% and 80% saving respectively on the regular price.

Filmed on location in 4K, get up close with lions, elephant and a zebra, you can even wallow in a mud bath with a rhino. That or take in some of the more tranquil sights as you take a virtual safari down an African river.

The discount is part of a PS Store Flash Sale.  Whilst there’s not many PSVR titles in there is another PlayStation VR entry which will definitely be of interest to people…

Skyrim_Header

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR

What can we say about this title that we haven’t already at this point? We gave The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR a five star review.

“PlayStation Move arguably increases immersion in the world of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR ten-fold. The realism of interaction and combat is a huge part of VR, and this is no different here; reaching out to grab an item, swing your sword, draw an arrow to your bow, or cast your spells. It all simply makes much more sense when it’s your hands doing the work.”

It might be an older title given a fresh lick of paint but it remains one of the most in demand PlayStation VR titles this holiday season.

Up until January 2nd 2018 you can journey back to Tamriel for 33% off. Based on the US store, with the price at $40.19 (USD) from $59.99.

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‘Light Strike Array’ Fuses PVP Combat with Novel Locomotion, Now in Early Access

For some games, VR locomotion is simply ends to a mean; getting you from point A to point B in an efficient manner so other game mechanics can take the spotlight. Not so in PvP battle arena Light Strike Array, which integrates a novel form of teleportation into the very heart of gameplay.

Update (12/22/17): Light Strike Array has now launched in Early Access via Steam, officially listing support for the HTC Vive. The title is priced at $25, with a 12% launch discount running until December 29th.

“We think LSA’s fusion of hyper-physical mechanics and multifaceted teamplay breaks new ground in competitive VR game design,” writes developer Chris Woytowitz. “Through our development, we’ve been polishing a uniquely complex game that embraces full body interactivity, and justifies putting on an HMD.”

He expects the game to remain in Early Access for six to nine months, and says that the initial development focus is on “mechanically rich gameplay that embraces the unique capabilities of motion-tracked VR,” while the “Crystalpunk” aesthetic will be further developed down the road.

Original Article (11/29/17): As a crystalline being called a Shard, you’re given a torch and a weapon to combat other players. While it’s easy to explain the weapons (slash, shoot, smash enemies), the torch is another story. Throwing the torch teleports you to a new ‘Cell’, or landing pad. Sounds simple, right? Well, there’s a catch (literally)—you have to catch the torch as soon as you land, otherwise you’re left defenseless, effectively leaving you with more to worry about than just the enemy’s arrows or blades.

Chris Woytowitz, lead developer at indie studio Unwieldy Systems, says he chose the unique brand of teleportation to not only mitigate the risk of motion sickness, but to act as a natural skill cost to long-range movement, incentivising players to mix teleportation and local movement instead of simply over-relying on teleportation while standing in the same spot in their room. It’s easy to imagine dodging arrows, tossing a torch to find cover and nearly missing it by a fraction to a disastrous effect—something that otherwise wouldn’t occur if you were given free rein to quickly teleport wherever you like.

As for the PvP combat, here’s a quick breakdown:

Two teams of up to three players per team fight to destroy each other’s ‘Heart’, which is shielded by a powerful force field called the ‘Corona’. To penetrate the Corona, you need a create special tools from a gatherable resource ‘Salt’​. Salt can be obtained by collecting halite crystals, which can be transformed into pillars of Salt, giving you a number of tools—but not the ultimate tool. The ultimate tool, called the Censer, lets your team bypass the enemy Corona and shatter their Heart. Victory.

Weapons include Light Bombs, bow​s, swords, and spells; but also the tools you create using Salt.

Light Strike Array is headed to Steam Early Access next month, with support for SteamVR-compatible headsets. The Early Access release is now available, see update above for details. The game’s full release is slated to arrive sometime in 2018.

Woytowitz says the full version will be “a generally more clean, rich, and balanced experience. I plan on adding a handful of new tools and weapons to afford more playstyles, as well as secondary map objectives (for example, capturable buildings.) The style and aesthetic will be refined over time and are subject to change (within the soft parameters of “crystalpunk.”) I’ll be improving sound, voice acting, and training levels over time, as well. I hope to continue to support LSA and grow the community through Early Access, release, and the future!”

Check out the Early Access trailer below.

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