Make Real released Loco Dojo Unleashedin late 2021 as one of the definitive party titles for the Meta Quest platform. Today, the studio has revealed that a VIP Party Update is on its way, adding Quest party support, golden animal masks and more.
With the addition of Meta Quest Part support players it’ll make getting into a game with friends far easier, allowing them to switch from other apps, or join invites from the Quest mobile or web apps. Country region restrictions have also been removed so you can match with anyone around the world.
Additionally, the quick match Four Round Fury multiplayer mode has been streamlined and you can now unlock VIP golden masks when obtaining a black belt in the Ten Trials Test.
“Following on from the success of the game on Meta Quest 1 & 2 since launch last year, we’ve been keen to ensure the game is updated and sees new content added to keep the competitive community engaged with the title,” said Sam Watts, Immersive Partnerships Director at Make Real Ltd in a statement.
“As we look to add new features and content in further future updates, to ensure friends and family continue to be able to play together in many ways of their choosing, this first update was designed around removing some of the sticking points around getting into multiplayer games,” Watts continued. “The next update will add the much-requested Pass’n’Play mode to the game, letting local multiplayer mayhem continue when only one device is in the household.”
Reviewing Loco Dojo Unleashedfor Meta Quest 2, gmw3 wrote: “In its newly refined form, Loco Dojo Unleashed continues to provide a superbly fun, party experience if you can get a few friends together.”
The VIP Party Update for Loco Dojo Unleashedgoes live at 6pm BST (10am PST) on the Oculus Store today. For continued updates, keep reading gmw3.
A new update for VR party game, Loco Dojo Unleashed, will make getting into matches much easier.
Set to release at 10am PT today, the VIP Party Update will introduce Quest Party functionality. This’ll make it easier to jump into the game with friends from other apps etc. It’ll also give you more control of getting into games from the Quest mobile and web apps. There’s also a streamlined quick match option for Four Round Fury if you want to get into the game as fast as possible.
Loco Dojo Update Incoming
Finally, today’s update also adds golden animal masks for players to earn by getting the black belt ranking in Ten Trials Test.
Speaking to UploadVR, developer Make Real confirmed that more updates were in the works, too. “Moving forwards, with some of the changes to how accounts and app access works, we wanted to ensure families still have a way to play together easily,” the studio’s Sam Watts said. “Whilst not as fully engaged as each household member having a headset and playing together in a tournament, we’re user testing a fun pass’n’play mode right now that brings a new way to play together locally, competitively.
We thought Loco Dojo Unleashed offered enjoyable minigame action when it launched on Quest last year. “Loco Dojo doesn’t rewrite the rules on the party game format, but it successfully finds the fun in adding VR to that template,” we said. “Its best games are brilliantly entertaining explorations of the different kinds of experiences the platform offers and, although it has some structural issues, tournaments move with a pace that makes them easy to jump into and tempting to replay time and again.”
Are you going to be trying out Loco Dojo Unleashed’s new updates? Let us know in the comments below!
When VRFocus reviewed British virtual reality (VR) developer Make Real’s twist on the mini-game genre, Loco Dojo, in 2017 it was fun mashup that could easily entertain a few friends with its humorous high jinks. Looking back, it was also a little ahead of itself, or more accurately, Loco Dojo required a player base that just wasn’t available at that time. Fast forward four years and the team have released Loco Dojo Unleashed for Meta Quest, bringing that eccentric gameplay to a whole new audience whilst finding a much more natural home on the standalone headset.
If you’ve played the original the core experience remains mostly unchanged. The aim is to win each frantic mini-game, hopefully earning enough stars to be awarded a black belt and take home the prize of being an awesome Loco Dojo Unleashed player. Actually achieving that is no easy task as the 16 mini-games on offer are seemingly simple yet devilishly difficult to master, and they’re the same ones as before; no new content on that front.
Supporting up to four players in each multiplayer “Table of Trials” match, Loco Dojo Unleashed is set in a martial arts dojo (who’d of guessed?) run by the Grand Sensei – who just happens to be voiced by Brian Blessed. Set around a giant spinning table – think Wheel of Fortune – you grab a handle and give it a quick spin to move around the central board. This will activate whatever mini-game you happen to land upon, and as quickly becomes apparent, animals (pigs in particular) and food are the main themes you’ll have to try and tackle.
Wacky would be an understatement when it comes to these mini-games where you’ll find yourself trying to catch fish with giant claw hands, milking a pig, swatting bats with nunchuck hotdogs, shooting seagulls out the sky to collect condiments and much more. Most of the games are highly physical making for an intensely immersive experience even if it only lasts a couple of minutes each time.
Obviously, what really makes the whole experience is playing these mini-games with friends – or strangers if you wish – as they almost always have you trying to scupper each other. Trying to grab those fish with unwieldy claws, grab a rotten one and throw it in your opponent’s boat. Or then there’s the chum-gun mini-game where you have to encourage sharks to attack your opponent by hitting them in the face with some tasty chum…nice. It’s the sort of VR videogame that ideally suits the Meta Quest platform, as you can bounce around and just have a laugh whether you’re a new or veteran VR player.
So is there anything different in Loco Dojo Unleashed you may be wondering? There most certainly is. Apart from a few visual tweaks to make the experience run smoother on Quest, the Make Real team has refined the multiplayer by adding a Quick Match mode. Rather than setting up a tournament with friends firing up Quick Match instead drops you straight into a game or creates a lobby for others to join you. The only problem, this does heavily rely on player numbers and there wasn’t often other matches going on. It was far easier setting up a Table of Trials tournament with friends plus the banter flows a lot better.
Single-player has always been a part of Loco Dojo but it’s much better in Unleashed. There’s the Ten Trials Test which as the name implies takes you on a ten spin run of the game board. Perfect for getting a feel of the whole setup. Brand new is the Solo Dojo and this is an absolute lifesaver when it comes to practising those tricky mini-games because you can pick them individually. No longer do certain trials become an absolute chore because you barely get to play them, they’re now ready and available to be mastered.
Only one of the trials actually involves locomotion – you’re riding a pig, slapping it on the arse trying to navigate a thin winding platform – so there should be no issue with comfort as you stick to one spot. Because of all the arm flailing Loco Dojo Unleashed is easier to play standing but there is the option to play seated but you won’t find it in the settings. Adding to the quirky nature of the title, you’ll find a wooden step under the table that can be pulled out, adding to the novelty value.
In its newly refined form, Loco Dojo Unleashed continues to provide a superbly fun, party experience if you can get a few friends together. And because it supports cross-buy on the Oculus Store if you already own the Oculus Rift version there’s no reason not to download this edition. It would definitely benefit from a local, pass and play mode and a few more mini-games – Make Real has already said this is planned. Even so, Loco Dojo Unleashed is an absolute blast to play.
Loco Dojo’s likable, well-paced take on Mario Party in VR hides some brilliant VR interactions. More in our Loco Dojo review!
Loco Dojo might essentially boil down to a series of fast-fire minigames, but packaged up together it’s an earnest exploration of just how different VR can really be. Swinging sausage nun-chucks around to ward off bats, catapulting balled up cats onto dog fur, or spraying a friend with shark food and then watching them desperately duck out of the way of sharp-toothed toys is all a potent reminder of the vast possibilities that lie just beyond the rings of the Oculus Touch controllers. There’s no gruff firefights or intense melee sword battles here, just a desire to offer something new. Though these moments are fleeting, Loco Dojo’s sharp pacing and fun social mechanics make them worth coming back to time and again.
We’re strictly in ‘Mario Party but in VR’ territory here. Up to four players join a lobby and take turns moving counters along a game board. Land on one of the 16 activities and you’ll be carted off for a few minutes of game time. Win the given activity and you’ll earn points, enough of which will provide access to a central temple where winning just one game will land you the crown.
Everything moves along with rejuvenating speed: spin the wheel, move the counter, and more than likely you’ll be jumping into the next game in no time. Crucially, the minigames are something to look forward to. Some hit on the conventional thrills like throwing items or spinning figurative plates, but the best feel like they’re truly unique to the platform. My personal favorite has some players using a paddle to bat urchins onto the stomach of a whale, while others tilt a platform to move a saw that brushes them off. Or there’s a VR take on an egg and spoon race in which you’ll balance a giant egg whilst trying to punch your opponent’s with a giant boxing glove. These feel frantic and exciting, with no shooter or sword-play muscle memory to fall back on.
There are a few more troubling omissions and hiccups that frustrate the experience, though. Though players start at opposite ends of the map, it’s entirely possible for one to catch up with another. Should that happen, you run the risk of repeating the same games over and over again, which can be a slog. And, although this new Quest version adds in single-player training, it’d be nice to have the options of a few practice rounds before getting stuck into a minigame on multiplayer; if it’s your first time you’re likely to lose points just figuring out the basics.
Of course, some of the games also don’t really land. Controlling a potato-shooting turret just doesn’t feel natural without a sense of feedback, and a game involving one player tossing snacks into a monster’s mouth is a trial for the opponent, who has to try and predict sometimes buggy hand placements to block incoming fire. Some games are also over just a little too quickly, feeling like the whistle blows before you’ve really settled in to find the fun.
But the better games easily outweigh the duds and the structural issues don’t derail the fun of a four-player tournament. Is it enough to keep you coming back? Well, that depends on if you have the friends to play it with, which is a considerably bigger ask than console party games with local multiplayer. For its part, the game’s charming toy-like presentation and always entertaining narration from Brian Blessed do their bit to make it a cheerful space to be in.
Loco Dojo Review – Final Impressions
Loco Dojo doesn’t rewrite the rules on the party game format, but it successfully finds the fun in adding VR to that template. Its best games are brilliantly entertaining explorations of the different kinds of experiences the platform offers and, although it has some structural issues, tournaments move with a pace that makes them easy to jump into and tempting to replay time and again. It might be hard to realize a family game night in VR but if you and your friends find yourselves in four corners of the globe with an Oculus Quest each, Loco Dojo is a good way to capture the camaraderie often reserved for local play.
For more on how we arrived at this rating, read our review guidelines. What did you make of our Loco Dojo review? Let us know in the comments below!
When it comes to virtual reality (VR) gaming October is not going to disappoint with a stunning array of titles set to be released. Next week kicks things off very nicely which is why The VR Drop has six videogames rather than five today, with PlayStation VR and Oculus Quest featuring prominently.
Survios teamed up with Taito to launch Puzzle Bobble VR: Vacation Odyssey for Oculus Quest, but for the PlayStation launch there’s been a slight name change to Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey. Why? Becuase the videogame will be playable in PlayStation 4, PS5 and PlayStation VR formats. Particularly useful considering there’s a PvP mode alongside the 100-level solo campaign. As this is Puzzle Bobble you should know what to expect, loads of colourful, ball popping puzzles to get your head around.
Supported platforms: PlayStation VR
Launch date: 5th October
Song in the Smoke – 17-BIT
The first VR title from Japan-based studio 17-BIT and it’s going to be quite the experience by the looks of things. Song in the Smoke is part survival adventure and part magical narrative, dropping players in a primordial wilderness where they’ll have to scavenge for resources and hunt to keep themselves fed and alive.
Supported platforms: PlayStation VR, Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift
Launch date: 7th October
Shadowgate VR: The Mines of Mythrok – Zojoi LLC
Coming from indie team Zojoi and Azure Drop Studios, Shadowgate VR: The Mines of Mythrok is an Oculus Quest exclusive. The first VR edition of the long-running Shadowgate franchise, players will be heading deep into dangerous dungeons filled with chambers of enemies and trap-laden corridors. Along the way they’ll have to defend themselves with elemental magic, solve devious puzzles and unlock ancient secrets.
Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife – Fast Travel Games
It’s finally time for Fast Travel Games’ VR horror Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife to make its way to PlayStation VR. Step into Barclay Mansion and explore this creepy Hollywood home, as a Wraith, stuck between the living world and the afterlife. Discover why you’re in this inbetween realm and beware the Spectres, horrible, twisted beings that’ll come running at the faintest sound. Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean you’re safe.
Supported platforms: PlayStation VR
Launch date: 7th October
Loco Dojo Unleashed – Make Real
On a lighter note there’s mini-game mashup Loco Dojo Unleashed. Originally released in 2017 for PC VR headsets, this is the Oculus Quest edition with new tweaks and improvements to make the multiplayer mayhem even better. Offering solo and upto four-player multiplayer, Loco Dojo Unleashed is all about trying to win the Grand Sensei’s (voiced by Brian Blessed) coveted black headband. Work your way around the gameboard and through the four themed areas, Countryside, RockyDesert, Seaside and Foggy Swamp, with 16 games to try and master.
Previously on App Lab, multiplayer shooter Gun Raiders is making the leap to the official Oculus Quest Store next week! Featuring multiple gameplay modes including Assault, Team Deathmatch, Free For All and Control, players are able to engage in frantic shootouts in tightly designed arenas using a mixture of melee and ranged weaponry. And best for all, Gun Raider is free-to-play!
Loco Dojo was a quirky mini-game compendium released in 2017 for PC VR headsets. Designed by Make Real, the studio revealed earlier this year it was working on an Oculus Quest port with lots of new refinements, Loco Dojo Unleashed. Today, the team has confirmed the launch is only a couple of weeks away.
Just like the original, Loco Dojo Unleashed is a party experience for 2-4 players where you can all compete across 16 eccentric mini-games like milking pigs with baby pigs or swatting bats with nunchuck hotdogs. These all take place across four themed areas, Countryside, RockyDesert, Seaside and Foggy Swamp, all set inside a dojo run by the Grand Sensei – who is voiced by the awesome Brian Blessed.
In addition to the previous Table of Trials tournament mode this updated version will also feature a new Quick Match mode, designed to speed up multiplayer lobbies and matchmaking. “For launch we wanted to make sure it is as easy as possible to pick-up and play and get into games. We’ve removed elements that slowed gameplay down and added those that improve players understanding of how to become the master within the dojo,” said Sam Watts, Immersive Partnerships Director at Make Real in a statement.
Loco Dojo Unleashed isn’t purely about multiplayer gaming, as it has a couple of single-player modes. Ten Trials Test was already present from the original but this time around there’s also Solo Dojo. Here you can hone those mini-game skills and unlock new masks in the process.
The gameplay revolves around you standing in the Grand Sensei’s dojo with a circular table in the middle. Featuring a map of the four themed areas, players take it, in turn, to spin the dice wheel and move their counter around the board, landing on a new trial or winning strategic prizes. The goal is to accumulate as many Golden Suns as possible to win the coveted black headband.
Loco Dojo Unleashed is scheduled to launch on 7th October 2021 for Oculus Quest. As an added bonus, if you previously purchased the title for Oculus Rift on the Oculus Store then you’ll be able to download Loco Dojo Unleashed at no extra charge, as it is cross-buy compatible. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Make Real, reporting back with all the latest updates.
Make Real’s VR party game, Loco Dojo, comes to Oculus Quest next month as Loco Dojo Unleashed.
The frantic four-player experience launches on October 7. The studio announced the news this week, though we previously confirmed the game was coming to the standalone headset earlier this year. This version will include all 16 minigames featured in the PC VR version of the title, which released all the way back in 2017. It even supports cross-buy so, if you already bought it in the Oculus Store for Rift, you’ll get the Quest version free of charge.
Check out the new trailer for the game below.
Loco Dojo Unleashed Trailer
Loco Dojo boasts a gorgeous visual style based around wooden toys and features four different biomes to play the games in. One game will have you catching fish with giant grab claws as they jump out of the water, one will have you trying to scoop up eggs as they’re fired around and one will have you punching a cactus. As you play, you can collect masks to wear and show off in multiplayer. The game also features narration from Brian Blessed, if you couldn’t tell from the booming tones in the trailer.
The Quest version of the game includes some new features, like a Quick Match mod to jump into multiplayer lobbies faster, a new tournament mode for 2 – 4 players and new single-player modes with extra unlockables.
We haven’t tried the game ourselves yet but this will definitely be one to watch for those that want a Mario Party-style experience inside VR. We’ll look to bring you a full review as we get closer to the game’s launch next month.
Loco Dojo, the social VR party game which first launched on PC VR headsets in 2017, is finally getting an Oculus Quest version next month, bringing its madcap minigames to the standalone platform.
Update (September 24th, 2021): Make Real today announced that Loco Dojo Unleashed is officially coming to the Quest platform on October 7th. You can add it to you wishlist here.
The studio also tossed out a feature list to go along with its updated trailer:
New ‘Quick Match’ mode to speed up multiplayer lobbies and matchmaking
‘Table of Trials’ full tournament mode for 2-4 players looking for a greater challenge
New single player mode ‘Solo Dojo’ to hone skills and unlock new masks
‘Ten Trials Test’ single player mode to try to unlock the fabled black headband
16 marvellous mad minigames set across 4 varied themes; Countryside, Rocky Desert, Seaside and Foggy Swamp
More of the charismatic Grand Sensei host, to aid and assist during gameplay, voiced by cult hero Brian Blessed
Delightfully quirky wooden toy visual style
Enchanting stick-in-your-head soundtrack
15 frivolous achievements to unlock
12 animal masks based on the Chinese zodiac, to unlock for your avatar
The original article announcing Quest support follows below:
Original Article (April 30th, 2021): Created by Make Real, Loco Dojo Unleashed is set to feature both multiplayer and single player modes. The multiplayer ‘quick play’ mode lets you jump into casual games, while the ‘tournament mode’ lets two to four players engage in “a greater challenge,” the studio says.
Loco Dojo Unleashed is said to arrive with 16 minigames, not to mention plenty of the brittonic baritone charisma from Grand Sensei host (voice by the illustrious Brian Blessed).
Image courtesy Make Real
Stepping up to Grand Sensei’s ‘Table of Trials’, you spin to find out which skill you’ll need to hone next as you engage in competitive multiplayer with friends or strangers.
“Following on from the success of the game on PC VR and in LBE VR Arcades, we have listened to feedback to include a number of enhancements for Oculus Quest players,” says Sam Watts, Immersive Partnerships Director at Make Real. “For launch we wanted to make sure it is as easy as possible to pick-up and play and get into games. We’ve removed elements that slowed gameplay down and added those that improve players understanding of how to become the master within the dojo. We’ve spent considerable effort buffing the wood to provide the same polished world and hectic gameplay the title is known for, coming soon to Oculus Quest.”
Loco Dojo Unleashed will be available on both Quest and Quest 2 headsets sometime in 2021 (see update).
British immersive studio Make Real might be better known for its training and simulation solutions for virtual reality (VR) but it also knows a thing or two about gaming. Back in 2017 the team created four-player party title Loco Dojo for Oculus Rift, where players had to quickly complete crazy mini-games. Today, Make Real has announced Loco Dojo Unleashed, an Oculus Quest edition due to arrive later this year.
Just like before, Loco Dojo Unleashed will feature the same 16 comedic mini-games such as swatting bats with nunchuck hotdogs, milking pigs with baby pigs, and flinging cats around. Plus the charismatic Grand Sensei host, voiced by cult hero Brian Blessed has been left in of course. Make Real hasn’t simply ported the original Loco Dojo over, however, refining the experience to reduce gameplay friction whilst adding new features.
These additions include a new quick play mode to easily find games in multiplayer, whilst a Tournament Mode for 2-4 players will provide a greater challenge. For those times where nobody is about or you just want a practice, a single-player mode will be available with the added bonus of trophies to unlock.
“Following on from the success of the game on PC VR and in LBE VR Arcades, we have listened to feedback to include a number of enhancements for Oculus Quest players,” says Sam Watts, Immersive Partnerships Director at Make Real in a statement. “For launch we wanted to make sure it is as easy as possible to pick up and play and get into games. We’ve removed elements that slowed gameplay down and added those that improve players’ understanding of how to become the master within the dojo. We’ve spent considerable effort buffing the wood to provide the same polished world and hectic gameplay the title is known for.”
When VRFocus originally reviewed Loco Dojothe worry was always player numbers as multiplayer titles back then struggled to find a foothold. Loco Dojo Unleashed, on the other hand, should be an ideal experience for Oculus Quest as there are more players and it has easy-to-understand gameplay mechanics for players of all VR skill levels.
Loco Dojo Unleashed will arrive at some point later in 2021. For further updates on the project keep reading VRFocus.
Remember Loco Dojo? It was a four-player VR party game that released on PC VR headsets and for VR arcades in 2017.
Four years later, it’s finally coming to Oculus Quest too.
Developer Make Real is bringing Loco Dojo Unleashed to the standalone platform later this year. This version of the game features everything from the original, including 16 minigames that you can tackle in online tournaments for between two to four players. Check it out in the trailer below.
Loco Dojo Unleashed enters players into the Table of Trials where they’ll spin the dice to move across the board and face different challenges as they go. If you played the game before you’ll be familiar with the tasks, which including racing wooden pigs, firing cannons and grabbing fish out of mid-air with giant claws. Each game is designed with VR specifically in-mind, making this about as close to a Mario Party VR game you’ll currently find.
New to this version of the game is a quick play mode to get into matches faster as well as a single-player offering so you can train between multiplayer games. Acting legend Brian Blessed also still lends his trademark bellowing to the game’s narration, if you somehow hadn’t noticed in the trailer. Make Real also provided the screenshot below to show how the game holds up graphically on Quest compared to the old Rift version. There’s definitely a noticeable difference but, overall, the Quest version’s looking petty close to the original.
Will you be picking up Loco Dojo Unleashed later this year? Let us know in the comments below!
