Category: Mastiff

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Japanese RPG Ruins Magus Secures Publisher, Plans Spring 2022 Launch

The promising Ruins Magus, a virtual reality (VR) role-playing game (RPG) from Japanese studio CharacterBank, didn’t have much luck when it launched a Kickstarter last year. Barely making it over 50% of the funding goal before the campaign ended, the studio has seen an upturn in its luck, announcing that publisher Mastiff has picked the videogame up; aiming to release Ruins Magus this spring.

Ruins Magus

Mastiff has previously helped publish the likes of Home Sweet Home and Heavy Fire: Red Shadow for PlayStation VR so the publisher knows what it’s doing in the space, with Ruins Magus providing a different VR experience to those previous titles.

“With Ruins Magus, our goal is to welcome gamers to a jaw-dropping virtual fantasy world unlike anything else in VR,” said Shuto Mikami, President, CharacterBank Inc. in a statement. “We’re delighted to partner with an experienced publisher in Mastiff to share Ruins Magus with the world. Thanks to our joint efforts, we’ll be able to devote more time to the project to deliver a mind-blowing VR experience.”

Alongside the Mastiff announcement, CharacterBank has revealed further details regarding what to expect in Ruins Magus. An RPG where you go to investigate the abandoned ruins below the prosperous town of Grand Amnis, it’ll feature over 25 story-driven quests where you have to face powerful Guardians who protect ancient artefacts and solve deadly puzzles to unlock the mysteries of the ruins. In battle, you’ll be able to call upon 14 types of magic across three categories: Charge Magic, Skill Magic, and Special Deadly Magic, as well as utilising nine armour, gauntlet, and shield types.

Ruins Magus

“CharacterBank has the creativity, passion, and technology to create beautiful, compelling worlds that make for immersive gaming experiences that everyone can enjoy. We’re thrilled to be working with CharacterBank and are honoured to help deliver these experiences to the world,” adds Bill Swartz, President & CEO at Mastiff.

With Mastiff onboard, CharacterBank is now aiming to launch Ruins Magus for Meta Quest and SteamVR headsets this Spring. As further updates are released gmw3 will keep you updated.

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Home Sweet Home Makes a Shocking Appearance on PlayStation VR

When it comes to videogame launches across the American and European markets, there can often be a bit of disparity between the two. Take the new release of Home Sweet Home on PlayStation VR for example. Originally released in time for 2018s Halloween season in the US, the title has now just arrived for European players.

Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home is a dark narrative inspired by Thai lore, myths, and beliefs that aims to captivate players via its use of stealth and lack of weapons. There’s no way to fight against the horror that lurks in the shadows, all you can do is stay hidden and work your way through the labyrinthine building, avoiding the evil spirits that roam the corridors.

“After a long night filled with mourning and sorrow over the recent disappearance of his wife, Tim awakens to find himself in a strange, dilapidated building instead of the comfort of his own home. Confused, he must avoid deadly spirits, solve perplexing puzzles, and unveil sinister secrets while desperately searching for his wife and a way out,” explains the bio.

The title can be played with or without the PlayStation VR if it becomes a little too scary. Just as the spirits roam every room and alley, you must also inspect every corner of this nightmare to learn its secrets and the tragedies that have befallen the condemned.

Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home is the first in a series of terrifying first-person stealth horror videogames developer Mastiff has planned. How these interlink has been revealed just yet, but it may be along the lines of Wolf & Woods episodic horror franchise The Exorcist VR which came in five instalments with individual stories for each under one whole narrative umbrella.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Home Sweet Home, reporting back when further details on the series are available.

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Explore The Depths of the Thai Spirit World In Home Sweet Home

October has been claimed by many as ‘spooky season’, with many people seeking out horror-themed entertainment, including horror movies, scare mazes and of course, horror videogames. Developer and publisher Mastiff along with Yggdrazil Group are seeking to cater to this with the launch of first-person survival horror title Home Sweet Home which is coming to the PlayStation VR.

Despite the cheery-sounding title, Home Sweet Home is a dark exploration of the mythology, religion and lore of Thailand.

Home Sweet Home

Within the videogame players find themselves in a dark and strange labyrinth. Players take the role of Tim, a man trapped in grief and mourning over the disappearance of his wife. Despite going to sleep in his own comfortable home, he awakes to find he is in a dilapidated building, where nothing is quite what it seems.

Players need to seek escape and find the reason for Tim’s wife’s disappearance while avoiding dangerous spirits and uncovering dark secrets that have long been hidden. Players do not have any weapons to help them, instead they have only their wits, meaning that a sharp eye of good places to hide becomes a valuable skill.

Home Sweet Home is a narrative-focussed title, which concentrates on aspects of Thai mythology and beliefs in an effort to capture the imagination of the players and play to fears that are universal in the human mind.

In order to uncover the truth, players will need to make careful use of stealth, locate good hiding places, know when to be quiet, and when to run. There are also various investigative skills available in the gameplay to help reveal hidden secrets.

Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home is available from the PlayStation Store, and is compatible with the PlayStation VR. A physical edition of the title is also available exclusively from GameStop. The launch trailer is also available to view below.

For future coverage of new and upcoming VR titles, keep checking back with VRFocus.

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Heavy Fire: Red Shadow Shoots its Way onto PlayStation VR in October

Last week saw developer Mastiff launch survival horror Home Sweet Home for PlayStation VR. This week the studio has another virtual reality (VR) compatible title ready to launch for the headset, an arcade shooter called Heavy Fire: Red Shadow.

Heavy Fire: Red Shadow

The next installment of the Heavy Fire series and the first to offer VR support, Heavy Fire: Red Shadow is a stationary wave-based shooter with players taking control of a gun emplacement.

Set in a future where tensions between North Korea and the United States have reached breaking point, players find themselves in the tattered combat boots of Sgt. Will, who narrowly survived a North Korean missile attack on Guam designed to knock out its defenses, and now finds himself almost single-handedly trying to repulse a large-scale North Korean raid.

Sat behind a turret-mounted machine gun and rocket launcher combo, players need to mow down enemies across an eight stage Campaign mode, or fight non-stop in Endless Mode as hostiles attack for all angles. Also at their disposal is the ability to call in supply drops and support from elite infantry troops, fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, and more.

Heavy Fire: Red Shadow

As players progress they can unlock more than 30 Field Promotions, earning power-ups to upgrade and customise their machine gun, rocket launcher, health, and support skills.

Due to launch both digitally and physically on 16th October, players who download the PlayStation 4 demo and pre-order the videogame will receive a special PS4 system theme. The physical edition of Heavy Fire: Red Shadow, which includes the base game and PlayStation VR mode, will be available exclusively at Walmart stores across North America. The title is available now to pre-order on PlayStation Store for $19.99 USD. For any further updates from Mastiff regarding its VR compatible titles, keep reading VRFocus.

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Chilling Survival Horror Home Sweet Home Claws Onto PlayStation VR in October

It might be too early to think about Christmas however there’s another big celebration to enjoy next month, Halloween. Of course that usually means an influx of terrifying horror titles to enjoy, a genre that virtual reality (VR) is particularly adept at. Due for launch in a few weeks time is Yggdrazil Group’s chilling experience Home Sweet Home, coming to PlayStation 4 with additional PlayStation VR support.

Home Sweet Home

It takes some inventiveness to come up with an original horror experience nowadays, as they generally involve zombies, Lovecraftian monsters or some sort of demonic entity. Ubisoft’s Transference is one such title and Yggdrazil Group’s Home Sweet Home could well be another, with a story based on real-world Thai mythology and lore.

Sot he story goes that: “After a long night filled with mourning and sorrow over the recent disappearance of his wife, Tim awakens to find himself in a strange, dilapidated building instead of the comfort of his own home. Naturally confused, he desperately begins to search for a way out while attempting to solve questions that could lead to answers regarding his wife’s disappearance, he finds himself being hunted by blood-thirsty evil spirits. There is a dark and sinister secret casting a shadow over this interconnected labyrinth…and without question, it’s no longer the happy home that it once was.”

Very much the survival horror, Home Sweet Home features no weapons to speak of. Players have to use stealth and their investigative skills to evade the deadly spirits and understand whats going on.

Home Sweet Home

“We are very excited to be working with Mastiff in order to bring the dark, Thai-inspired world of Home Sweet Home to consoles,” said Saroot Tubloy, Chief Operating Officer of Yggdrazil Group in a statement. “The game’s real-world lore and mythology is sure to captivate and intrigue players, while its brooding narrative keeps them clinging to the edge of their seat.”

Home Sweet Home is the first in the series of horror titles from Yggdrazil Group and Mastiff, with a digital launch date set for 9th October. A physical copy of Home Sweet Home will also make it to GameStop shelves across North America on 16th October. For any further updates keep reading VRFocus.