Category: Oculus Quest

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Bonelab Announced: Boneworks Follow-Up Coming To Quest 2, PC VR In 2022

Bonelab is the new game from Boneworks developer, Stress Level Zero.

The game was revealed today at the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase and looks to be a direct follow-up to 2019’s Boneworks. It will release for Quest 2 and PC VR headsets later this year.

Bonelab is an action-adventure physics game with a brand new story and “two years of innovation and interaction engine progress”, building on the foundation that started with Boneworks.

As confirmed by Stress Level Zero earlier this week, the game won’t have any downgraded physics on Quest 2 — while the GPU of Quest 2 isn’t on par with PC, the CPU is, in the developer’s words, actually “pretty strong”.

The trailer embedded above does feature PC VR footage however, so we’ll have to wait to see what the visuals look like on Quest 2. That being said, the game seems like a logical evolution of the world and mechanics from 2019’s Boneworks. There’s also a tease of a locked box labeled ‘Boneworks’ at the end of the trailer. Could this be a hint that the original game might be playable in Bonelab in some form?

bonelab stress level zero

Here’s a summary of what else to expect, taken from the Oculus Blog:

Escaping execution, you’ll find yourself in a mysterious underground lab. Uncover the truth about your reality. Fight, run, and climb as you explore an exquisitely detailed combat simulation where every object reacts exactly the way you’d expect—and as a result, where creativity is just as important as skill. There will also be mod support, so you’ll be able to enhance your experience with new maps, new weapons, and new avatars.

While mods traditionally are only supported on PC VR headsets for cross-platform titles, there’s no indication of that here. Based off the description, it seems likely that Quest 2 users will also be able to install game mods for Bonelabs when it releases later this year. While not the first Quest 2 title to support mods — Blade And Sorcery: Nomad integrated them last year — it would be one of the biggest releases to do so.

Stress Level Zero also recently said there was a “high possibility” that the studio’s future titles would release on PSVR 2. While there was no Bonelab PSVR 2 confirmation today, let’s hope for more news in that regard soon.

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Beat Saber Electronic Mixtape Announced: Deadmau5, Marshmello, Zedd & More

Meta just announced Beat Saber’s next set of DLC tracks at today’s Meta Quest Gaming Showcase. The Beat Saber Electronic Mixtape will feature 10 hits from artists like Deadmau5, Zedd, Marshmello and more.

Most DLC packs for Beat Saber focus solely on one artist, but this pack will be the second DLC ‘mixtape’ release which features an array of different artists from one period.

Here’s the full tracklist of the Electronic Mixtape:

  • Waiting All Night (feat. Ella Eyre) by Rudimental
  • Witchcraft by Pendulum
  • Icarus by Madeon
  • Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff (feat. Rob Swire) by Deadmau5
  • Alone by Marshmello
  • Stay the Night (feat. Hayley Williams) by Zedd
  • Sandstorm by Darude
  • The Rockafeller Skank by Fatboy Slim
  • Freestyler by Bomfunk MC
  • Animals by Martin Garrix

As you can see, there are some big names and hits in the pack, but perhaps the most prominent is Sandstorm by Darude. IT’s one of the most iconic electronic songs of all time and a huge internet hit/meme track. In other words, it could be a perfect addition to the Beat Saber catalog.

The Electronic Mixtape release date follows on from the Fall Out Boy DLC, released last month, and has no confirmed release date as of yet. That being said, the time between announcement and release for Beat Saber DLCs tends to be pretty short, so expect to see it sooner rather than later.

As usual, the pack will be available across all platforms — Quest, Rift, PSVR and Steam — for a bundled price of $12.99 or an individual track price of $1.99 each.

This was just one announcement from today’s Meta Quest Gaming Showcase — keep an eye out for news on more releases and updates to come.

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New Cities VR Trailer Focuses On Building & Managing Your City

A new trailer for Cities VR focuses on options for managing and building your city, ahead of the game’s release next week.

While we’ve received a plethora of trailers for Cities VR in the lead up to release, this one gives us the clearest and most comprehensive look at the management and design systems in the game. You can check it out in the video embedded below.

As you would expect, a lot of these look directly ripped from the original game, just adapted for VR. There will be different modes of zoning, custom scenery and decoration options, utility management with power lines and water pipes, budget and income adjustments, and much more.

Cities VR is one of two city-building games releasing for Quest headsets in the next few weeks. Cities VR is set to launch on Quest 2 on April 28 for $29.99. The other, Little Cities, was scheduled originally for release this week, on April 21. However, the developers announced yesterday that the game is being pushed to a ‘quieter week’ in May, so that it can get the attention it deserves and won’t be overshadowed by all of the big announcements from today’s Quest Gaming Showcase. Little Cities will now release on May 12, for both the original Quest and Quest 2.

We tried Little Cities earlier this month and found it to be a pleasant experience, but wondered if later levels will offer the challenge players want from a city-building simulator. While we haven’t had the chance to try Cities VR yet, the game looks much more focused on bringing the detailed simulation and management aspects of the original game, Cities Skylines, to its VR counterpart.

Cities VR releases April 28 for Quest 2 headsets for $29.99 and is available to pre-order with a 10% discount now.

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New Trailer For Ruinsmagus Debuts At Meta Quest Showcase

A new trailer debuted for Ruinsmagus at the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase today, with the VR JPRG set to arrive on Quest and PC VR later this year.

Developed by CharacterBank, the game recently found a publisher in Mastiff, who will help bring the game to audiences outside Japan. You can watch the latest trailer for the title below, which debuted today at the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase.

You’ll start Ruinsmagus as a novice wizard and eventually become a “powerful, spell-wielding Magus.” The game features 26 narrative-driven “multi-stage quests,” all of which will be fully-voice acted in Japanese, featuring Naomi Ohzora, Ai Maeda, Eiji Takemoto and more. English subtitles and text will also be available, as you would expect.

As you progress through the game, you’ll be collecting keys, called the ‘Clavis Stones’, to unlock the Doorway of Truth

Here’s an overview of the narrative and lore, taken from the Oculus Blog:

In RUINSMAGUS, you will take on the role of a novice magician recruited to investigate the underground ruins beneath the lush and lively town of Grand Amnis. While deeply shrouded in mystery, it is widely known that the town’s prosperity relies on artifacts hidden deep within the ruins, protected by powerful and fearless Guardians. Faced with a daunting challenge, our brave explorers must heed the call and answer the question haunting every one of their fellow citizens: What mysteries and dangers lurk beneath the gilded streets and alleys of Grand Amnis?

Are you looking forward to Ruinsmagus? Let us know in the comments below!

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Comfirmed – Moss: Book II Coming To Quest 2 This Summer

Moss: Book II is coming to Quest 2 headsets this summer, after launching exclusively on PSVR a few weeks ago.

The news broke via a new trailer aired during today’s Meta Quest Gaming Showcase, confirming a Summer 2022 launch for the game on Quest 2.

While nonetheless good news, this is perhaps one of the least surprising announcements from today’s showcase. Developers Polyarc had previously expressed plans to bring Moss: Book II to other non-PSVR platforms “as soon as possible.”

Moss 2 Quest 2 Trailer

Now with confirmation of a Quest release, we’ll keep our fingers crossed for an eventual PC VR release (and maybe even PSVR 2, down the line) as well, but no news on that front just yet.

We enjoyed the sequel when we reviewed its PSVR release earlier this month. We noted that it was a solid sequel to the original and built well on those ideas, but still left us wanting just a little bit more:

[Moss: Book II] adds brilliant new gameplay mechanics that make for some innovative combat encounters, whilst puzzles prove to be a surprise highlight. More impressive, though, are some of the ways the game catches you off-guard with both the story and that series-defining bond you establish with Quill reaching new heights. But, just as with the first entry, you’re left wanting more of just about everything; its a longer game but still on the lean side, ending just as its best ideas start to get fleshed out. Greedy as it may sound, this still isn’t the sweeping epic you know this series has in it, but instead another reassuring step towards getting there. 

Moss: Book II is available for PSVR now and releases for Quest 2 this summer. You can read our full review of the PSVR version here.

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In Death – Siege Of Heaven: Undeniable, Accessible Wave-Based Fun

There’s something alluring about the entire creepy feel of In Death: Unchained.

When that haunting chorus of voices starts up over the Superbright logo, the tone is set perfectly and you know you’re in for a good time.

This isn’t a new revelation for me – In Death is a game I thoroughly enjoyed back when it released for Quest, as you can read in my review – but it is a reaffirmed one. I largely put the the game down after launch, but returned this week to check out what’s been added since then, including the Siege of Heaven mode added in late 2020 and updated this week. I came away very impressed.

Siege of Heaven is a wave-based defense mode that is designed for simpler, shorter chunks of gameplay. You still get that addictive archery mechanic, but in a smaller package that does away with the macro roguelike structure from the main campaign. It’s the best parts of In Death’s gameplay, in a different format.

If you’ve played any other wave shooter, the concept is simple to grasp – you stand in one position, largely stationary, shooting down enemies before they can reach a gate or area. As waves progress, enemies get faster and numerous — let too many through, and it’s game over.

There’s now quite a number of maps available for Siege of Heaven, all based on worlds and environments from the original campaign mode. The most recent update, released this week, adds two new levels to the mode, based on the campaign world Desolation.

One of these levels is the first 360 degree level for the mode, requiring you to defend from all angles and upping the pressure, as seen in the video embedded above. While the gate-based levels are equally as fun, the pressure of the 360 degree layout feels particularly potent. The use of spatial audio on this map is also fantastic, really allowing you to pinpoint enemies locations before you can see them.

In death unchained

But no matter which map you play, Siege of Heaven feels like an absolutely perfect addition to Unchained’s offering on Quest. Not only does it provide an option for a quicker style of game, but it also retains all the best mechanics, just in a more accessible format. There’s still a strong sense of place – all of the environments look absolutely stunning, and the entire mood created by the set dressing and the enemies is unmatched. Everything still feels very tangible – the bow and arrow is as satisfying to use as ever, as is the giant church bell you shoot to start each wave. Enemies look just as creepy, but their attributes take on new meanings in this mode – faster enemies are more of a threat, flying enemies can be troublesome to manage, and summoners will duplicate enemies to cause extra mayhem.

Your score on each run can also be bolstered by different types of skill shots, such as long distance shots or shots you land through gaps in the environment. Every enemy can also be taken down with one single, well-placed headshot, which adds fantastic depth and challenge to every moment. If you’re good enough, you can take down enemies in quick succession and build up a combo while you’re at it — landing four or five quick shots in a row has never felt better.

In death unchained

This recent update also adds in achievements for Siege of Heaven, giving players even more reason to replay runs and improve. The feeling of working toward multiple goals, be it achievements or high scores, really enriches the mode and makes it feel much more than something that was just tacked on post-launch.

Siege of Heaven is now an essential component of the In Death offering on Quest. For those that want to full roguelike experience, there’s still the campaign, but otherwise, the Siege of Heaven content takes most of what makes the campaign so fun and spins it across an equally delightful and accessible new format.

In Death: Unchained is available now for the Meta Quest platform.

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App Lab Roundup: Magic, Dreams and Godlike Power

Each week we will be taking a look at some of the upcoming videogames, demos and unique experiences available through Oculus App Lab for the Meta Quest headsets. Many of these videogames come in varying states of completion, so each title is subject to change.

This week we’re getting involved with some proof of concepts featuring magic, nightmares and God-like abilities.

Fantasy Arena

I’m going to be honest, I didn’t think a MOBA would work in virtual reality (VR). Ultimately, it shouldn’t. A genre that is usually viewed from a top-down or isometric camera, has been adapted so that the player takes a first-person view of a headline hero. 

Here, in Fantasy Arena, you’re equipped with a magic staff and a squad of soldiers. As the genre dictates, you march on, capturing strategic points along a path until you reach the enemy spawn point. Playing as a magic character, you can fire off energy bolts or sticky goo which damages or traps the enemy respectively. Better than that, a vast Area of Effect (AoE) attack can rain down lightning and decimate any bad guys within the circle.

Now, before you go running off to download Fantasy Arena, and you should, it’s worth keeping in mind that this is very much a work in progress. The environments are bare with only a few buildings and there is no variation in the enemies. Taken as a proof of concept, it shows that a MOBA can work very well in VR as it puts you into the shoes of the heroes. With two maps available, Fantasy Arena showcases its potential very well.

The Client VR

A much chunkier demo comes from The Client VR and is perhaps the most interesting title this week. You play as a disembodied pair of hands that can wield a form of magic. You have a magic wand and a crystal ball and these must be used to solve environmental puzzles.

You play as a guardian of sorts, watching over people trapped within a nightmare. The aim is to guide the dreamer from point A to point B – point B just happens to be a nice cosy bed where they will enjoy a better night’s sleep. The path to decent slumber is made dangerous due to horrible little demons who will attack the dreamer, plus a maze-like environment to hold them up. You use the wand to blast the demons or distract them, while the crystal ball opens gates and moves aspects of the maze.

There’s a sense of late-90s puzzler to The Client VR in its gameplay, but also its quirky aesthetic. This is a major highlight for me because the game then stands out from so many other titles available in VR. It’s bizarre in places, oddly funny, and while the puzzles may not be overly taxing, the game stretches itself out by challenging you to complete each level with certain requirements.

On the whole, the design of The Client VR is lovely – spooky and surreal while being outlandish in a seemingly Japanese presentation. I found myself taking off the headset and wanting to put it straight back on to play some more. 

Project Demigod

Project Demigod feels like a sandbox playground. You start in a lab of some kind, where you will learn how to use weapons and abilities before spawning into the main playing area, with or without AI enemies. In this area you’ll find moving targets, crumbling buildings, and giant platforms – it’s a violent version of Total Wipeout!

Where this demo comes alive, is in how it makes you feel. There’s a lot of inspiration taken from comic book superpowers. Each hand can take on a different ability for some mixing and matching. For example, at one point I had a web-shooter on my right hand and a pillar of flame in my left. This allowed me to swing through the obstacles, let go of the web, and then hover in mid-air by angling the flame downwards.

Once my feet hit the ground again, I spawned in some goons to fight and switched my abilities for more combat-focused powers. Now I had a sword in one hand and an energy blaster on the other and I was laying out the bad guys left and right.

For anyone looking for some depth, you won’t really find it here. As a sandbox experience, however, it will spark joy, for sure. The physics are great, the abilities are varied and give a real sense of power. In essence, this is a superpower simulator, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. I only hope the game that sprawls out of this manages to capture this sense of fun. 

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Myst Studio To Publish VR Puzzler The Last Clockwinder, New Trailer

Developer Pontoco debuted a new trailer for its upcoming VR puzzle game The Last Clockwinder, alongside announcements of new funding and publishing partnerships.

The trailer, embedded above, isn’t too dissimilar to the one we saw back in December. It shows off the basic premise of the game – create an automated chain of robots to solve puzzles, fueled by gestures and actions that you perform in VR that the robots can then mimic perfectly to create a supply chain.

Pontoco also noted that the concept for The Last Clockwinder didn’t start out as one designed for VR. “We didn’t set out to make a VR game, initially. But we stumbled on this mechanic, and the more we played with it, the more we realised we had to make this game,” said the studio, in a prepared statement. “We wanted to make an automation game, but where you were the machines.”

The studio also announced two new partnerships this week, one of which is with Cyan Ventures. The core Cyan team is best known for its seminal adventure game, Myst, as well as upcoming VR title, Firmament. But the Ventures arm is a publishing team that’s also working on other VR titles like Area Man Lives. The other partnership is with Robot Teddy, a consulting and funding team that worked on Superhot VR and is also helping bring Among Us VR to headsets soon.

The Last Clockwinder is still set for release later this year in the summer for both Quest 2 and PC VR.

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In Death: Unchained Season 5 Brings New Siege Of Heaven Content

A new update coming to In Death: Unchained will begin the game’s fifth season and includes a bunch of new content to the game’s Siege of Heaven game mode.

Back in December 2020, In Death: Unchained launched Siege of Heaven, a wave-based mode that sees you defending against enemies in shorter, more-focused rounds of gameplay.

This is very different to In Death’s main game mode, where you explore levels and fight off enemies in a roguelike format, dying and repeating over and over again to get further than last time.

The new updates to Siege of Heaven add two more maps to the wave-based mode, based off the Desolation world added to the main campaign in October 2021. Not only will these new maps be set in the Desolation environments, but they will feature the same enemies from that area as well.

One of the two new maps features the first 360 degree level, requiring you to defend from waves of enemies spawning from all angles.

In death unchained

As you can see from the trailer and screenshots, these new environments look absolutely fantastic and feature some stunning lighting and effects. This is thanks to the new real-time lighting system and volumetric fog effects that were implemented last October alongside Desolation.

Plus, players will now be able to select their starting special arrow for all Siege of Heaven runs, plus work to unlock 15 new achievements added to the mode.

In death unchained

In Death first released for PC VR but was ported and updated for Quest in 2020, released as In Death: Unchained. Since then, the Quest release has received several exclusive updates, surpassing the PC VR version and offering much more new content. We enjoyed the game at the time of release and gave it a ‘Great’ in our review, but it’s fair to say that since then, a great deal more has been added to Unchained.

The Siege of Heaven: Desolation update is available from today, launching alongside the game’s fifth season on Quest.

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Meta: 124 Quest Apps Have Earned More Than $1M, 8 Have Earned More Than $20M

At GDC last month, Meta shared the clearest look yet at the number of apps reaching various revenue milestones on the Quest platform. So far, 124 apps have earned $1 million in revenue or more, while 8 have exceeded $20 million.

In February Meta said the total amount of money spent on the Quest store had surpassed $1 billion, showing just how much spending on the marketplace has grown since the launch of Quest 2.

Last month at GDC, Meta’s Director of Content Ecosystem, Chris Pruett, shared the clearest look yet at how many apps are seeing material success on the Quest store over the last year. Lining up the data with some previously shared figures gives us an interesting look at how the Quest store is progressing over time.

First, here are the numbers Pruett shared at GDC, which include data up to February 2022.

An important not here is that these revenue buckets are exclusive, meaning 35 of the apps have exceeded $1 million but not exceeded $2 million (and so on). In total, 124 apps have exceeded the $1 million mark.

Quest Apps Reaching Revenue Milestones Over Time

Lining up the data with the same figures shared by Meta previously gives us an idea of how things are trending over time. First is a naive look at the data points side-by-side:

But this doesn’t account for the time between data points, nor differences in seasonal sales volume. With some interpolation we can account for time and seasonal differences by looking at a yearly average of all apps exceeding $1 million in revenue.

Of our three charts so far, this is the most normalized way to look at the data. The chart above tells us how many apps are reaching the $1 million milestone each year, on average. The number is increasing overall, which is a good sign, though the rate of the increase is slowing.

One variable that could significantly impact how we understand this data is that rate at which apps are being allowed into the store (since Meta hand-picks which apps do and don’t go on the Quest store). The number of apps in the store has been growing at a surprisingly linear rate, so we can say it likely isn’t having much of an impact on the chart above.

Granted, many of Quest’s early apps have been previously successful VR games that were ported to the headset, which makes their success more assured than the growing number of brand new VR apps that have launched as the platform has aged. This could account for the slowing rate of apps reaching $1 million each year on Quest.

Continue on Page 2: Quest Store Revenue Distribution, Top Earning Apps »

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