The PlayStation VR has skyrocketed to the forefront of consumer virtual reality (VR) since its launch back in 2016. In the 18 months since the debut of the head-mounted display (HMD) we’ve seen some fantastic VR experiences become available, with the likes of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Farpoint and Moss redefining what videogaming can mean, but along the way we’ve also seen some fantastic looking experiences disappear off-the-grid. VRFocus now takes a moment to remember some of our fallen friends and question where they are now.
We’re not talking about tech demo’s here – the likes of Final Fantasy XIV and a VR edition of 2014’s Thief reboot amongst the many that we never really expected a full consumer release for – but rather those titles which were announced with the intention of launching via the PlayStation Store before disappearing off-the-radar. For example, Golem. Highwire Games’ Golem was announced in 2016, only to drop out of the public eye for over a year before being confirmed for a 2018 release back in October 2017. Below are some of the other titles we’ve not heard about for some time.
Godling
Initially announced way back in 2015, development on Sólfar Studios’ Golding came to a halt in favour of progressing with Everest VR. Since then, VRFocus has regularly asked Sólfar Studios what the plans are for the title, including recently when discussing the impending launch of In Death. Sadly, there’s nothing new to report on this promising adventure/god sim.
Bow to Blood
Revealed as part of an extensive line-up of new PlayStation VR titles at last year’s Paris Games Week, Bow to Blood puts teams of players in charge of an airship as they engage in combat with rival crews. Since the debut of Bow to Blood – which stated a 2018 release for the videogame – developer Tribe Toy has offered no new updates. No trailers, no screenshots; nothing. Here’s hoping we’ll hear more at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).
Quar: Infernal Machines
Quar: Infernal Machines (formerly known as Quar: Battle for Gate 18) was one of the best strategy titles on the HTC Vive at launch. The PlayStation VR release has long been on the schedule though has suffered repeated delays. Last VRFocus heard was an expected March 2018 launch, which has obviously now passed. Will we still see Quar: Infernal Machines on PlayStation VR in 2018? Here’s hoping so.
Megalith
Megalith is another PlayStation VR title that was revealed during Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) Paris Games Week press conference last year, only to have disappeared shortly thereafter. A release in Q1 2018 had been expected, but currently there’s no confirmation of a specific date. For many of those keenly following the PlayStation VR software line-up, Megalith’s opportunity to play as a titan on a quest to become a powerful god though a stylized, destructible world has positioned it as one of the most highly anticipated titles of 2018.
Transference
A joint venture between Ubisoft and Elijah Wood’s Spectrevision, Transference is an interesting first-person horror experience. Flitting between both eerie and ultra-violent with abandon, Transference casts the player as an investigator exploring digital reconstructions of a man’s mind. It’s weird, and given that it has been suggested for launch in June 2018, it’s likely to get a big showing at E3.
The PlayStation 4’s virtual reality (VR) platform has entered its second year of consumer availability, and with it has brought some [link to best of 2017]fantastic PlayStation VR titles throughout 2017[/link]. However, it’s time to look ahead at some of the highlights coming in 2018.The release schedule for the PlayStation VR has never looked better, with an assortment of indie and AAA videogames coming over the next six months. Both digital-only and retail packages will lead the way to further consumer adoption, and below you’ll find some of the biggest and best titles heading to PlayStation VR in 2018.
Moss – Polyarc Games
Polyarc Games’ Moss was announced at last year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Los Angeles, in June, and has since soared to the top of many PlayStation VR players’ ‘most wanted’ lists. The incidental detail in the animation of heroine Quill is nothing short of amazing, and the pacing between action and logic puzzle solving – at least in the early preview build of Moss – is almost pitch-perfect.
Moss is set for release on 27th February 2018, exclusively on PlayStation VR.
Blood & Truth – Sony London Studios
Blood & Truth is considered by many to be the evolution of The London Heist, which featured on PlayStation VR launch compilation, PlayStation VR Worlds. Developed by Sony London Studios, Blood & Truth places the player into the heart of London’s organised crime syndicate on a mission for revenge. There have been some misgivings about the nature of the player’s movement and the voiceover seen in the preview build of Blood & Truth, but hope remains high that Sony London Studios will deliver the deep mafia experience many PlayStation VR owners are hoping for.
Blood & Truth will launch at an unannounced date in 2018, exclusively for PlayStation VR.
The Inpatient – Supermassive Games
UK studio Supermassive Games have two announced titles coming to PlayStation VR in 2018, and while Bravo Team just missed out on making it into this feature, The Inpatient is arguably a more unique and involving experience. Continuing the trend of fleshing-out the hugely popular Until Dawn universe, The Inpatient takes place in the Sanitarium featured in the original PlayStation 4 exclusive and tasks the player with facing some odd goings on as they attempt to keep a grip on their sanity.
The Inpatient is set for release on 24th January 2018, exclusively on PlayStation VR.
Golem – Highwire Games
Having originally been announced back in 2016, Golem disappeared off the radar for some time. Re-emerging at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) Paris Games Week press conference, Highwire Games’ VR debut shot right back to the top of the PlayStation VR’s most anticipated list. An adventure that gives the player the opportunity to explore the ruins of the Endless City, engaging in melee combat as they wield a sword and swing it as though it were a real blade; learning how to thrust, block and parry.
One for fans of the series or the videogames industry as a whole, Megadimension Neptunia VIIR is a commentary on the rivalry between videogame consoles and the hardware manufacturers behind them. While Megadimension Neptunia VIIR is in fact an ‘enhanced’ remake of Megadimension Neptunia VII, the most significant difference is the fact that players will be able to get face-to-face with several characters from the series for the first time.
Megadimension Neptunia VIIR is set to launch on 13th April 2018, exclusively for PlayStation VR.
Megalith – Disruptive Games
One of the most recently announced PlayStation VR titles, along with Blood & TruthDisruptive Games revealed Megalith at SIE’s Paris Games Week press conference. Megalith sees the player taking the role of a titan in a world with a bleak, stylised aesthetic. On a quest to become a powerful god, players will explore and destroy as they utilise powerful weapons to take out their foes.
Megalith is set to launch at a currently unspecified date in 2018, exclusively for PlayStation VR.
Star Child – Playful Corp.
Playful Corp.’s VR debut came in the form of the Oculus Rift exclusive Lucky’s Tale, a critically acclaimed platform videogame featuring a cute bouncing fox that eventually made the leap to Xbox One. This time around, Star Child presents a neon drenched science-fiction adventure for PlayStation VR. Star Child is a homage to classic side-scrolling platformers of yesteryear with the player running and jump through a world that encourages you to lean in and explore its depths with the new immersion afforded by VR technology. In a similar fashion to Paw Print Games’ Bloody Zombies, the action may be limited to a 2D plane but the player’s viewpoint is not, allowing for secrets to be discovered through observation.
Star Child is currently set to launch at an unspecified date in 2018, exclusively for PlayStation VR.
Quar: Infernal Machines – Steel Wool Studios
Aside from League of War: VR Arena and No Heroes Allowed! VR, PlayStation VR is somewhat lacking in strategy videogames. Steel Wool Studios will soon change that fact with Quar: Infernal Machines, a HTC Vive launch title that remains one of the most compelling strategy titles on the format. Players will engage in combat as they attempt to take control of the land with a variety of oddball creatures and weaponry.
Quar: Infernal Machines originally launched on HTC Vive under the guise of Quar: Battle for Gate 18, and will launch on PlayStation VR in March 2018.
The American Dream – Samurai Punk
Originally expected to launch in 2017, Samurai Punk’s The American Dream is the antithesis of the current trend for wave shooters in VR. Acting as a tongue-in-cheek examination of American gun culture – or potentially a commentary on it, should the tone be pitched correctly – The American Dream has the player using firearms to conduct even the most mundane activities. What’s better than opening a beer can with a gun? Nothing. That’s what.
The American Dream was originally intended to launch in 2017 and is currently expected to launch early in 2018 on PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – Mars – Konami Digital Entertainment
The announcement that Konami were preparing a return to the Zone of the Enders franchise came as somewhat of a shock, especially as they were developing VR compatibility as part of the package. Of course, it makes perfect sense; there are few action videogames that lend themselves to VR as well as piloting giant mechs. And while Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – Mars looks set to be a compelling rendition of the franchise, little has yet been revealed of exactly how the videogame will play in VR.
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – Mars is set to launch at an unspecified date in spring 2018, for PlayStation 4, Steam and PlayStation VR.
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Honourable Mention: Fallout 4 VR – Bethesda Game Studios
Fallout 4 VR is the ‘one that got away’. Bethesda Game Studios had a trio of VR launches over the holiday season, and while The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR and DOOM VFR both graced the PlayStation VR, Fallout 4 VR currently remains a HTC Vive exclusive. The suggestion is that Fallout 4 VR will eventually come to the PlayStation VR in time, but Bethesda Game Studios has offered no official word on when that might be. Fingers crossed PlayStation VR gamers don’t have to wait too long to experience the wasteland of the Commonwealth first-hand.
One of the HTC Vive’s best strategy titles, Quar: Battle for Gate 18, was announced for PlayStation 4 back in August of this year. Compatible with PlayStation VR, the videogame has now received a new title for its console launch, set to be known as Quar: Infernal Machines.
Developed by Steel Wool Games, Quar: Infernal Machines sees players taking in the role of a general, commanding cavalry to sweep the enemy’s flanks, Baeliog armoured tractors forward to shatter hardened defences, rhyflers armed with weapons ranging from the humble Bogen rifle to heavy-automatic shotguns to hold the line as you call in deadly airstrikes to take down enemy encampments.
Funbox Media has already seen success on PlayStation VR with the publishing of Big Moon Entertainment’s Syndrome and more recently Microids’ ATV Drift & Tricks, both of which offer PlayStation VR compatibility in addition to traditional monitor/TV-based gameplay. Quar: Infernal Machines however, launched as strictly a virtual reality (VR) experience on PC; whether or not the videogame will be playable without PlayStation VR on PlayStation 4 has not yet been confirmed, however the revised box art (seen below) features the ‘PlayStation VR Compatible’ slogan, opposed to ‘PlayStation VR Required’.
VRFocusreviewed Quar: Battle for Gate 18 upon release, stating of the original HTC Vive title: “Turn-based strategy is one of those genres that many would assume might not necessarily be a good fit for VR, however those suggesting this simply haven’t played Quar: Battle for Gate 18.”
Sadly, Quar: Infernal Machines has also seen a short delay. Originally expected to launch on PlayStation 4 last month, the title is now scheduled for a March 2018 release. Both Amazon and Play Asia are currently offering pre-orders for the title, which has a suggested retail price (SRP) of £24.99 GBP.
Hopefully Quar: Infernal Machines will not suffer any further delays, and VRFocus will continue to keep you updated with all the latest details.
Developed by Steel Wool Games, Quar: Infernal Machines sees players taking in the role of a general, commanding cavalry to sweep the enemy’s flanks, Baeliog armoured tractors forward to shatter hardened defences, rhyflers armed with weapons ranging from the humble Bogen rifle to heavy-automatic shotguns to hold the line as you call in deadly airstrikes to take down enemy encampments.