Sólfar Studios – Page 2 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

April 26, 2018

Missing in Action: Where are these PlayStation VR Games?

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.

Golem header

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.

April 18, 2018

‘In Death’ April Update Brings Asynchronous Challenge Mode and Hellishly Difficult Dungeons

In Death, the roguelike bow-shooter from Sólfar Studios, the developers behind Everest VR (2016), just received a much-awaited update that’s aiming to add a little more depth to the polished, and extremely difficult medieval-themed single player game. Starting today, In Death will include dungeons, dubbed ‘The Pits of Damnation’, and an asynchronous multiplayer challenge mode called ‘The Ladder’.

Spaced periodically throughout the game you’ll now find portals to The Pits of Damnation, where you’ll battle new and harder enemies on a one-way route through the discrete level. Dungeon mobs like giant fireball-throwing succubi and geometry-morphing ghosts can end your run pretty quickly if you don’t have what it takes. “If you survive the punishment in the Pits it will be worth the effort as you’ll be rewarded handsomely before emerging back to Purgatory,” Sólfar says in a Steam forum post announcing the update.

The Ladder is a challenge mode divided into several “terraces” patterned after Dante Alighieri’s Purgatorio. At the bottom terrace, called The Proud, you’ll find yourself placed on a list of a dozen other players; the ultimate goal is to work your way up until you finally reach the terrace called The Lustful.

Overall progress of players is assessed two times per week, called ‘the Reckoning’, which could mean moving up a terrace while others fall back down. “As you climb up to higher and higher terraces, the total number of players competing gets smaller and smaller until you reach the ultimate terrace of The Lustful, where only 12 compete globally for the heavenly throne.”

To move up in rankings you have to challenge others in your terrace. A challenge, Sólfar says, is basically a contest between two players where they both will need to finish a run using the same random seed and the same achievement profile—essentially putting both players on equal grounding.

In Death is still in Early Access, but it’s shaping up to be one of the most polished and engaging VR games out there. For a better idea of what to expect, see our updated hands-on with In Death, which includes the new modes.

Check out In Death Steam on (Vive and Rift) and Oculus Home (Rift).

The post ‘In Death’ April Update Brings Asynchronous Challenge Mode and Hellishly Difficult Dungeons appeared first on Road to VR.

February 5, 2018

Mastering the art of Archery Playing Solfar Studios’ In Death

VRFocus is quite found of virtual reality (VR) titles that use more traditional weapons like the bow and arrow. There’s something far more engaging about the whole experience over using guns – shotguns are still fun to use – having to draw the bow, gauging power and adjusting the angle for those distance shots. If you also enjoy the odd bit of archery then Solfar Studios’ latest title, In Death, might well be to your liking, and to showcase the videogame in all its glory VRFocus has another one of its gameplay videos for you.

In Death is a procedurally generate experience so what you see in the video below won’t be exactly what you’ll play through. All the building design and enemies will be the same, but their locations, numbers, and the actual route will alter with every playthrough.

The title is very much a hardcore survival experience, where you have to make it as far as possible with the loadout and items presented to you. To start with this will be very basic, just a bow, loads of arrows and a shield. As you progress you’ll be able to unlock different arrows, explosive, multi-shot, fire and more. You’ll also be able to build up your health to take on bigger foes and larger hordes. Die however and it’s straight back to the start – there are no checkpoints – but all is not lost. Solfar Studios has implemented and achievements system, so once one is unlocked its permanently available to you. This is needed as each playthrough will become harder as you intern do.

The videogame is all about mastering that bow, getting those vital headshots in when needed. While the weaker enemies will just charge straight at you there will be others that stay back, firing arrows at you. This is good use of the shield and movement system come into play. To learn more about In Death’s locomotion and what VRFocus thought about the title read our in-depth preview for more details.

As always, VRFocus will be continuing its coverage of In Depth as development continues in Early Access, so come back for further updates.

February 3, 2018March 29, 2018

Hands-on: Roguelike Bow-shooter ‘In Death’ is Divinely Inspired & Devilishly Fun

In Death is a roguelike bow-shooter from Sólfar Studio, the developers behind Everest VR (2016). Now in Early Access on Steam and Oculus Home, the procedurally generated, medieval-inspired world stretching out in front of you offers a pretty standard selection of monsters, bow-shooting baddies, and magical shops along the way to offer weapon upgrades and precious health points—a fairly familiar concept for fans of the roguelike genre. While the premise is standard, the results are actually pretty surprising.

GDC Update (03/29/18): We went hands-on with a few new modes at GDC 2018 that promise to deepen gameplay in ‘In Death’.

Firstly, Sólfar showed off a new prototype challenge mode that lets you send a challenge request to a fellow player. This gives your competitor all of your available achievements with the objective of beating your high score with all the tools you had during the best run you could muster. While it still isn’t finalized, the mode gives players bragging rights over each other – something Sólfar co-founder and business development director Thor Gunnarsson told me was designed to keep users engaged without relying heavily on concurrent usership of the app.

Besides showing off a few new enemy types, including giant fire-throwing succubus and a terrifying ethereal ghost mob that can morph through the game’s architecture, requiring a single well-placed shot to the heart to kill, the most important update to ‘In Death’ I saw was the newly revealed dungeon system, which places extremely difficult dungeon portals periodically throughout your run.

Stepping into these portals, you’re transported to a high-stakes dungeon filled with ghouls and a boss at the end. These dungeons, while incredibly tough to beat, are also extremely rewarding, throwing plenty of coins and buffs your way upon completion. And once you go in, you have to fight your way to the end no matter what – i.e. no turning back.

Substantially, the game remains the same from my original hands-on (seen below), although Sólfar is still iterating in Early Access. So far, it’s shaping up to be an extremely polished exemplar of a VR roguelike.

Original Article (02/03/18): You’re given a minimal training session, which teaches you how to shoot your bow, and move around. Locomotion is simple. You can teleport by shooting a magical arrow, or teleport by throwing that arrow with your hand for a more precise short-range jump. In the settings, you can also add in smooth-forward motion, which personally makes peeking around corners and dodging arrows a little easier if you’re playing seated. Teleportation is a key element to the game since the world’s architecture isn’t always foot-accessible however. Since it supports both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, you can of course play standing so you can get the most out of dodging those incoming arrows too. Rift users with a standard two-sensor configuration will likely make good use of the game’s snap-turning to get around.

Like most roguelikes, your health bar is the most important element to watch for. A few well-placed arrows from an enemy monk, or a mace square in the jaw from a towering 6-foot Crusader, will put a quick end to your run. If anything, I found ranged enemy accuracy to be too on-point; or maybe it was just my relatively bad accuracy that made me think so. After playing for about 20 minutes and experiencing my first death, I restarted, noticing that I had only made it 7% of the way through. At the time of this writing I’ve still only made it a paltry 25% of the way, the results of a plodding 40-minute run. What lies ahead at this point, I just can’t say.

Accompanied by ominous Gregorian chants and extremely well-realized Romanesque/Gothic architecture, In Death is incredibly atmospheric. A mix of melee and ranged enemies are placed throughout the map’s winding path. Although enemies are finite, once you’ve encountered a group, they can easily outflank you by teleporting around, snapping into existence with a faint screech and re-emerging from a blue ethereal mist. Each enemy telegraphs their attacks differently, so they can be interrupted at any time when shot with an arrow. This is good news for when the hordes start piling up, desperately trying to amble past each other to get to you, although don’t expect them to stay put, as they’ll just as easily poof out of existence and behind you, keeping you on your toes.

That said, I definitely still need work on balancing the game’s locomotion with its combat system, and getting my accuracy down better too. Bow mechanics are rock solid, although I would like some haptic feedback to go along with the audio cue of nocking an arrow.

One thing I learned quickly: you can’t take the easy way out. Traveling by rooftop means you’ll most likely miss out on coins and special items picked up along the way as you kill baddies. Going to the shop, dubbed the ‘Reliquary’, with less than 2500 coins will probably mean you’ll have to backtrack and flush out that last zombies creatures or Blood Templars.

Thankfully, you’re given infinite combat arrows, a basic single shot that is good for most tasks. Although the further you go along, finite arrows like scatter-shots or triple shots help clear out tougher enemies. These can be purchased or found along the way after a particularly impressive headshot.

Since I haven’t made it to the end, I can’t really comment on the game’s length or overall difficulty level yet. Suffice it to say, In Death is neither generous, nor an easy game to play, so practice those headshots, dodge and block those arrows, and clear every last bad guy if you can. If you’re demoralized by a quick death, there’s plenty of achievements to entice you to come back that provide more help (and danger) the more you play.

We’ll be checking back in for a proper review once it exits Early Access, although taking into account the game’s high level of visual polish combined with the reliability to both locomotion and combat systems, it feels pretty consumer-ready so far.

Check out In Death Steam on (Vive and Rift) and Oculus Home (Rift).

The post Hands-on: Roguelike Bow-shooter ‘In Death’ is Divinely Inspired & Devilishly Fun appeared first on Road to VR.

February 2, 2018

Hands-On: In Death Is A Promising VR Roguelike Bow Shooter

One of my favorite core game mechanics in any VR game is a good, responsive bow and arrow as a weapon. It’s why games like Longbow from The Lab are so addictive, Holopoint is so engaging, and why QuiVR was one of the first major co-op success stories. I’m still in love with archery in Skyrim VR as well, for example. So naturally when In Death was announced from Solfar Studios, it had my attention.

Rather than simply ask you to shoot waves of enemies flooding into a central point or performing what amounts to glorified target practice, In Death is a real, authentic game. You can see a 10-minute excerpt of me playing right here:

In Death isn’t an open world game or a sandbox environment by any means, but it does feature a large, medieval-style Gothic-themed castle to explore. You’ll start each round outside the castle and venture forth into its halls. Each time you play the layout is different, enemies are in different spots, and everything is just slightly altered enough to feel fresh. These are the roguelike elements the game’s description alludes to.

With each new game you’ll unlock different “perks” that alter things, such as tweaking damage and enemy spawns, as well as other effects. For example, on my second run I saw brand new enemy types that shot arrows much more quickly and even melee enemies with shields raised. Hitting the small portion of their head exposed at the top of the shield or their toes wasn’t easy — In Death is a game all about precision.

The whole game is built around an innovative archery-based movement system that lets you shoot a teleportation arrow and then immediately teleport to that spot. You can also toss an orb that will teleport you to the new spot. In the menus I could also enable a smooth locomotion mode to use the control stick on the Oculus Touch controllers. Using a combination of all three (like in the video above) felt like the best and most versatile option.

The bow and arrow mechanics worked great and felt super smooth. Using my left hand I could aim my bow and then pull back using the trigger on my right hand to knock an arrow. If I wanted to knock a teleportation arrow instead, I’d pull the string back with B instead of the trigger. Holding the trigger on my left hand turned my bow into a shield and holding Y on the left controller brought up a selection of arrows to switch to. Interestingly, the arrow selection feature also slows down time letting me side-step arrows while they’re in midair. That never got old.

Visually it’s quite stunning, especially when you get a look at the outdoor environments. The whole castle and its adjoining towers are all floating, suspended high in the air. The AI isn’t remarkable and mostly just walks in a straight line towards you, but the way they evolve in subsequent playthroughs makes their lack of intelligence less noticeable.

I’m not quite sure how well a game like this will hold up after a dozen or more attempts, but on first impression it’s one of the most polished and engaging archery-focused titles I’ve seen.

In Death is now available in Early Access on both Oculus Home and Steam for $19.99 with a 10% launch discount, so both Oculus Rift and HTC Vive users can get in on the action. It will also be coming to PSVR eventually as well.

If you decide to check it out, let us know what you think down in the comments below!

Tagged with: In Death, Solfar Studios

February 2, 2018

Solfar Studios Confirm Work on PlayStation VR version of In Death

Yesterday saw Solfar Studios launch its next virtual reality (VR), In Death, via Early Access on both Oculus Store and Steam. Supporting Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets, the rogue-like first-person shooter (FPS) takes place in the afterlife with players having to take on hordes of enemies with just a bow and some arrows. When originally announced back in December the studio hinted at the possibility of a PlayStation VR version, only confirming the PC versions at the time. Today, VRFocus can confirm that work has begun on a version for Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIEs) headset.

In Death

The confirmation came via Twitter with the studio responding to a comment about PlayStation VR: “Yes, we are actively developing for PSVR. More news as we have it.” said the tweet.

So while that’s good news for PlayStation VR owners an actual launch date maybe somewhere off. As Early Access is popular on PC and with developers looking for feedback from players it’s more than likely that a PlayStation VR version will arrive around the same time the videogame leaves Early Access and not before.

Regarding when that might be, on the Steam listing the studio note: “We have not yet set a target launch date, but will move from Early Access to full Release once we feel the game is ready. We hope to complete that journey during 2018.”

Since yesterday’s launch In Death has already seen a positive response from players on Steam and Oculus Store. VRFocus’ preview was also complimentary, saying: “For a title that’s in Early Access In Death already feels like the finished article. Seeing that it looks good and plays smoothly – no bugs or glitches presented themselves – Solfar Studios has already done a commendable job, certainly attracting the interest of the more hardcore Oculus Rift player base.”

While PlayStation VR owners will have to wait, for those that own Oculus Rift, HTC Vive or a Windows Mixed Reality headset In Death is currently available with a 10 percent discount for launch week, dropping the cost from £15.49 GBP to £13.94. As further details on In Death’s development – and PlayStation VR support – are released VRFocus will keep you updated.

February 1, 2018

Preview: In Death – Only for the Brave as Death is a Cruel Mistress

Solfar Studios first entered the virtual reality (VR) space with a videogame/app called Everest VR. More of an educational VR experience where you learnt about the mountain’s history and those that climbed it whilst being able to view magnificent views across the Himalayas, the developer has certainly taken a different approach to its next project. Only announced in December 2017, In Death is much more of your classic videogame, with a medieval design, nasty creatures, and just a bow for company, Solfar Studios isn’t planning on making this experience a simple walk down a mountain.

It must be something to do with a bows interaction that makes it a good weapon to use in VR. The weapon appears everywhere – most recently in VRFocus’ preview of Apex Construct – yet it’s certainly not the easiest to master when you consider more modern guns. This maybe why developers like using it, that sense of drama when you’re being rushed by multiple enemies and those arrows just can’t be fired fast enough. This will happen many times during In Death. Each run through is procedurally generated so there’s no knowing what’s lurking in each corridor or room until you put your head in and see. At which point you could be clawed to death, find an arrow whizzing through the sky towards your face, or some other gruesome end.

In Death is not your usual fun, whimsical adventure where you can do your stats up slowly, learn the lay of the land and hopefully make it to the next checkpoint. Because there are no checkpoints, no joy to be had, no taverns to rest your weary head in, it’s survival at its deadliest. As previously mentioned In Death is procedurally generated, once you die that’s it you’ve got a whole new world to explore, just this time it’s a little harder. Luckily your account progression is saved via unlocked achievements, so pick up more health or certain items and they’ll still be there next time – just don’t expect to unlock everyone on one play through.

If you hadn’t realised by now In Death isn’t easy, having a similar gameplay ethic to Dark Souls. You need to have patience and a good aim to succeed. It doesn’t have the really dark, gothic feeling like other of this ilk due to the massive castle you’re roaming around in floating in the sky, so there’s plenty of light and fluffy clouds around. Inside some of the buildings it’s a different story, with some areas drenched in darkness, with only a moan or foot shuffle indicating anything is there.

Not only has Solfar Studios created a videogame that’s looking visually good, In Death is one that’s easy to handle. The bow isn’t cumbersome to use, so when you do get a horde of enemies approach, firing off a few arrows in quick succession should be fairly easy. You’ll also be glad to hear that locomotion is well catered for. Rather than pulling the trigger to cock a normal arrow, pressing the ‘B’ button on Oculus Touch will bring up a teleportation arrow instead. Or there’s the teleportation shard which appears in your hand for quicker movement. Lastly, there is of course free locomotion – unlockable in the menu – for those that want it. In fact VRFocus found careful use of all three was very good in certain situations with multiple enemies.

For a title that’s in Early Access In Death already feels like the finished article. Seeing that it looks good and plays smoothly – no bugs or glitches presented themselves – Solfar Studios has already done a commendable job, certainly attracting the interest of the more hardcore Oculus Rift player base. As Early Access continues VRFocus will definitely keep a keen interest in In Death’s development.

February 1, 2018

Medieval Roguelike Bow-shooter ‘IN DEATH’ Hits Early Access, PSVR Version in the Works

Sólfar Studios’ new title IN DEATH, launches today in Early Access with a launch week discount. The “roguelike” bow-shooter makes use of procedural generation to create different experience every time you play, the developers say, while players come upon “monsters, mysteries and loot.”

In Death launches today in Early Access (at 10AM PT) on the Oculus store, as well as Steam where it supports the Vive, Rift, and Windows VR headsets. The $20 title will see a 10% launch discount for the first week. Developer Sólfar Studios—the team behind EVEREST VR (2016)—explains the gameplay:

Inspired by classic Roguelike dungeon crawlers, In Death pays homage to this merciless genre favoured by core gamers. With no save points, each procedurally generated run uses a random seed to generate the map with randomized enemy and loot spawn points. Game progression is driven by an achievement system that persists across each run and scales the difficulty level of the game in lockstep with your mastery of it.

And further promises:

Ranged combat, perfected
Unique locomotion system
Global, cross platform leaderboards and personal stats
Beautiful medieval setting
Convenience settings for your playstyle

As an Early Access title, the studio says they are planning regular updates centered around feedback from players. While there’s no hard launch date set, the studio says they anticipate the game’s full launch to come in 2018.

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“We have reached that moment in our development where we are confident that the core loop is solid, replayability is high and visual polish and performance is good,” the studio writes on their Steam page. “We are still very much in Beta and iterating on ideas and player feedback. We do have frequent patches planned so that players can expect the game to continue evolving throughout the Early Access period.”

Sólfar also announced that PSVR version of In Death is in the works, though no specific timing for its launch is mentioned.

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January 29, 2018

In Death Gets February Release Date

Sólfar Studio rose to prominence after the release of EVEREST VR, which received much praise for its immersive climbing experience, created with the aid of animation firm RVX. The Icelandic company have now turned to something a bit more esoteric with upcoming shooter/roguelike hybrid In Death.

In Death presents the player with a somewhat bleak premise – what if the afterlife was not all it was cracked up to be? What if you strove to lead a virtuous life, but instead of pearly gates and choirs of angels, you were forced to fight for your very existence?

The player will find themselves in the abandoned ruin of heaven, where forsaken souls, angelic creatures and dark demons lurk throughout its crumbling ruins. The player takes the role of the only soul daring enough to brave the depths of the afterlife to restore light and harmony.

Gameplay takes the form of a shooter, where players need to take out dangerous creatures while exploring procedurally generated environments containing monsters, hidden mysteries and, of course, loot. Players can choose to equip a bow and arrow and shoot down monsters from afar, or go up close and personal with melee weapons such as swords.

The aesthetic draws on gloomy medieval architecture reminiscent of titles such as Diablo III or Dark Souls, though with a slightly hazy quality designed to invoke the world of dreams as you explore the mysterious castle in the clouds. The title features a progression system that is ‘Achievement Based’, created so now run through the game will ever be the same.

In Death is due to arrive on the Oculus Store in February 2018. Sólfar Studio has also indicated that the title will also be heading to HTC Vive, and there have been hints that the title could also be heading to other VR platforms such as the PlayStation VR.

Further news on In Death and other upcoming VR titles will be right here on VRFocus.

December 18, 2017

‘In Death’ is a Medieval Roguelike Bow-shooter from ‘EVEREST VR’ Developer Sólfar Studios

In quite the pivot from virtual tourism experience EVEREST VR (2016), Iceland-based Sólfar Studios has revealed their next VR project, In Death, a VR roguelike bow-shooter that promises procedurally generated crawling for loot and more.

Announced today, Sólfar says that In Death is set in a “godless afterlife”. The studio describes the gameplay as such:

Battle through procedurally generated levels and dungeons in intense ranged combat coupled with a unique locomotion system perfectly attuned to your fighting style.

[…]

A VR shooter with roguelike elements, In Death’s surreal medieval setting is presented in a procedurally generated world with monsters, mysteries and loot. Driven by an achievement-based progression system that advances between sessions, each run is unique, with unpredictable outcomes.

Built on UE4, the studio’s prior title, Everest VR, was visually quite stunning, leaving us with visual high expectations for their new game.

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Sólfar is soliciting signups for a free closed beta ahead of In Death’s 2018 release. You can sign up on the game’s official page. The studio says the game is being made “exclusively for high immersion VR platforms,” which rules out mobile, but doesn’t quite specify which tethered headsets the game will launch on, though the beta is said to be available for Rift and Vive players.

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