steel wool studios – Page 3 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

December 5, 2016

Review: Bounce

Steel Wool Studios could be classed as a prolific virtual reality (VR) developer having launched several videogames for the HTC Vive head-mounted display (HMD). Each one has been different from the last, and now the developer has entered the puzzle genre with Bounce. Simple in its gameplay but fiendishly challenging, can Bounce continue the studio’s VR form?There are plenty of puzzle titles for HTC Vive so competition is fierce, with experiences needing to offer something unique and enjoyable. Bounce requires players to do one thing, get a small spherical robot from the end of one room to the other, avoiding or activating various obstacles on route with a limited selection of items on offer to achieve your goal.

bounce screenshot

Bounce starts you off nice and easy, and achieves a nice gradual difficulty progression throughout its 50 levels. The tutorial takes you through the basics which involve choosing the different panels, chutes, spring pads and other items on offer on one controller with the other allowing you to place and move said objects. For anyone well versed with the HTC Vive this all becomes quick and intuitive, enabling minute changes to achieve that perfect path through a level.

This lays the ground work for some highly complicated and patience testing puzzles ahead. Bounce is the epitomy of trial and error, you’ll probably whizz through the early stages and get really infuriated with the latter ones. But that’s part of the joy of these style of videogames. If it was easy then where’s the challenge and the fun, and Bounce certainly delivers that, literally making you jump through hoops to succeed.

Levels can involve gravity defying areas, vast distances, compact tight corners, rings that need to be unlocked in a certain order and so much more. There’s certainly plenty to work through, each one giving a ranking from one to three stars. Longevity can always be an issue with puzzle titles, as once you’ve solved them what’s there really to do. Steel Wool Studios has thought about this, not only with the star ranking system, but also with its Style Mode. This allows you to go back and attack each level again, but now you’re scored on the complexity of your solution. It’s certainly an inventive solution to replayability, especially on favourite levels and really challenges you to think outside the box.

Bounce screenshot

So does Bounce have that perfect formula to challenge and keep gamers playing? For the most part yes. This isn’t a title that you’re going to get through in a hour. Many VR experiences are derided for their lack of gameplay time and Bounce isn’t one of them. With 50 levels to wade through there’s plenty to keep you busy for hours on end and that’s certainly a big plus mark. Whilst not being highly unique in terms of its core idea it’s the straight forward gameplay that aides Bounce’s addictiveness, and it’s certainly a title that those who love puzzlers should checkout if they’re looking for a decent challenge and a change from all the shooters currently available.

November 30, 2016

‘Bounce’ Review: Physics Puzzles Have Never Been So Addictive

I lost track of how many times I failed while playing Bounce. Amidst the 50 levels, I must have failed at least 200 to 300 times, easily. I got frustrated. I cursed at the air around me, while wearing my Vive, flailing my motion controllers, and bumping into my wall more than once.

But each time I got stuck, I eventually figured it out, and reveled in the satisfaction. Bounce taps into that special feeling you get from finally beating a boss, or finishing a dungeon, or unlocking a long hidden secret in other games — except it makes you feel that way after each and every level.

Bounce is the latest VR game from Steel Wool Studios, the team behind Mars Odyssey and Quar: Battle for Gate 18. The instructions are simple: get the ball from point A to point B. Sometimes the levels require you to also pass through designated rings as checkpoints, or avoid obstacles in the world, but at the end of the day every level has the same overall objective.

Spawn a ball and get it to the goal node. That’s it. But it’s what happens between those two points that defines the game. At first, you’ll have a handful of simple tools. A ramp here, a tube there, and you’ll slowly figure out how to get the ball to the other end of the level.

And eventually you’ll be introduced to launch rings that blast the ball across the level, treadmills that the ball sticks to, bounce pads, and tractor beams, and others all fill out the list of tools and gadgets. Since the amount of each item you have access to is limited, that adds an intriguing layer of strategy and resource management to each stage.

You’re only required to transport the ball to finish the level, but you’ll also be rated based on how many — or how few — gadgets you use to finish each level. It creates an addictive cycle of replaying levels to try and cut down on resources as much as possible.

While solving puzzles, it’s helpful to think outside the box even more than you would in non-VR puzzle games. So rather than viewing Bounce as just another puzzle game, view it as a world of puzzles you’re physically visiting and mastering. You’re not sitting on your couch pressing buttons to move things around, you’re actually up on your feet or crouching on the ground to adjust item placement. Getting down on the ground to tweak trajectory, much like you would do in Fantastic Contraption, is a big part of the fun.

Instead of figuring out ways to go around obstacles, try going over them. Find cracks between objects for a well-placed tractor beam, or launch ring. Don’t underestimate the utility of bounce pads. And just because a level looks overly complex doesn’t mean it has to be — getting creative with solutions is just as important as the solutions themselves.

Trial and error is not only an inevitability, it’s a necessity. On more than one occasion I reached the end of a level to realize I didn’t have the right gadget in my inventory, so I had to re-assess the entire stage to try and free up more resources for the end. You’ll probably want to pull your hair out before it’s over and spend well over a half hour or more just figuring out how to complete level 49 like I did — but once you’re done, it’s all worth it.

Even though Bounce isn’t a wholly original idea that has a lot in common with other games, such as Grav|Lab and countless non-VR projects, it’s still an easy recommendation for fans of the genre. However, the physics did feel less than ideal in some cases and even though all of the levels are entirely possible, many feel more like exercises in patience than they do in actual creativity. The ability to fast-forward the ball’s movement through areas you’ve already figured out would be a welcomed addition.

Overall, Bounce differentiates itself with its polish, complexity, and purely good game design. It’s lacking any form of multiplayer and doesn’t feature a level editor, so this entry is only targeted at fans looking for a tightly-designed collection of difficult, but rewarding, puzzle fun.

Final Score: 7/10 – Good

The relentless increase in difficulty is fair and balanced, ensuring the virtually each and every level is slightly more complex and difficult than the last. The ending is a refreshing twist on the charming world. While it’s not an original idea and lacks multiplayer or level creation tools, the 50 levels pack in enough creativity and replayability to earn Bounce an easy recommendation for puzzle game fans.

Bounce is available starting today on Steam at the discounted launch price of $19.99 with official support for the HTC Vive. Read our Game Review Guidelines for more information on how we arrived at this score.

Tagged with: bounce, physics, puzzle, Steel Wool Studios, Vive

November 30, 2016

Puzzle Title Bounce Lands on HTC Vive

Steel Wool Studios has become a virtual reality (VR) developer to keep an eye on, with it’s growing library of immersive titles. This year the developer has released Quar: Battle for Gate 18 and Mars Odyssey, along with securing $5 million USD in a Series A funding round from HTC. Last month the studio announced its next videogame for HTC Vive, a puzzler called Bounce, and today that experience has now arrived on Steam.

A physics-based puzzler, Bounce requires players to help robot companion D1G-B through a labyrinth of rooms. To do this players must utilise various panels, ramps, chutes and launchers to roll, sling, shoot and bounce the ball shaped robot.

bounce screenshot

Rooms range from simple layouts with little in the way, to complex areas filled with moving objects, laser grids, bottomless floors and more.

Rather than giving players set objects in which to solve the puzzles, the various items can be selected via an options menu on the controller. This allows players to construct suitable solutions anyway they please, allowing a unique approach to the solution.

“What I love about Bounce is that there is not one fixed way to solve any level, and you’re really tasked with using your own personal creative ability to use the tools at your disposal to help transport D1G-B to her destination. For every player, it means near-endless variation for solving each puzzle level”, said Jason Topolski, co-founder at Steel Wool Studios. “Everyone looks at problems differently, and it’s the same for player-solutions to Bounce. We’re excited to see how players solve the puzzles we’ve prepared for them, and look forward to seeing some new faces on the in-game leaderboards!”

Bounce is very reminiscent of another HTC Vive title, Grav|Lab by developer Mark Schramm. Currently on Steam Early Access Grav|Lab is another puzzler that involves creating a pathway for balls to take to a goal, although Bounce does feature a stronger narrative.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Steel Wool Studios, reporting back with any further announcements.

October 20, 2016

Bounce is a Physics-Based Puzzle Title Announced By Steel Wool Studios Created By Former Pixar and Lucasfilm Employees

Today it has been announced that Steel Wool Studios, previously known as Steel Wool Games, the developers of Quar: Battle For Gate 18, is now bringing a physics-based puzzler to both the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

By looking at the teaser trailer below you can already get the same feeling as when you watch the famous Pixar Lamp intros to its earlier movies, and it’s no wonder as the developers are former Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Telltale Games employees. Bounce is all about combining narrative elements of animation films with intricate gameplay mechanics of VR to create the ultimate puzzle adventure. Players are to help D1G-B, their robo friend, in bouncing, slinging, jumping, shooting, and rolling his way through a labyrinth of rooms on a spaceship to get to his final destination.

bounce screenshot

“Bounce started off as an early experiment to see how far we could push the limits of VR to challenge players,” said Jason Topolski, co-founder of Steel Wool Studios in a press release. “By introducing a narrative element, which is core to our game philosophy, we think we’ve added a cool new dimension to the physics game genre that will keep the players excited about what happens next.”

The studio went on to explain: “As the journey progresses, so does the insanity, with moving blockers, laser gates, gravity wells, and multi-floor rooms all working to impede your advance. D1G-B’s fate is in the hands of the players… will they be able to keep their promise of helping their robotic friend reach his new home?”

There is no confirmed date for its release but it is for both Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

For more on the latest releases, as well as all the news, updates, and features in the world of VR, make sure to check back with VRFocus.

September 9, 2016

‘Mars Odyssey’ Gives You Another VR Trip To The Red Planet Today

August 31, 2016

HTC Invests $5 Million In Series A Funding In Steel Wool Studios

No matter the studio, no matter the application or experience and no matter the hardware that it is being produced on, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) continues to generate investment from both inside the industry and from grants, individuals and consortiums outside outside of it.

The latest to acquire funding is independent Steel Wool Studios, a team with more than an a little bit of an interesting background.
Founded five years ago Steel Wool Studios has within its staff alumni from Telltale Games, Lucasfilm and Pixar Animation Studios which many video game aficionados would consider something of a dream team development. Steel Wool Studios began to use VR in 2014 on and earlier this year this work produced Quar: Battle for Gate 18, a turn-based strategy launch title for the HTC Vive which VRFocus described in its review as “genuinely fun and often tense”.

Their next project Mars Odyssey sees you take on the needed maintenance roll for the (in-game) long abandoned Mars exploration rovers. Teaming with NASA, Steel Wool Studios have produced a realistic environment based on the known martian terrain and the likes of Pathfinder and Opportunity will be found in their current locations and need to be repaired using their actual schematics. is launching on Steam on September 9th 2016, also for the HTC Vive. It is this along with other VR related projects “which span game, simulation, and narrative-based concepts” that will be supported by HTC through $5 million (USD) in Series A funding.

Steel Wool Studios

Speaking on the deal, HTC Corporation’s CEO Cher Wang said, “The Steel Wool Studios team carries an impressive pedigree of creative talent that has already proven its ability to build cutting-edge content for the nascent VR category. Taking a look at Mars Odyssey and Steel Wool’s other projects under development, it’s immediately clear that this studio will drive VR adoption with great content that balances amazing visual fidelity with strong storytelling.”

“After earning our stripes with Quar, we went all-in on creating content for VR, a medium we’ve been waiting for our whole lives.” Added Andrew Dayton, who co-founded Steel Wool Studios. “HTC’s investment gives us the ability to explore and push the limits of VR through the completion of projects we hope will excite everyone as much as we’ve enjoyed building them.”

VRFocus will bring you more information on the release when we have it.

August 31, 2016

HTC Invests $5 Million in VR Game Developer Steel Wool Studios

Steel Wool Studios has picked up a $5 million investment from HTC. The studio was formed in 2011 by Pixar and LucasArts alumni.

Steel Wool Studios, which today announced a $5 million Series A investment from HTC, was founded in 2011 and shifted their focus to VR in 2014, eventually launching Quar: Battle for Gate 18, a virtual reality RTS for the HTC Vive. Among the company’s future projects is Mars Odyssey, a “simulation” for the HTC Vive that’s set to launch on September 9th.

“The Steel Wool Studios team carries an impressive pedigree of creative talent that has already proven its ability to build cutting-edge content for the nascent VR category,” said HTC CEO Cher Wang. “Taking a look at Mars Odyssey and Steel Wool’s other projects under development, it’s immediately clear that this studio will drive VR adoption with great content that balances amazing visual fidelity with strong storytelling.”

vrvca-virtual-reality-venture-capital-alliance — **See Also:** HTC-led Venture Capital Consortium Represents $10 Billion Earmarked for VR

In Mars Odyssey, players will head to Mars to repair some of the many robot emissaries that have been sent to the planet. The rovers will be in their actual location on the planet according to NASA data; players will learn more about the planet as they progress through the experience, the company says.

While HTC recently launched the HTC Vive X accelerator—a $100 million VR investment fund and accelerator program—it’s not clear whether or not the investment in Steel Wool Studios is being drawn from the same fund; the studio wasn’t listed among the first investments made by the accelerator. We’ve reached out to the company for clarification.

Steel Wool Studios says that beyond Quar and Mars Odyssey, they’ll soon be talking about upcoming projects which “span game, simulation, and narrative-based concepts.”

The post HTC Invests $5 Million in VR Game Developer Steel Wool Studios appeared first on Road to VR.