PlayStation VR Puzzler Statik to Feature Tablet-Based Co-op

In March Tarsier Studios announced the released date as well as opening pre-orders for its single-player puzzle title Statik for PlayStation VR. Now the studio has revealed that Static will in fact have a multiplayer option built-in allowing an additional player to join in via a tablet or smartphone. 

In a PlayStation.Blog posting, Dave Mervik, senior narrative designer at Tarsier Studios has said that: “We’ve also remixed some of our single-player puzzles into cooperative challenges.” Adding: “Both of you have different parts of the same puzzle, so the only way to solve it is by talking and working together.”

Statik screenshot 2

Originally Statik had started out as a solely single-player experience – the players hands are trapped inside a puzzle box – but then the studio began showcasing the video game to the public at several events, coming to realise spectator interaction would work as well.

The team experimented to see what parts of Statik would work in co-op, then came to the conclusion all of it would. “So, even though the solution to each box can be taxing, there is a satisfyingly direct reaction to each of your actions – ‘A’ does ‘B’, ‘C’ does ‘D’, and so on,” says Mervik. “For co-op mode, we simply deviate from this, whereby we give the action to one of you, and the re-action to the other, meaning that while you do ‘A’, only your friend will see ‘B’.”

Statik is due to be released in just over a week’s time on Monday 24th April. In the run up to launch day, Tarsier Studios has released a brand new trailer for the video game. Narrated by the title’s in house scientist Dr Ingen, the video showcases some of the puzzle boxes on offer, from simple designs to far more complex arrangements.

The title can be pre-ordered and checkout VRFocus original preview for an in depth hands-on. For further Statik updates, keep reading VRFocus.

PlayStation VR puzzler Statik gets Release Date, Pre-orders now open

At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2016 Tarsier Studios announced puzzle title Statik for PlayStation VR. Pre-orders for the videogame have now gone live and a release date has also been confirmed.

Details were revealed via the UK PlayStation Store, with the release date listed as 24th April 2017. There’s a pre-order price of £15.99 GBP, if you’re a PlayStation Plus member you can get a 20 percent discount off that price, dropping the cost to £12.79. This price will be available until Statik’s launch day.

Statik screenshot 1

Coming from the minds behind LittleBigPlanet for the PS Vita, Statik is the studio’s first virtual reality (VR) title, putting players hands inside a box. Located around the outside are various switches, dials, gauges and levers that form the basis of the puzzles. Each one is mapped to a different button or stick on the DualShock 4 controller depending on the actual puzzle. These change everyday, with players having to use their wits, eyes and ears to solve the mysteries, your hands are trapped inside a box after all.

VRFocus previewed Statik at E3 2016 saying it was: ‘engaging and enjoyable, showing a lot of promise. The overall simplicity works in Statik’s favour and if Tarsier Studios can get the level and difficulty progression design right then this is one title that VR puzzle fans should keep an eye on.’

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Statik, reporting back with any further updates.