Another big release date for you following today’s Doctor Who news. This time it’s for Fast Travel Games’ The Curious Tale Of The Stolen Pets.
The adorable little puzzler arrives on November 14 for $14.99/€14.99/£11.99. It will launch on pretty much everything: Oculus Quest, PSVR and PC VR headsets. Get a glimpse of the game below and try not to let your heart melt.
We revealed Curious Tale at our E3 VR Showcase in June. It’s a cutesy puzzle game in which the player revisits childhood memories with their grandfather. Each level is presented as a diorama with plenty of puzzles to solve. We’ve been hands-on with the first level and fell for the game’s incredible animations, which look like a stop motion film come to life. It was enough to win it an award at last month’s Raindance Film Festival.
November 14 is the same day that Insomniac Games and Oculus Studios’ Stormland touches down. Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time is also coming to all platforms two days earlier on November 12. Busy week for VR fans, then!
Curious Tale will be Fast Travel’s second VR game, following up from last year’s Apex Construct. Elsewhere, the studio is co-developing Budget Cuts 2 with Neat Corp. According to today’s press release, that’s still planned for launch this year. That window is obviously running out, so expect to hear more news soon.
Will you be picking up The Curious Tale Of The Stolen Pets? Heck, will you be getting all three big releases that week? Let us know in the comments below!
There wasn’t a lot of virtual reality (VR) title at Gamescom 2019 which could have been called cute, but Fast Travel Games’ (Apex Construct) latest The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets would certainly fit the bill. Offering a demo of the first level during the annual videogame event, VRFocus also had time to chat with James Hunt, the guy who came up with the idea for the title in the first place.
Due for release later this year for PlayStation VR, Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets, The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets is a charming puzzle title involving floating 3D worlds. As the name of the videogame implies each level involves finding a selection of missing pets hidden in the landscapes.
Featuring stop-motion character animations for a suitable cartoon feel, in the demo level three of the little critters had to be found in amongst the scenery. With plenty of the landscape being interactive, at it’s simplest the pets were located inside a bush whilst at its most complicated the puzzles became a little more elaborate.
“Guided by the voice of your grandfather, travel back to the imaginative adventures of your childhood and the worlds you created together. Revisit a joyful past and the troubled relationship with your sister. You will come to realize things about yourself you forgot decades ago,” explains the story synopsis.
Check out the interview with Hunt below, who reveals how the project came to life and the story behind the gameplay. Or take a look at VRFocus other interviews from Gamescom including Somnium Space, Pixel Reef, Dark Curry,Carbon Studio and Cortopia Studios. For further updates from Fast Travel Games including the released date for The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets, keep reading VRFocus.
Virtual reality (VR) developers were out in force at Gamescom 2019 last month and VRFocus is still catching up on the content. One of the highlights of the event was The VR Games Showcase, the brainchild of Fast Travel Games. Naturally, the studio also had a new videogame to share in the form of The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets which VRFocus demoed and recorded.
The video showcases the very first level of the title so completely avoid it if you don’t want any puzzle spoilers. The entire experience is a very light-hearted puzzle adventure designed for any age but most likely aimed at a younger VR audience.
With colourful scenery and characters animated in a stop-motion style, the aim in each floating 3D world is to locate three hidden animals. From merely hiding in a bush to more complicated challenges involving several stages, The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets is very much a hands-on videogame. You need to spin the world to fully explore all the nooks and crannies, picking things up to find what’s interactive and what’s simply there for decoration.
As well as the various animals to find there are other bonus treasures to locate which are much more easy to spot. It’s a living breathing world where there are interesting little things going on, offering a very different experience to that of Fast Travel Games’ last VR title Apex Construct.
A video is one thing but if you want a more in-depth analysis of The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets then have a read of VRFocus’ preview which noted: Fast Travel Games isn’t going for hardcore puzzle gameplay here as you’d find in Gadgeteer or Transpose. The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets even made it onto VRFocus’ ‘Favourite VR Games From Gamescom 2019‘ list, highlighting the fact it did make VRFocus smile.”
Demoed using an Oculus Rift S, The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets will be released later this year for PlayStation VR, Oculus Quest, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. Check out the full gameplay video below and for further updates on the title, keep reading VRFocus.
The Curious Tale Of The Stolen Pets is the VR equivalent of Puss in Boots’ glassy pout in Shrek.
As a puzzle game it seems feather-light and roadblock-free. I manage to solve its introductory level in just over three minutes. I worry that, perhaps, it might be a little too easy. But then I see a bug-eyed rabbit hop out of a chest of carrots, or a puppy enjoying a ride on a swing, and my concerns sort of melt away a bit. It’s like a quick visit to r/aww in the office toilets when you’re dodging work.
The latest from Apex Construct developer Fast Travel Games is something of a passion project. Gone is serious stoicism of post-apocalyptic worlds and epic adventures. This is not a continuation of the mission statement of a bunch of former DICE developers making ‘real’ games for ‘real’ gamers. Instead, think of this as more of a breather; a palette cleanser designed to endear and delight. With those modest aspirations in check, it’s easy to fall for A Curious Tale’s charms.
Astro Pet
It’s another exercise in diorama-sized VR, taken straight from the school of Astro Bot and, to some extent, A Fisherman’s Tale. Narrated by the protagonist’s grandfather, you return to imaginary worlds you dreamed up in your childhood. The first is an idyllic cottage island, twirling on the spot to the tune of a musical jewelry box. Sitting atop the sprawl of rockery and woodland is a summer house not unlike one you might find north of Fast Travel’s Stockholm offices. You’re there to locate a series of critters in hiding.
A Curious Tale’s world (or worlds) are impossibly wholesome. The bedroom you visit at the start has a sheen of craftsmanship that carries through to the first island, boasting fine details that hold up to close scrutiny. Special mention, though, goes to the stop motion animation of the game’s characters and pets. The way they scarper about levels brings about a childlike wonder. This is essentially an Aardman production come to life, and something of a miracle to behold in VR.
There are some extra lovely touches, too. Knocking bushes causes berries to tumble down to the depths below, and you can push the doggo on the swing once he makes a home there. I only wished to pluck petals from the daisies sprinkled around the scene or, better yet, enjoy the world at human scale once I’d solved its challenges.
A Different Kind Of Puzzling
Puzzles are at least amusing, if not especially taxing. A locked chest requires you to scour the scene for three buttons to unlock. It doesn’t take long, meanwhile, to decipher that a randomly-placed teapot needs heating next to an enormous candle before being poured. This softer brand of puzzling is clearly intentional
On the one hand, it’s nice to play a puzzle game without those frustrating brick walls. It’s maintaining engagement that’s the tricky part. A small spark of invention does ignite when I use dried tree leaves to turn a cup of water into tea. I’m hoping to see more of those lightbulb moments as the game progresses.
This seems destined to for that familiar level of VR endearment; warmly whimsical while it lasts but likely over pretty soon. Whether or not later levels can elevate it to the likes of Ghost Giant I’m not so sure, but I am confident this is going to be an adventure you won’t regret taking.
The Curious Tale Of The Stolen Pets is due for release this year on Rift, Vive, Index, Quest and PSVR.
One of the great aspects of indie virtual reality (VR) developers is their desire to try something new, experimenting and being innovative to make themselves stand out from an ever-growing crowd. Fast Travel Games made an impression last year with the release of Apex Construct, a finely crafted bow-wielding adventure. At Gamescom last week the studio returned to the event with something slightly different in hand, a cute puzzle experience called The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets.
Featuring a storybook style narrative where you venture to different worlds from your childhood, guided by the voice of your grandfather, the demo offered the first level a brief taster. An interactive diorama, The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets offers players a floating island which needs to be carefully explored and investigated to complete the various puzzles.
With a delightful artistic design, the studio has chosen stop-motion animation to bring these worlds to life. This gives The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets a playful, child TV show quality to the proceedings which continue to the puzzles and even your hands – which just so happen to be dandelion flower heads.
The task is to find three pets hidden in the level, which can be spun around simply by grabbing it. As well as the pets there are several glowing treasures to find to fully complete the area. Quite a lot of the objects are interactive so it’s a case of picking, pulling, shaking and grabbing whatever you can to find these pets.
Each one was protected by a different difficulty level, with the easiest quickly found within a bush. The second was a little harder locked inside a treasure chest with three buttons to locate to unlock it. Third and finally, pet number three required making use of some environmental features, using a candle to boil a kettle making a lovely cup of tree tea in the process. This all makes for very hands-on gaming, like playing with Lego or building sandcastles. It’s all about getting stuck in and seeing what you can uncover.
Don’t expect a massively long experience here as there look to be five levels in total. The first took around 10 mins to complete so there might be an hour or so in the final build, great for those after a none stressful time killer. The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets is very reminiscent of titles like Lunaand Ghost Giant, playful and entirely happy to do its own thing.
Fast Travel Games isn’t going for hardcore puzzle gameplay here as you’d find in Gadgeteer or Transpose. The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets is very much light in nature, easily suiting younger demographic learning about VR for the first time. A release is scheduled for later this year although no date has been set at the moment. The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets didn’t quite make VRFocus’ ‘Favourite VR Games From Gamescom 2019‘ list, but that doesn’t mean to say the videogame should be discounted as it still made VRFocus smile.
This year at Gamescom, Europe’s largest games festival, VRFocus saw a host of brand-new augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) releases. For the first time ever, the event featured a tie-in event known as the VR Games Showcase. Out of the games announced over the course of the 20th – 24th August 2019, here are some highlights.
In The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets, join your grandfather to immerse yourself in childhood fantasy miniature worlds filled with treasure and puzzles. Developed and published by Apex Construct studio Fast Travel Games, Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets will be available on Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift & Windows Mixed Reality headsets later this year.
Acron: Attack of the Squirrels is a multi-player, cross-platform adventure where Trees and Squirrels battle for ownership of the precious Golden Acorns. While VR players take on the role of a protective tree, friends on iOS & Android set their sites to take on the trees as a crafty Squirrel. Acron: Attack of the Squirrels will catapult itself onto Valve Index, HTC Vive & Oculus Rift headsets on the 29th August.
Down the Rabbit Hole is being developed for PlayStation VR, HTC Vive & Oculus Quest headsets. An unnamed girl has found herself in the world of Lewis Carroll’s classic fantasy novel, Alice in Wonderland. The player’s decisions determine her fate in this mysterious world. The second VR title from Cortopia Studios after their top-selling VR game, Wands for multiple headsets including Oculus Go, Down the Rabbit Hole currently has a target release date of December 2019.
Coming soon to VR arcades, Corsair’s Curse, is a location-based title is being brought to you by Innerspace VR in partnership with Vertigo Games. A spiritual successor to Vertigo Games’ A Fisherman’s Tale, 2-4 players find themselves with complete freedom on board an ancient galleon where you must solve puzzles, find treasure and ultimately escape. In various locations, the game will feature additional 4D weather and vibration effects.
New from Pixel Reef comes Paper Beast. You become immersed in the world filled with paper wildlife in this open-world, free-roaming adventure where your behaviour influences the mysterious paper inhabitants. Pixel Reef describes this world as being filled with “decades of lost code” and “a complete ecosystem, born from the hidden confines of big data.” With no text or dialogue, you must find your own way across this vast world in this PlayStation VR exclusive release, coming later in 2019.
Relive the event with video summaries of each day available on VRFocus’ Facebook pages as well as individual reviews of each videogame available upon release available here on the site, and check out our weekly upcoming releases video on our YouTube channel.
The annual Raindance Film Festival approaches London once more. This year’s show will feature nearly 30 VR experiences.
As per usual, Raindance 2019’s immersive offerings include a mix of gaming, world premiere VR experiences and a chance to see some of the pieces first shown at festivals like Tribecca and Sundance. The selection includes both full VR pieces and 360 videos.
In terms of premieres, we’re looking forward to seeing Heart of Darkness, the latest animated experience from Sutu. There’s also Rise of Animals, a new experience with Sir David Attenborough. The experience will give us a virtual look at three prehistoric animals.
Elsewhere, we’ll get a first look at Anonymous, the VR film debut from Virtual Umbrella’s Samantha Kingston.
As for returning experiences, Gloomy Eyes, an animated VR story starring Colin Farrell, will be on display. Tupac Martir’s Cosmos Within Us will be at the show too.
Meanwhile, in the gaming section, Raindance will showcase the likes of No Man’s Sky Beyond and Maze Theory’s soon-too-release Doctor Who: The Edge of Time. Fast Travel Games’ The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets will also be on display. We’ll also see the international premiere of The Infinite Hotel, a promising new game from Italic Pig.
The best experiences are also being gathered for the Raindance Awards.
Raindance 2019 runs from September 25 to October 6. If you’re looking for tickets you can find them here.
Disclaimer: UploadVR’s Jamie Feltham will be a judge on the ‘Best Immersive Game’ category at this year’s Raindance Awards.
Fast Travel Games, the studio behind bowshooting adventure Apex Construct (2018), showed off their upcoming title The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets at Gamescom this year. Getting a chance to pop in for a single level, the admittedly short game offers up casual diorama-based puzzles and a heartwarming story cast in the golden hue of a childhood memories past.
A floating island pops into existence before me. My wizened granddad is recalling our time at his summer house, where my sister and I used to spend the days going on adventures and inevitably fighting amongst ourselves.
Using the Oculus Touch controller, I lean forward to spin the island around, a bright and self-contained miniature world where my dear old gran’s tiny house resides. Grabbing hold of the island and turning it reveals a number of curious items such as a locked chest, multiple tiny doors, and plenty of interactive stuff such as a kettle, teacup, and a burning flame. Practically everything is interactive, making the little island seem alive and oozing with that warm, fuzzy feeling.
The object of each stage is to find all of the pets, which is done by completing some of the light puzzles, like setting the kettle to boil over the flame to make a cup of tea using the leaves brushed from a tree overhead, revealing a tiny submarine in the cup which holds a bulbous little kitty inside. Rummaging around for pets can be as simple as looking in the bush near a dog’s bowl, or going through those slightly more elaborate steps to unlock a chest where a cheeky bunny is hiding, the very same rascal my granddad says ate the carrots in the neighbor’s garden.
A few curious little characters pop around too, animated at a lower, claymation-style frame rate. Although I didn’t need much help solving the puzzles, a curious little guy would pop in and out of doors and draw my attention to an overlooked piece of the puzzle.
It only took me a few minutes to complete the stage (a total of five will come at launch) and also find all five hidden coins, which are highlighted by a small sparkling aura. The only real objective though is to find the pets, as the coins are no doubt put there to get the user to focus more clearly on the game’s super detailed environments.
Talking to the game’s creative lead James Hunt, I was told The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets isn’t explicitly for kids despite it’s clear family-friendly appeal. “It’s an everyone game,” Hunt explains, saying that it was designed especially for new VR users of all ages. And while it’s definitely on the casual end of the puzzle spectrum, the well-built little game promises to offer enough variety to keep you playing for what is shaping up to be a single-sitting playsession that should easily wrap up in under an hour.
The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets is set to launch in 2019 on a gang of headsets, including Quest, Rift, PSVR, Valve Index, HTC Vive, and Windows VR headsets. Check out the game’s trailer below:
We’re at Gamescom! We’ve seen some VR games! Lots of them! Too many of them!
Yes, the annual gigantic games celebration is underway in Cologne, Germany. We’ve been here for a day and already seen eight games, which is just the tip of the iceberg. Today we’ve been down to the PlayStation Booth to see Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son and dived into the VR Showcase and played Down the Rabbit Hole, among others. We’ll be bringing you full impressions of everything we’ve seen but, for now, we thought we’d round up some quick day one impressions on video.
So we sat out in the sun and talked it over. All in all it’s been a pretty encouraging day; VR developers really seem to be getting a grasp on the medium. Whether it’s marveling at the adorable animations in The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets or getting gruesome with The Walking Dead: Onslaught, everything seemed like a great fit for VR. There’s some new games in here that are definitely worth paying attention to, too.
This is just a quick skim of what we saw; I’ll be doing full impressions of each game and we’ll have more video coverage too. I’ve only got one pair of hands, though, so we thought best get some thoughts down now while the German sun is out.
There’s still plenty to see, though. I’m yet to get my hands into Iron Man VR and I haven’t even had a nose around the various indie booths yet. We’ll be back tomorrow with yet more impressions!
Next month the biggest videogame event in Europe takes place in Cologne, Germany, Gamescom 2019. And for the first time, several studios from the virtual reality (VR) industry will be hosting a tie-in event called The VR Games Showcase.
The brainchild of Fast Travel Games’ Andreas Juliusson, The VR Games Showcase will feature Carbon Studio, Survios, Neat Corporation, Resolution Games and Cortopia Studios. Only open to media and content creators (most of Gamescom is open to the public), they’ll be able to get hands-on time with some of the latest VR offers.
“The VR Games Showcase’ is a concept I came up with 6 months ago. The VR industry is still young and most active VR game studios are relatively small, like us, with the same kind of marketing challenges and lack of resources. However, if multiple studios would join forces to share costs and efforts, I believed we would be able to deliver a real heavyweight event concept with clear value for both media and content creators to attend!” says Juliusson in a statement.
“As I started to reach out about this initiative, I was met with a massive interest not only from the studios but also from Perp Games, whose investment helped bring it to life. Now, the biggest studio event collaboration in the VR games industry is finally happening, with the premiere taking place at Gamescom this summer! I am hoping we can keep building on this concept and allow ‘The VR Games Showcase’ to grow going forward. This unique collaboration really raises the bar for VR games marketing and event presence.”
‘The VR Games Showcase’ is presented by global games publisher Perp Games. Perp Games is a market leader in VR publishing and proud to support such innovative concepts,” adds Perp Games MD, Rob Edwards. “We truly believe VR offers players a unique gameplay experience and ‘The VR Games Showcase’ is a great way to allow gamers to experience hands-on, some of the most exceptional VR games being developed.”
VRFocus will be attending Gamescom 2019 so keep an eye out for the latest VR videogames coverage from the event.
