Having brought the first three chapters of episodic horror experience The Exorcist: Legion VR to PlayStation VR in June, developer Wolf & Wood and publisher Fun Train have announced the last two installments will become available at the beginning of October.
In The Exorcist: Legion VR players step into the shoes of a Boston homicide detective tasked with investigating a series of ritualistic murders, including a priest at a local church. They have all the makings of a serial killer but it soon becomes apparent at the cause is far more demonic.
The two chapters set to launch are:
Chapter 4 – Samaritan – A failed quarantine zone in Haiti has been racked by an unknown plague, and a slew of health worker deaths has led to the collapse of efforts to control the mounting victim toll. What (or who) lies at the heart of the epidemic is for you to uncover!
Chapter 5 – The Tomb – In this grand finale, players are transported deep into the mountains of Upper Mesopotamia to face the demon Pazuzu where one last confrontation will put everything they have learned to the test. The episode features some unique VR mechanics as well as a powerful and exhilarating climax.
“The team at Wolf & Wood have really delivered on this franchise in every possible way,” says Fun Train’s CEO Douglas Nabors. “The intricate level of detail and deep sense of dread that they have instilled in these new experiences demonstrates how powerful virtual reality is for the horror genre and the VR gaming medium in general.”
Compatible with PlayStation Move and Dualshock controllers, The Exorcist: Legion VR offers a variety of locomotion settings including free roam. Additionally, the release will see new Spanish & Japanese subtitle localization, enhancements to the calibration system, as well as new comfort options.
Chapters 4 and 5 will be available on Tuesday, 9th October for $6.99 USD each. The Complete Series (including the forthcoming Chapter 4 “Samaritan” and Chapter 5 “The Tomb”) is available for $29.99 or players can purchase a Season Pass for $24.99 (Chapters 2- 5) if they already have Chapter 1. For any further updates regarding The Exorcist: Legion VR, keep reading VRFocus.
While I’m far from being considered an expert on VR horror, I do consider myself a bit of an aficionado when it comes to the spooky and scary inside virtual reality headsets. From A Chair in a Room: Greenwater and The Brookhaven Experiment, all the way to Resident Evil 7 and Paranormal Activity VR, I’ve reviewed my fair share of VR horror games. And let me tell you: few can measure up to the absolutely overwhelmingly intense sense of terror I experienced while playing The Exorcist: Legion VR.
From Wolf & Wood (that’s the same team behind A Chair in a Room, for what it’s worth) comes a slow-paced, exploration-focused, atmospheric VR experience set within the iconic horror universe popularized by The Exorcist film. As a detective in the Boston P.D. you’re armed with a crucifix, holy water, and an assortment of other Godly tools to investigate a series of murders and strange occurrences. Naturally, it doesn’t take long for stuff to get really, really creepy and demonic.
The Exorcist VR is split into five distinct chapters that all take place at very different locations and last about 30 minutes each. All together it’s around 2 1/2 or 3 hours long and tells a complete story that would have fit in perfectly as a film in the franchise, except this time you get to experience it first-hand.
A big part of what makes VR horror games so overwhelmingly immersive is an absolutely convincing sense of presence. A Chair in a Room nailed that feeling better than most and it shows that they put that experience to good use here once again. Whether I was peering around a corner trying to get a glimpse at what lies in wait or feeling my body tense up in fear as I slowly turn around to see what’s behind me, from start to finish in The Exorcist VR I never once had trouble suspending my disbelief.
In fact, the strongest part of The Exorcist VR may very well be the excellent sound design. You can hear voices in your head and surrounding you through the use of powerful 3D spatial audio and the low rumbling sounds of grunts and high-pitched squeals echo in your mind as twisted, terrifying warnings of what’s to come.
Each of the five episodes are self-contained with mini stories and arcs that feel satisfying to play in short bursts or all at once. I played all five over the course of two sessions and jumping from one to the next is a great, seamless experience since they’re all accessed from your office back at the precinct.
The first episode is at a church, followed by a jail cell/psych ward facility, then someone’s clearly haunted house, a morgue, and finally an ancient underground tomb. I would say that each is more terrifying than the last, but truthfully, I think it peaks on episode 3. There’s lots of creepy voices, moving mannequins, a possessed baby, and a dollhouse in that single episode. It checks off pretty much every one of my horror game triggers, all condensed into a single 30-minute package. I’m getting chills just thinking about what that baby does.
In light of all the things The Exorcist VR does so, so right, it does falter in a few ways. For starters, the actual interactions themselves aren’t great. Every episode basically boils down to wandering around, picking up things, and backtracking a bit until you trigger the next scripted event like a voice whispering, spirit appearing, or something rushing at you. When you boil it down to its core like that it’s not overly inspired and the puzzles aren’t very complex, but it more than makes up for that lack of ingenuity through the sheer quality of its pacing and presentation, which is all that truly matters in a good horror experience.
The Exorcist VR feels like a horror title that just simply couldn’t exist or wouldn’t be worth playing without VR. Games like Resident Evil 7 are clearly designed with both in mind, but this one just wouldn’t have been the same outside of a headset. The sense of presence and complete, utterly suffocating atmosphere are what sell this one to your senses. Removing the HMD would completely ruin the effect.
I still don’t think any VR developers have really and truly embraced the power of roomscale tracking in the horror space, but we’re getting closer. Once wireless and/or standalone technology becomes more ubiquitous we should start to see more ambitious projects requiring players to really move around a lot, but until then The Exorcist VR sits very close to the top of the VR horror pile.
Final Score:9/10 – Amazing
The Exorcist: Legion VR is without a doubt one of the best VR horror experiences available. The slow-building tension is expertly paced, each and every scare feels visceral and dangerous, and the sheer sense of terror you feel while methodically exploring the richly detailed environments is staggering. It honestly felt like I could hear the voices inside my own head and I could feel the heat from my crucifix as I stared down the faces of demon and eradicated the evil within. The Exorcist: Legion VR will turn even the most hardened horror fans into whimpering piles of fear.
The Exorcist: Legion VR is an episodic experience split into five chapters. As of the time of this writing all five chapters are available in a bundle on Steam for Rift and Vive, while only Chapters 1-3 are available on PSVR with 4 and 5 coming soon. However, you can buy the season pass now to get instant access once they’re available.
If you want to see our full playthrough of the game, you can watch Part 1 (Chapters 1 & 2) and Part 2(Chapter 3-5) at the corresponding links there. And check out these official review guidelines to find out more about our process.
You called me a chicken. You said I was too scared. But here I am, ready to face my fears and finish the journey through The Exorcist VR! Earlier this week we played through the first two episodes and aside from a few yelps, screams, and barely hidden tears, I think I did just fine. Sort of.
We’ll be livestreaming The Exorcist VR on HTC Vive today and monitoring chat using OVRdrop while in VR. The stream will be starting at approximately 2:20 PM PT and we’ll aim to last for about an hour or however long it takes to finish the last three chapters. We’ll be livestreaming directly to the UploadVR Facebook page. You can see the full stream embedded right here down below once it’s up:
We're back with more of THE EXORCIST VR! Today we're finishing the game by completing Chapters 3, 4, and 5 here LIVE.Don't worry, he's wearing two pairs of underwear today.
Let us know which games you want us to livestream next and what you want to see us do, specifically, in this or other VR games. Comment with feedback down below!
Viewers beware, because for today’s livestream we’re venturing into the depths of The Exorcist: Legion VR, a terrifying virtual reality horror experience from the creators of A Chair in a Room. Now that all five chapters are out on Steam that means that the entire Exorcist VR experience is ready to be enjoyed — that is, if screaming and cowering in fear is your idea of enjoyment.
The Exorcist VR has been released over the last few months as a five-part episodic series. Each chapter is $5 a piece, or you can buy the entire bundle for about $24. When played all together, the full series is around two and a half hours total. The PSVR version of the game is still waiting on the fourth and fifth chapters and it will run you closer to $30 for the whole thing over there.
We’ll be livestreaming The Exorcist VR on HTC Vive today and monitoring chat using OVRdrop while in VR. The stream will be starting at approximately 2:00 PM PT and we’ll aim to last for about an hour or so — probably just the first one or two chapters. We’ll be livestreaming directly to the UploadVR Facebook page. You can see the full stream embedded right here down below once it’s up:
Let us know which games you want us to livestream next and what you want to see us do, specifically, in this or other VR games. Comment with feedback down below!
Every good story has to have an ending and soon that’s going to be the case for Wolf & Wood’s episodic horror experience The Exorcist: Legion VR. With the first episodes launched towards the end of 2017, the studio has recently released a teaser trailer for the fifth and final chapter “The Tomb”.
For now Wolf & Wood haven’t released too many details regarding this last installment story wise, with a brief synopsis stating: “In this tense climax, your journey takes you deep into the mountains of Upper Mesopotamia where one last confrontation with an ancient evil will put everything that you have learned to the test.”
As you’ll be able to tell from the title of the episode and the several screenshots released the chapter is about to get a little claustrophobic, taking you deep underground to face what is likely the most dangerous demon yet. Worst of all, it seems like its expecting you.
Just like all the previous episodes they do follow a concurring story so you do need to play each episode to have some idea of what’s going on. The entire series has been based on the events of The Exorcist III, where you play a detective who needs to solve grizzly crimes, only to find that each one has been perpetrated by a different demonic entity.
Each episode is around 30 minutes in length. The Exorcist: Legion VR is available via Oculus Store with each episode available as an in-app purchase. Or there’s Steam, where each episode can be purchased individually for £3.99 GBP. Then last month the studio finally launched the videogame for PlayStation VR, allowing customers to purchase the complete series for $29.99 USD, which will include access to Chapter 5 ‘The Tomb’.
Wolf & Wood hasn’t given a released date for The Exorcist: Legion VR – Chapter 5 “The Tomb”, when it does VRFocus will keep you updated.
Every good story has to have an ending and soon that’s going to be the case for Wolf & Wood’s episodic horror experience The Exorcist: Legion VR. With the first episodes launched towards the end of 2017, the studio has recently released a teaser trailer for the fifth and final chapter “The Tomb”.
For now Wolf & Wood haven’t released too many details regarding this last installment story wise, with a brief synopsis stating: “In this tense climax, your journey takes you deep into the mountains of Upper Mesopotamia where one last confrontation with an ancient evil will put everything that you have learned to the test.”
As you’ll be able to tell from the title of the episode and the several screenshots released the chapter is about to get a little claustrophobic, taking you deep underground to face what is likely the most dangerous demon yet. Worst of all, it seems like its expecting you.
Just like all the previous episodes they do follow a concurring story so you do need to play each episode to have some idea of what’s going on. The entire series has been based on the events of The Exorcist III, where you play a detective who needs to solve grizzly crimes, only to find that each one has been perpetrated by a different demonic entity.
Each episode is around 30 minutes in length. The Exorcist: Legion VR is available via Oculus Store with each episode available as an in-app purchase. Or there’s Steam, where each episode can be purchased individually for £3.99 GBP. Then last month the studio finally launched the videogame for PlayStation VR, allowing customers to purchase the complete series for $29.99 USD, which will include access to Chapter 5 ‘The Tomb’.
Wolf & Wood hasn’t given a released date for The Exorcist: Legion VR – Chapter 5 “The Tomb”, when it does VRFocus will keep you updated.
It’s all been building to this; the final chapter of Wolf & Wood’s VR horror game, The Exorcist: Legion VR, is coming soon, and the first teaser trailer just dropped.
The footage confirms that the fifth chapter in the series will be called The Tomb and based on what we can see it does indeed look like it’s set in an ancient tomb of some sort. The narration definitely suggests that this chapter will be the culmination of everything we’ve seen in the game so far. Also there’s a really big hole.
There’s no date for the last entry in the series yet, though that could be because Wolf & Wood has spent the last few months getting the pre-existing chapters out onto PlayStation VR (PSVR) to catch up with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive versions. Hopefully we’ll have our hands on it soon.
Widely regarded as one of the scariest and most effective horror films ever made, The Exorcist has been scaring audiences since its release in 1973. Now the author of the Exorcist series, William Peter Blatty, is bringing the horror to virtual reality (VR) for users of the PlayStation VR.
The Exorcist: Legion VR consists of five chapters, each 30 minutes long which will slowly reveal the twisted story of a unique demonic entity.
Chapter One is titled ‘First rites’ and puts players in the role of a Boston homicide detective investigating the ritualistic murder of a priest. At first suspecting the work of a series killer, the detective soon uncovers something much more sinister.
Chapter Two, Idle Hands, involves an investigation into an apparently psychotic school teacher who is being tormented by an unseen force whose roots can be traced back to ancient Babylon and whose powers of illusion keep it hidden.
Skin Deep is the title of chapter three, where players encounter the demon Abyzou, who has been associated with infant mortality and early death since the early days of humankind. The player needs to force her to reveal herself before more deaths occur.
Players will be able to choose if they wish to play with the standard DualShock 4 gamepad or the PlayStation Move motion controls.
Chapters 1-3 of The Exorcist: Legion VR is available for download from the PlayStation Store for $6.99 (USD) each. The complete series is available for $29.99, and will include access to forthcoming episodes Chapter 4 ‘Samaritan’ and Chapter 5 ‘The Tomb’. For players who already own Chapter 1, a season pass will provide access to chapters 2-4 for $24.99.
Further information about The Exorcist: Legion VR, including news on the upcoming chapters, can be found on the official website. As usual, VRFocuswill bring you the latest updates on new and upcoming VR experiences.
Fun Train and Wolf & Wood have been slowly adding new chapters to the virtual reality (VR) horror series The Exorcist: Legion VR since its initial launch for PC headsets in November 2017. As further chapters have come out the developer has continually stated a PlayStation VR version was in the works without clarifying when that might see the light of day. Today, the teams have now confirmed PlayStation VR owners will be able to enjoy the horror series later this month.
The Exorcist: Legion VRis launching on PlayStation VR with the first three chapters available:
Chapter 1 – “First Rites” – Players must investigate the ritualistic murder of Father Bell, a priest at the local church. While there, they discover that he was researching the return of a cadre of very dangerous entities- the Legion. Collecting several of the priest’s arcane exorcism tools, it’s up to them to pick up where his work ended. Unfortunately, something, or someone, doesn’t want them to continue.
Chapter 2 – “Idle Hands” – Explore what happens when people dabble in forces they don’t fully understand. Back at the police station, the player receives a package from a stranger directing them to investigate the sudden psychotic episode of an institutionalized school teacher who is tormented by an unseen force. The entity they encounter is as old as Babylon itself and is adept at using illusion to prevent them from severing its hold over its victim.
Chapter 3 – “Skin Deep” – In this chapter players will encounter Abyzou, an entity who has been blamed for infant mortality throughout the history of civilization. Many cultures have encountered her and she has been given many names, from Lilith in Hebrew to Medusa in Greek. It’s the player’s task to force her to reveal herself, protect a newborn baby and send her back from whence she came!
Inspired by the world created by horror maestro William Peter Blatty, each chapter is part investigation…part exorcism, featuring a unique demonic entity that aim to test player’s skills. Each episode in the series features approximately 25 minutes of gameplay and can be purchased individually for $6.99 USD, or the Complete Series (including the forthcoming Chapter 4 “Samaritan” and Chapter 5 “The Tomb”) will be available for $29.99. If you buy Chapter 1 and then want access to the rest of the series simply purchase a Season Pass for $24.99.
Chapters 4 – 5 are slated for release later in the summer for PlayStation VR (Chapter 4 has already launched on Steam). When those dates are announced, VRFocus will let you know.
When it comes to iconic horror film franchises various ones spring to mind. The likes of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Hellraiser, Saw, Scream have all continued to have a devoted following over the years. Saw is, of course, still ongoing. Hellraiser: Judgment, the tenth instalment in that franchise came out earlier this year and a Halloween reboot is on the way as well. To date however there’ve been little in the way of official virtual reality (VR) tie-ins within any of these series with the exception of Saw with the Jigsaw VR Experience.
One franchise you might not have realised was getting attention was The Exorcist. Whilst most tend to forget the sequels to the original film classic – some through accident, some through choice – a multi-part story set in the world originally created by William Peter Blatty has been in development for some time now. The Exorcist: Legion VR is a dedicated VR videogame title with the most recent part, Chapter 3 – entitled Skin Deep, coming out at the end of last year. The fourth of these 20-25 minute chapters, Chapter 4 – Samaritan, now has a trailer as well as a release date.
Developers Fun Train and Wolf & Wood are this time taking the action to the Caribbean and the Republic of Haiti. Unfortunately, things there aren’t so good. Not only is there a disease the whole island has become one giant failed quarantine zone. With a plague ravaging the country, no one seems to know what’s going on and since the aid workers trying to help have also been dying efforts to provide relief have ground to a standstill. What is the source of this mysterious outbreak? You take on the role of a character sent in to find out the answer.
“Delve deep into the heart of the supernatural as you learn the trade of demonic exorcism and uncover secrets leading you towards a final confrontation with your darkest, most hidden fears. The Exorcist: Legion VR is part investigation, part exorcism… and all horror. Is your willpower strong enough?”
Chapter 4 will be launched on both the Steam and Oculus Stores later this week, on Thursday, April 26th at 9AM (PST). You can see the trailer below. No date is yet given for PlayStation VR, although it is confirmed for the console-based headset. VRFocus will bring you more news, including further information about the climactic part, Chapter 5 – The Tomb as it becomes available.
One franchise you might not have realised was getting attention was The Exorcist. Whilst most tend to forget the sequels to the original film classic – some through accident, some through choice – a multi-part story set in the world originally created by William Peter Blatty has been in development for some time now. The Exorcist: Legion VR is a dedicated VR videogame title with the most recent part,