Murder Mystery The Invisible Hours is Coming to Oculus Quest Soon

Tequila Works’ murder mystery title The Invisible Hours is almost three years old having previously launched on PlayStation VR and PC VR headsets. As is the trend due to Oculus Quest’s popularity, the studio is porting the experience over to the standalone headset for a new audience to enjoy.

Limited details are available at present, with Tequila Works recently making the announcement via Twitter, only saying that it was ‘coming soon to Oculus Quest.’

The experience is designed more like a piece of immersive theatre, where players can freely explore and observe an intricate web of interwoven stories within a sprawling mansion; like a fly on the wall.

The synopsis explains that: “A group of strangers receive a curious invitation from the enigmatic inventor, Nikola Tesla, offering each of them the chance to make amends for their darkest wrongdoings. When the last guest arrives at Tesla’s isolated mansion laboratory, they find him dead – murdered. Disgraced Swedish detective, Gustaf Gustav, vows to find the killer amongst the other guests: a blind butler, a convicted murderer, the world’s most famous actress, Tesla’s former assistant, the son of a wealthy railroad magnate, and rival inventor Thomas Edison. But none of these people are what they seem.”

As players wander the hallways listening to the various characters conversations they’ll be able to untangle the dark truth behind the mysterious tale. They’ll also be able to explore the mansion and search for clues hidden within the walls.

The Invisible Hours received a very positive response when it first arrived so this is one title to certainly look forward to, providing a nice change of pace for all the shooters and rhythm-action videogames.

Those who do like the theatrical element may also want to take a look at Tender Claws’ The Under Presents and its recent addition Tempest. This is an actual live experience in VR so you have to book a time slot as a professional actor takes you and other guests through Shakespeare’s classic play, with everyone receiving their own small part to play.

As Tequila Works release further details regarding The Invisible Hours on Oculus Quest, VRFocus will let you know.

July 10, 2020

Time-bending Murder Mystery ‘The Invisible Hours’ Coming Soon to Quest

Tequila Works today announced that their VR murder mystery game The Invisible Hours (2017) is making its way to Oculus Quest “soon,” the studio says.

The Invisible Hours offers up a unique time-bending gameplay mechanic, which lets the user freely explore the complex Clue-style ‘whodunit’ as an apparition—sort of like an immersive theater piece that you can control, rewind, and experience at your own pace. You follow suspects around and slowly unravel the multi-thread murder mystery.

The Invisible Hours is also a triumph in character animation and overall graphical fidelity. In a Gamasutra post, the creators speak a little about the game’s traditional facial and motion capture of live actors.

“On the shoot, we had to track data very, very carefully: the project amounts to an unprecedented 2,240,000 frames of character data in Motion Builder. As such, it proved to be one of the most complex motion capture shoots in videogame history. But once processed, it was a relatively conventional pipeline to assemble the data inside the engine.”

There’s no timeframe on the Quest port yet, only “soon.”

The post Time-bending Murder Mystery ‘The Invisible Hours’ Coming Soon to Quest appeared first on Road to VR.

July 10, 2020

The Invisible Hours Brings Its VR Murder Mystery Drama To Quest ‘Soon’

While things might seem to go slowly on the new release front for Oculus Quest a lot of the time, that hasn’t been the case lately. There’s a slew of big titles dropping very soon and now we can add murder mystery drama The Invisible Hours from Tequila Works to that list.

The game’s developer, Tequila Works, announced it’s “coming soon” to Oculus Quest over on Twitter:

Truth is a matter of perspective.

⌚️THE INVISIBLE HOURS, coming soon to Oculus Quest🧐

Happy birthday #NikolaTesla! @OculusGaming @TequilaWorks pic.twitter.com/JSdxhfOa9p

— The Invisible Hours 🧐 (@HoursInvisible) July 10, 2020

The premise in The Invisible Hours is essentially like one giant murder mystery party is playing out before you and as an outside observer you have to piece together the pieces to solve the murder of one Nikola Tesla.

Rather than actually “doing” a lot in The Invisible Hours, you spend most of your time observing and searching for clues while you browse environments and listen to conversations. The characters, world building, and performances are the cornerstones here — and being able to explore more freely on the wireless Oculus Quest will be a great boon to immersion.

In his original review from 2017, Jamie from UploadVR wrote the following before awarding it a 9 out of 10 on our previous review scale:

“The Invisible Hours is unlike anything else you’ll play or watch in VR this year; a genuinely enthralling murder mystery boldly told in an entirely new way. Its character-driven drama is near faultless not just in the dialogue and plotting but also in the superb staging and pacing that brings the world to life. It’s an experiment that pays off in spades and could well provide a template for VR storytelling to come.”

That’s pretty high praise.

Stay tuned to UploadVR for more news on upcoming Oculus Quest games like The Invisible Hours. Let us know what you think down in the comments below!

The post The Invisible Hours Brings Its VR Murder Mystery Drama To Quest ‘Soon’ appeared first on UploadVR.

June 27, 2018

The Invisible Hours, Farpoint Writer Moves To Valve

Last year’s The Invisible Hours was one of the rare examples of a story-driven experience that really thrived inside VR. It made smart use of a time travelling mechanic and character interactions to weave a captivating narrative we won’t soon forget. We named it one of 2017’s most underrated VR experiences. Good news, then; one of the game’s writers is now working with Valve.

Rob Yescombe, a games writer that also worked on PSVR’s Farpoint, confirmed yesterday that he had been working for the SteamVR creator since last year. He’ll be moving into the company’s offices in a few week’s time in a Writer role.

I’ve been quietly working for Valve since The Invisible Hours. I’m moving into the office proper in a few weeks.

It is truly joyful to collaborate with such remarkable people. Every day is a revelation.

See you on the shop floor. pic.twitter.com/NBgcEAHxQq

— Rob Yescombe (@robyescombe) June 26, 2018

Yescombe didn’t say exactly what he was working on right now, but we’ve got our fingers crossed it’s for a VR project. We know that Valve is working on three full VR games and, given this end to Yescombe’s silence and the company’s recent reveal of its latest Knuckles controllers, we might finally be close to hearing about what they are. Perhaps another positive sign is that Yescombe also retweeted a message from another Valve staffer that’s on the hunt for VR developers in the Seattle area.

Last year, Valve lost one of its key writers, Chet Faliszek, who had become known as an important evangelist of the VR industry. It’s great to see Valve stocking up in the development department again, and we can’t wait to see what comes of it.

Tagged with: The Invisible Hours, valve

The post The Invisible Hours, Farpoint Writer Moves To Valve appeared first on UploadVR.

May 20, 2018

Something For The Weekend: Mid May Oculus Deals

Another weekend and another entry in Something For The Weekend where VRFocus brings you a selection of some of the latest deals on virtual reality (VR) titles. This week, Oculus have a number of titles on offer for the Oculus Rift, Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR. As always, be sure to check back every weekend for even more deals right here on VRFocus.

Monzo VR

If you are looking for a title this weekend to relax with then Monzo VR will be the one for you. This VR title puts players you into a relaxing environment when you are build highly detailed model kits at your own pace. Want to build a car? a World War 2 plane? How about a Da Vinci Paddle Boat? All of these and many more are able to be built within Monzo VR. Put each piece together, apply decals and paint and then enjoy your finished model in immersive VR.

Monzo VR is available now on Oculus Rift for £5.99 (GBP) down from £10.99.

Apex Construct

“Despite some minor gripes, its clear that Apex Construct represents the way forward for VR videogames, an absorbing, intriguing experience that draws you in with a rich world complete with its own history and mysteries to be unravelled as well as a fluid combat system. Apex Construct is the standard by which future VR titles will be judged, and an indicator that VR has stepped up its game.” – Read VRFocus’ Starr Writer Rebecca Hills-Duty’s review of Apex Construct.

Apex Construct is currently available for £15.99 (GBP) down from the usual £22.99 now on Oculus Rift.

Mervils A VR Adventure screenshot

Mervils: A VR Adventure

“Your quest begins in the picturesque countryside where you learn the history of the Mervil ancestors and of their one unspeakable enemy, “Balazar the Evil” who has not been seen in the Kingdom for centuries. You quickly discover that there are 5 vast Mervil Worlds to explore and that the Kingdom is protected by a magical force-field, upheld by the power of the Great Mervil Book. The magical strength of the Great Book has diminished and now at the time of greatest weakness, Balazar has plotted his return and seeks to destroy you and the rest of your people! It’s up to one brave hero, to collect the lost pages, rebind the Great Book, and defeat Balazar once and for all. Will that Mervil be you?”

Mervils: A VR Adventure is available now on Oculus Rift for £5.99 (GBP) down from £14.99.

Wheelchair Simulator VR

“Wheelchair Simulator is certainly one of the most innovative use cases for VR that’s recently launched. The core ‘obstacle course’ style gameplay is fun but can be a little shallow, repetitive and frustrating at points. However, being frustrated is almost the point of the experience, ViRa Games’ title is something to learn from, an experience that could really only work in VR and that opens your eyes and creates empathy for others. It would be great to see more videogames like this, putting you in the shoes of someone who wasn’t a powerful wizard or secret agent.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s review of Wheelchair Simulator VR.

Wheelchair Simulator VR is available now for £6.79 (GBP) on sale from the usual £7.99 for Oculus Rift.

Flappy VR

Relive the hit title that was Flappy Bird in a VR spin of that core gameplay loop on Oculus Go. Play from the perspective of the bird and earn points by passing through the pipes, unlocking new maps and other items by earning medals. Do you have what it takes to earn the highest score and be the Flappy VR master?

Flappy VR is now only £1.49 (GBP) down from £2.29 on Oculus Go.

Ballooning Adventures

Take to the skies in a hot air balloon and explore a vast beautiful landscape. Take control of your hot air balloon and pilot your way through the scenery, finding all the secrets hidden throughout the three realms. Complete with an uplifting soundtrack that will accompany you during your journey, Ballooning Adventures is a relaxing experience that is sure to put a smile on your face.

Ballooning Adventures is available now on Oculus Go for £1.49 (GBP) down from £2.29.

The Purge Day

If you would rather deal with an experience that is bound to keep you on the edge of your seat then The Purge Day might be for you. When something strange happened causing the human civilization to almost all be dead, it falls down to Jack Bowman to save his wife and maybe even the world. Fight off against hordes of aliens in this first-person horror shooter that features a suspenseful story.

The Purge Day is currently £0.79 (GBP) down from £2.29 for Gear VR.

Romans From Mars 360

“Though the gameplay may be all-too-familiar, Romans from Mars 360 features plenty of window dressing that makes it far more compelling. A full campaign allows you to replay a failed level while local leaderboards maintain statistics of the number of Martians killed, hidden treasures found and sheep rescued. As like many of the launch titles for the consumer edition of the Gear VR, Romans from Mars 360 isn’t about to set the world on fire. However, it is a thoroughly enjoyable first step into the world of virtual reality videogaming for those who choose to take it.” – Read VRFocus’ Editor Kevin Joyce’s review of Romans From Mars 360.

Romans From Mars 360 is currently on sale for £0.79 (GBP) down from £2.29 for Gear VR.

The Invisible Hours

“A group of strangers receive a curious invitation from the enigmatic inventor, Nikola Tesla, offering each of them the chance to make amends for their darkest wrongdoings. When the last guest arrives at Tesla’s isolated mansion laboratory, they find him dead – murdered. Disgraced Swedish detective, Gustaf Gustav, vows to find the killer amongst the other guests: a blind butler, a convicted murderer, the world’s most famous actress, Tesla’s former assistant, the son of a wealthy railroad magnate, and rival inventor Thomas Edison. But none of these people are what they seem.”

The Invisible Hours is currently available for £7.99 (GBP) down from £29.99 for Oculus Rift.

Final Goalie: Football Simulator

“If you’re after a fun alternative to all of the first-person shooters (FPS) available on HTC Vive Final Goalie: Football Simulator certainly provides an outlet. There’s plenty to experience and it’s certainly a workout in long play sessions, but it can get repetitive as the basic challenge does essentially stay the same. If you’re happy wildly flailing your arms in VR, then Final Goalie: Football Simulator provides an enjoyable experience that’s suitable for everyone.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s review of Final Goalie: Football Simulator.

Final Goalie: Football Simulator is available for only £7.99 (GBP) right now on sale from £14.99 for Oculus Rift.

That is all for this week but remember that VRFocus gathers all the best sales and deals every week, so check back next weekend at the same time to discover more.

March 16, 2018

Excellent Narrative VR Adventure The Invisible Hours Getting Non-VR Version

The Invisible Hours remains one of our favorite VR experiences of 2017, and soon everyone will be able to play it regardless of if they have a VR headset or not.

Developer Tequila Works this week confirmed that its narrative adventure will launch in standard format on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on April 24th 2018. Trading in VR support affords the standard version 4K support. There’s no word yet on if PC and PSVR players will be getting this version thrown in for free.

#TheInvisibleHours will be launching on Xbox One, PS4, and PC on April 24,2018. Now you can enjoy this immersive theater styled, classic murder-mystery experience in all platforms! Also you can meet us in @sxsw and play TIH all week! pic.twitter.com/1gDTswErbN

— Tequila Works (@TequilaWorks) March 15, 2018

In The Invisible Hours players follow the lives of seven characters that meet on an island house own my Nikola Tesla. However, when Tesla is found dead, an intense murder mystery begins to unravel. The experience incorporates a unique narrative structure, allowing players to move the camera themselves and follow whichever character they see fit, then rewind time and follow another in order to piece everything together.

If you don’t yet have a VR headset then this is a great taster of some of the content available on them. If you’re at South by Southwest this week then you can go hands-on with a preview.

Tagged with: The Invisible Hours

December 28, 2017

The Best HTC Vive Games You’ve Never Played

Having covered the creme de la creme for virtual reality (VR) in our ‘Best Oculus Rift Games’, ‘Best HTC Vive Games’ and ‘Best PlayStation VR Games’ articles, VRFocus has now decided to look at those videogames you may have missed during the course of 2017 that are still worthy of your time and money.

With both the ‘Best Oculus Rift Games You’ve Never Played’ and ‘Best PlayStation VR Games You’ve Never Played’ already covered it’s now the turn of HTC Vive, with the headset having a considerable selection on offer. If you can peel yourself away from Fallout 4 VR or DOOM VFR for one moment then how about checking out these lesser-known, but still very good titles.

HTC Vive stock image 1

FORM

Mixing a science fiction storyline along with a surreal puzzle adventure, Charm Games’ FORM does just about everything right when it comes to immersing you in a fantastical VR experience. You play a scientist trying to unlock the mysteries of an ancient artifact, and in doing so are transported to an awe inspiring world filled with puzzles to test your mind, memory, hearing and more. Having launched in early June it can be quite easy for some videogames to get lost in the maelstrom that is the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

FORM-VR-Screenshot-02

The Invisible Hours

Tequila Works’ The Invisible Hours is fairly new having only launched in October for HTC Vive. The experience is a murder-mystery who-dun-it, a virtual reality (VR) version of Cluedo for those boardgame fans. Rather than play an actual character, you’re instead a kind of fly-on-the-wall, able to freely wander around the mansion, watching the story evolve whilst uncovering an intricate web of interwoven stories to discover clues to the murder of Nikola Tesla.

The Invisible Hours screen1

Siegecraft Commander

There are a few real-time strategy (RTS) title out there for HTC Vive depending on what you’re after. One that might have escaped your attention was Siegecraft Commander by Blowfish Studios. Released at the beginning of the year, Siegecraft Commander offers an intriguing twist on tower defence style gameplay, where you have to launch your next tower from the last, with a wall interconnecting the two. This eventually leads to a carefully laid out web of towers and walls which can all come crumbling down at a moments notice should an enemy destroy a key early building with many branches leading off it. While an RTS, tower defence title may not be to everyone’s liking, it’s certainly worth a look if you enjoy a tabletop style challenge.

Siegecraft Commander - screenshot

Left-Hand Path

Another newbie that could’ve easily been overlooked thanks to another role-playing game (RPG) being released, Left-Hand Path is a Dark Souls inspired adventure that’s been created by indie studio Strange Company. Armed with arcane powers, players must wield their newly-found powers and explore to find even more powerful spells and rituals, while trying to stay alive long enough to solve the mysteries that lay before them. If you’re after a big RPG that offers something different to Bethesda then Left-Hand Path is certainly worth a look.

Left-Hand Path screenshot 1

Hurl VR

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life than can be the most rewarding but also most easily missed. For most of you reading this Hurl VR probably brings up blank expressions, sounding like a drunk party game that involves way too much liquid. That’s not the case however, as Hurl VR is about precision throwing (basketball style), trying to get a ball into a goal. Sounds easy enough but there are several types of platforms that need to be utilised to bounce and teleport the ball accurately. Hurl VR is simple to pick up yet fiendish by the end, so don’t overlook it if you’re after a cheap puzzler.

Hurl VR

November 18, 2017

Soundtrack to VR Title The Invisible Hours to get Commercial Release

Videogame soundtracks are just starting to gain widespread respect as a musical genre in its own right, featuring in live orchestral concerts, and even getting airtime on radio stations such as Classic FM. Videogame soundtracks are also starting to see release in various formats, such as the upcoming release of the soundtrack to The Invisible Hours.

Created by independent developer Tequila Works, The Invisible Hours is an innovative virtual reality (VR) murder mystery where the player takes a ‘fly on the wall’ view of proceedings after the body of fames inventor Nikolai Tesla is discovered dead in a mansion house. The player must listen in on conversations and discover the identity of the killer.

The soundtrack for the experience was composed by Cris Velasco, who previously worked on titles such as Resident Evil 7 biohazard, which is also VR-compatible. In VR it is often vital for the music and sound design to be as good as possible so to properly immerse the user in the environment.

The Invisible Hours screen6

We took our inspiration from stage theater and played with atmosphere and ambient sound,” explains Raúl Rubio, CEO and Creative Director of Tequila Works. “Like the original silent movies of early 20th Century, we added a soundtrack matching the action only in very specific moments for dramatic purpose. The result is an intimate, atmospheric symphony that talks directly to your soul. And composer Cris Velasco is the invisible hand behind the chill you feel when wandering Tesla’s domains spying the secret lives of all these strangers.”

The soundtrack for The Invisible Hours is being made available for digital download and online streaming through music publisher Sumthing Else Music Works. Further details on the release is available via the Sumthing Else website.

The Invisible Hours is available for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR. Further details are available on the official website.

VRFocus will bring you further news on The Invisible Hours as it becomes available.

October 18, 2017

Spiel der Woche The Invisible Hours jetzt für PSVR erhältlich

Am Wochenende haben wir euch in unserem VR-Weekly als Spiel der Woche The Invisible Hours für die Oculus Rift und HTC Vive vorgestellt – nun ist das spannende Detektivspiel auch für PlayStation VR (PSVR) erhältlich und lädt dazu ein, den mysteriösen Mord an den Erfinder Tesla aufzuklären. Dabei bekommt ihr ganz besondere Fähigkeiten.

The Invisible Hours: Zeitsprung für PSVR

In The Invisible Hours übernehmt ihr die Rolle des schwedischen Detektivs Gustaf Gustav, der in einer Villa den Mord an dem Erfinder Tesla untersucht. Dabei seit ihr als Spieler unsichtbar und könnt unbemerkt alles untersuchen sowie Personen beobachten und belauschen. Bei der Aufklärung hilft die Fähigkeit, nicht nur die Zeit anhalten zu können, sondern auch durch die Zeit zu springen und somit vergangene Ereignisse mitzuerleben. Der Entwickler Tequila Works sieht den Titel weniger als Spiel, sondern als immersives Theaterstück. Neben Tesla hat auch ein anderer Erfinder neben anderen Verdächtigen seinen Auftritt: Thomas Edison.

Chris und Patrick haben von The Invisible Hours ein knapp 40-minütiges Gameplay-Video angefertigt, das die ersten Schritte des unsichtbaren Detektivs zeigt. Der VR-Titel ist jetzt im PlayStation Store für die PSVR erhältlich und kostet knapp 40 Euro. Etwas günstiger ist die PC-Fassung, die 35 Euro kostet und bei Steam für die HTC Vive sowie im Oculus Store für die Oculus Rift zu finden ist.

Der Beitrag Spiel der Woche The Invisible Hours jetzt für PSVR erhältlich zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

October 15, 2017

VR Weekly 26: Santa Cruz, Oculus Go und Zeitsprünge

In der vergangenen Woche sorgten die Ankündigungen von Oculus auf der Oculus Connect 4 für reichlich Gesprächsstoff: Was bedeuten der Prototyp Santa Cruz sowie das nur 200 US-Dollar billige Stand-alone VR-Headset Oculus Go für den VR-Markt? Chris holt sich in dieser Folge von VR Weekly den Chefentwickler der VR-Nerds Blex auf die Couch, um über die Ankündigungen zu sinnieren und die kommenden VR-Headsets einzuordnen. Bevor es aber so weit ist, geben wir euch einen schnellen Überblick, was es diese Woche noch an wichtigen Neuigkeiten zu berichten gab.

VR Weekly: Das Spiel der Woche

Aber dabei bleibt es nicht, am Ende unserer Wochenschau wird es mysteriös und Chris muss Spürsinn beweisen: Das VR-Spiel der Woche heißt The Invisible Hours und ist für die Oculus Rift und HTC Vive erhältlich. Chris stellt den Titel nicht nur in unserem VR Weekly vor, sondern hat auch zusammen mit Patrick ein Gameplay-Video erstellt.

Die Entwickler bezeichnen ihr Detektivspiel als immersives Theaterstück: Es geht darum, den Mörder von Tesla zu finden. Dafür untersucht man als unsichtbarer Schnüffler nicht nur Gegenstände und beobachtet Tatverdächtige, sondern kann sogar in der Zeit springen oder sie anhalten. The Invisible Hours ist bei Steam und im Oculus Store für knapp 35 Euro erhältlich.

Der Beitrag VR Weekly 26: Santa Cruz, Oculus Go und Zeitsprünge zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!