The virtual reality (VR) title The Mage’s Tale is coming to HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, developer inXile Entertainment have announced.
Taking place between the events of The Bard’s Tale III: Thief of Fate and the upcoming release of The Bard’s Tale IV, The Mage’s Tale is an epic ten hour long single player VR experience that puts players in the shoes of an apprentice of the mystic arts. With raw elemental power in your hands, players will be going on an epic journey to save their kidnapped master and defeat all that stand in your way. Cast flames from the palm of your hand, javelins of ice, arcs of lighting and even swirling tempests to overcome any challenge.
The new version of The Mage’s Tale will include a number of improvements including smoother movement, shorter loading times, optional UI elements and a Horde Mode in addition to the single player campaign. The improvements will also be coming to the currently release Oculus Rift version of the videogame too.
Players wanting to experience The Mage’s Tale on HTC Vive will be able to do some from 23rd March with the title being available via Steam. The PlayStation VR version of the title is still in development but the news the title is coming to the console is still very exciting. Already released for the Oculus Rift back in June of last year, the title has been a successful one with positive praise which has been the driving force in inXile Entertainment bring the title to new audiences and platforms. A new trailer for the HTC Vive release can be viewed below.
In VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham’s review of The Mage’s Tale in which he said: “The Mage’s Tale is a really good magical adventure that really puts you into the heart of the experience. The story provides hours worth of gameplay and the potion creation side adds even more fun, mixing and matching various items to see what they do. If you’ve been looking for a decent fantasy RPG then you can’t go too far wrong with this.”
For more on The Mage’s Tale in the future, keep reading VRFocus.
Mit The Mage’s Talesteht seit Juni 2017 ein spannender RPG Dungeon Crawler zur Verfügung, der exklusiv für die Oculus Rift entwickelt wurde. Die Verträge mit Oculus scheinen nun jedoch ausgelaufen zu sein, sofern es welche gab, denn die Entwickler werden am 23. März 2018 das Spiel auch für die HTC Vive auf Steam veröffentlichen. Laut eigener Aussagen befindet sich auch eine PSVR-Fassung in Entwicklung. Zum Appetit anregen veröffentlichte das Team gestern auch einen neuen Trailer, indem die HTC-Vive-Version mit eindrucksvollen Bildern beworben wird.
The Mage’s Tale kommt auf Vive und PSVR
Das „magische“ RPG von inXile entertainmentbietet über zehn Stunden Content, hunderte verschiedene Zaubersprüche und eine düstere und stimmige Atmosphäre. Für 30 US-Dollar darf man sich ab dem 23. März auch mit der HTC Vive offiziell durch die Gemäuer kämpfen und rätseln, denn dann soll das Spiel auf Steam bereitstehen. Ein Hauptkritikpunkt nach der Veröffentlichung von The Mage’s Tale war die fehlende Möglichkeit, sich frei in der Spielwelt zu bewegen. Die Entwickler haben dieses Manko allerdings recht schnell mit einem Update beseitigt und auch sonst an Stellschrauben gezogen, um die Immersion zu verbessern.
Wann die PlayStation-VR-Fassung für die PlayStation 4 veröffentlicht wird, verraten die Entwickler zwar noch nicht, aber immerhin sprechen sie in ihrer Pressemitteilung von einem baldigen Release.
RPG dungeon crawler The Mage’s Tale, a former Oculus exclusive, is set to launch on Steam for the HTC Vive on March 23rd. Developer inXile Entertainment has also confirmed that the title is in development for PSVR.
The Mage’s Tale, a VR dungeon crawling RPG title from the makers of The Bard’s Tale, launched initially as an Oculus exclusive back in June, 2017. The game, which purports to have some ten hours of content, and “offers players the ability to craft hundreds of spells, explore dungeons, solve puzzles, and fight creatures,” will launch next week on Steam for $30 with support for the HTC Vive, the developer announced today. The studio confirmed to Road to VR that Windows VR headsets won’t be officially supported by the SteamVR version of The Mage’s Tale.
In our review of the game for the Oculus Rift back in June, we found the motion-controller based spell casting to make for magic combat, with fitting gameplay for those looking for a classic dungeon crawler, but wished the graphics and animations were more polished for greater immersion:
‘The Mage’s Tale’ delivers exactly what you’d expect from a classic dungeon crawler, promising real moments of magic and exploration while not challenging the formula too much. Creating and casting magical spells in VR is an awesome experience that I didn’t ever get tired of, but if a sequel is in the works, finer character animation and more locomotion options should be on the docket to turn up the immersion factor. As it stands, NPCs look ripped from the PS2-era , and anyone looking for smooth-turning or smooth forward movement will be sorely disappointed.
Following the launch of the Oculus version, an update to the gameadded smooth locomotion, quicker load times, optional UI elements, and a ‘Horde Mode’, and those changes will be included in the Steam launch.
Image courtesy inXile Entertainment
The studio also confirmed that the The Mage’s Tale is in development for PSVR, but didn’t offer any details on when it would launch, though we’d guess 2018 is a safe bet.
Update: We’ve been informed that The Mage’s Tale will also be coming to PSVR at a future, undisclosed date — but inXile have confirmed that this version is currently “in development.”
Original:The Mage’s Tale, an Oculus Rift with Touch exclusive from inXile Entertainment, was one of 2017’s very best VR games. Now, the developer is announcing that it will be making its debut on HTC Vive through Steam on March 27th — less than two weeks from now.
For a lot of VR gamers, this is the kind of game they’ve been clamoring for if they haven’t had a chance to play it yet. The Mage’s Tale has close to a dozen hours of content, an innovative spell-creation system, excellent puzzles, exciting combat, and one of the most visually pleasing VR worlds to explore yet. After release the development team continued to support it with updates, including free locomotion.
When it releases on March 27th for Vive it will also include the recently launched horde mode for endless replayability, optimized performance, faster load times, and full smooth locomotion. It’s basically the same game, but it’ll be accessible on Steam for Vive users instead of just on the Oculus Home Store.
2017 has almost drawn to a close and what a year its been for Oculus Rift and Touch. Not only has the hardware seen a dramatic reduction in price but there’s been plenty of content for consumers to get their hands on. With so much available VRFocus has decided to compile a short list of the best ten videogames that you should own for the device.
The following list – which is in no particular order – aims to cover the the length and breadth of VR content for Oculus Rift. Whether you prefer a big AAA experience from a well known developer or enjoy sampling the delights of the indie community, there’s so many good videogames it can be hard to chose from, meaning there’s always something decent to play.
Lone Echo – Ready at Dawn
An Oculus Rift exclusive, Ready at Dawn’s Lone Echowas one of the biggest summer releases for the headset. Combining a compelling story alongside stunning visuals, the experience also managed to achieve what few had before it, comfortable movement in a zero-gravity environment.
The Gallery: Episode 2 – Heart Of The Emberstone – Cloudhead Games
The long awaited second installment to The Gallery: Call of the Starseed, The Gallery: Episode 2 – Heart Of The Emberstonewent even bigger and better than before, offering more puzzles, grander settings, and more insight into the sci-fi/fantasy story.
ARKTIKA.1 – 4A Games
4A Games, the studio behind the popular Metro 2033 series brought its knowledge of post-apocalyptic first-person shooters (FPS) to Oculus Rift this October. Featuring a point-to-point teleportation system rather than freeroaming, ARKTIKA.1has AAA visuals combined with intense FPS action for on of the best story driven shooters on the platform.
Robo Recall – Epic Games
Launched near the start of the year, Epic Games’ first proper VR title was Robo Recalland should be part of every Oculus Rift owners library. Not only for the fact that it’s completely free, but also that it’s one of the most polished titles on the platform. Essentially a wave shooter, Robo Recall allows you to dash around beautifully rendered city streets, destroying an army of walking and flying robots, dispatching them however you wish. Choose the pistols for a more ranged approach, or just forget about guns and go in bare handed, ripping apart metallic bodies at whim.
Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality – Owlchemy Labs
If there’s one title that bound to appear on these ‘Best of’ kind of lists then Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-Alitywill be a front runner. Created by Owlchemy Labs (Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives) alongside Adult Swim Games, this VR version of the popular cartoon series hit all the right notes with its combination of adult humour and immersive VR gameplay. While you don’t need to be a fan of the series it certainly doesn’t hurt to have seen a few episodes to get some of the awaiting in jokes.
The Mage’s Tale – inXile Entertainment
While PlayStation VR may have The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR, Oculus Rift owners don’t have to miss out on the fantasy role-playing games (RPGs) thanks to inXile Entertainment’s The Mage’s Tale. You play a wizards apprentice who must save their master from an evil force. The Mage’s Tale offers the ability to craft hundreds of spells, both defensive and offensive, helping you solve puzzles and vanquish foes with a wave of your hand.
REZ Infinite – Enhance Games
Originally exclusive to PlayStation VR, Enhance Games eventually decided to bring psychedelic shooter REZ Infiniteto PC headsets this summer. Featuring reworked levels from the Dreamcast original, the studio also decided to embrace VR further by creating a dedicated level called Area X. While it may not fall into the parameters of many genres, REZ Infinite is one of those titles that once experienced in VR you couldn’t imagine any other way.
Skyworld – Vertigo Games
Featuring both single-player and multiplayer modes, Skyworld mixes turn-based strategy with real-time battles in which you play a king looking over their battle map. From here armies and buildings can be created to storm enemy strongholds, whether that’s in the campaign, skirmish mode or the online cross-platform multiplayer. A proper table-top experience, Skyworld perfectly personifies ‘the easy to pickup but hard to master’ adage, seemingly unforgiving if your strategy isn’t right. Yet highly satisfying when it is.
Battlezone – Rebellion Studios
Another cross-platform multiplayer to make the list, Rebellion’s Battlezonehas been made available for all three major headsets, and that’s a good thing as you wouldn’t want to miss out on this arcade-shooter. This is one of VRFocus’favourite VR titles thanks to that balance between procedurally generated levels, customisation options and retro design nostalgia.
Killing Floor: Incursion – Tripwire Interactive
Originally released as an exclusive for Oculus Rift, Tripwire Interactive’s Killing Floor: Incursionis a horror shooter based on the company’s Killing Floor franchise. Players can choose to go it alone or team up with a friend in co-op mode and explore several environments, such as dilapidated farmhouses to cold, creepy high-tech facilities, all of which contain hordes of horrific ‘Zed’ monsters, which players will need to terminate with extreme prejudice. The entire experience provides a visceral slice of VR action that’s not very festive but enjoyable none the less.
If you’ve been living under a rock you’ve probably missed this summers deals that Oculus has rolled out. Those that have been paying attention will have seen the Oculus Rift get $200 USD/ £200 GBP knocked off for a limited time (it’s still going), as well as plenty of content discounts. As August draws to a close the virtual reality (VR) company has veiled two new bundles, each with four games apiece.
First up is the Rift Summer Hits Pack. As you may expect these are four of the most popular videogames – so it’s great for new Oculus Rift owners – covering first-person shooters (FPS), role-playing games (RPGs) and some comedy gameplay. Included are: The Mage’s Taleby inXile Entertainment, Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality and Job Simulator from Owlchemy Labs and Arizona Sunshine by Vertigo Games and Jaywalkers Interactive.
The Rift Summer Hits Pack retails for £69.99/$89.99, offering approximately 35 percent off the regular price of all four.
The second bundle is the Rift Essentials Pack, made as an introduction to VR for newbies. Here there’s The Climbby Crytek, Survios’ Raw Data, SUPERHOT VR and Apollo 11 VR. This bundle retails for £44.99/$59.99, offering the bigger discount of around 50 percent.
Both of these deals are only available for the next week, ending on 4th September 2017.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Oculus Rift, reporting back with the latest offers.
The dungeon crawl RPG isn’t quite as popular nowadays as it used to be — at least, not in its most traditional form. Created as a way of adapting the likes of Dungeons & Dragons to a digital computer game interface mixed with the tenants of text adventures like Zork, the first dungeon crawlers were visually sparse and full of ambition, nothing like modern entries in the genre such as The Mage’s Tale in VR .
You’d view everything from the first-person perspective in a static window often with no animation while you selected options and commands for your party to perform as you explored the depths of the world’s darkest dungeons. By today’s standards it sounds archaic when you look at the likes of Skyrim VR, but at the time it was the most transportive experience available.
It All Started With A Bard
And in 1985 a little game named Tales of the Unknown: Volume I, more commonly referred to by its subtitle, The Bard’s Tale (pictured above,) became a best-seller and informed the design principles of an entire generation.
The team behind that game, Interplay, went on to be associated with the likes of the Baldur’s Gate, Wasteland, and Fallout franchises. Brian Fargo was a key industry figure on all of these projects taking up the mantle of everything from Writer to Executive Producer. Now his current company where he serves as CEO, inXile Entertainment, just recently launched Torment: Tides of Numenera as a spiritual successor to the acclaimed Planescape: Torment and are currently working on Wasteland 3 as well The Bard’s Tale IV, the first mainline entry in that franchise in almost 30 years.
Now they’ve also just recently released their very first VR game called The Mage’s Tale. It takes place in the same universe as The Bard’s Tale and has players assume the role of an up and coming wizard. You explore dungeons, solve puzzles, avoid traps, and fight back against countless enemies across 10 different dungeons and close to a dozen hours of content making it one of the largest and most elaborate VR titles to date. We really enjoyed it in our review.
The Mage’s Tale has been a long-time coning.
“From the very first time I tried VR I knew I wanted to make a dungeon crawler,” said Fargo during an interview with UploadVR. “I first tried that early Oculus Rift demo with the dinosaur in the hallway years ago. At that moment when I saw the dinosaur I just thought, ‘Oh my gosh! I have to do a dungeon crawl game in VR!’ because it just seemed like such a great opportunity to put you in the dungeon. You could look around and really feel like you were there.”
The transportive capability of VR is one of its most prominent strengths. When you’re playing an old-school dungeon crawl game like The Bard’s Tale, Might & Magic, Wizardry, or one of countless licensed Dungeons & Dragons games that came later on, it feels almost like you’re gazing through a window into another world. With VR headsets, you can tear down the wall, step through the window, and truly feel immersed in the environment instead.
“Unlike the old days when you’re just sitting at your desk, seeing a monitor, only concerned with what’s on the screen, now we have players that are looking around in the world itself, not just a screen,” explained Fargo. “Creatively it’s so different than what’s been done before.”
Learning to Dungeon Crawl Before You Can Walk
One of the biggest differences between the old games Fargo used to work on like the original Bard’s Tale titles and The Mage’s Tale is that traditionally you’d control an entire party of people and move them all together, in unison, through dungeons as one unit. That doesn’t really work well when you ask a player to physically move around in VR. You only have one set of arms and two eyes to look around so it didn’t seem appropriate to have players control an entire party that way.
“Games that are primarily party-based just don’t lend themselves well to VR because you’re supposed to feel immersed,” said Fargo. “Keeping things like the UI in mind just changes things. We had to get rid of all of the stats and sheets of information that’d usually be on-screen to look at since that takes you out of the realm. The biggest thing we learned is the importance of putting presence at the front of the experience.”
Another major difference is that most of the older games were turn-based. In that system you’d see an enemy appear in front of you, you’d tell your fighter to hit it with his sword, a number on the screen shows how much damage you did, then the enemy attacks and hits one of your party members, followed by someone else’s turn, and so on. That doesn’t really work for a VR game. A developer can’t tell a player that, even though they have the ability to move around and do things, that they can’t attack or move because it isn’t their turn. That just isn’t how presence works.
“One of our earliest iterations of The Mage’s Tale was actually turn-based,” said David Rogers, Lead Designer at inXile Entertainment, during the same interview. “You’d have the goblin go, then you throw a fireball, then the goblin goes again, and so on. That never felt weird when looking at a monitor but it feels out of place in VR. The combination of first-person and VR made it not feel right and took you out of the experience.”
Going back to the concept of putting presence and agency first, that logic informed the entire game’s design process. When you play an old dungeon crawler and try to click and cast a fireball at a wall for no reason other than you feel like it, nothing happens. Combat isn’t going on so an attack can’t be used. But in VR when playing The Mage’s Tale you can totally throw fireballs and lightning bolts all around however many times you’d like. That sense of freedom is what makes it so effective.
Due to the game’s focus on that core concept — being a mage — some ideas had to be cut though, like detailed melee combat systems. In the game you don’t really pick up and use melee weapons, or any weapons at all for that matter, as you instead get to mix and create your own magical spells. You are a powerful mage in a fantasy world, after all.
“We wanted to nail the core objective of making a badass wizard,” explained Rogers. “And in doing so, we didn’t want to split development time between nailing the haptics and hitting the right areas of enemies and having them react. We thought about the experience we’re trying to make and we just asked each other, “Why would you use a sword if you can use ice javelins and lightning instead?” It came down to us not wanting to muddle the message. And our goal was never razor’s edge difficulty with you on the verge of death at all times, we just wanted to fulfill the dream of being a powerful wizard.
Building for the Future
Now that The Mage’s Tale has been out for a while inXile Entertainment is focused on making it even better. Some of the biggest gripes about the core game are that the loading times were way too long and there was no full, smooth locomotion option at all. Movement was restricted to either teleporting or incremental steps. An upcoming update is aiming to fix both of those areas.
On top of that, it’s been announced that inXile has closed funding with gumi Inc. for a total of $4.5, part of which is going towards the funding of a brand new VR game that will be a social, open-world RPG. We’re crossing our fingers for a VR version of Wasteland.
At this point in the life cycle of VR it makes sense that the people that helped popularize dungeon crawlers in the 80s would be trying to popularize them again for a new audience on a new platform. The best way to move forward sometimes is to look back and learn from the past.
inXile Entertainment, the developer behind the recent launch of fantasy role-playing game (RPG) The Mage’s Tale has just announced a combined investment of $4.5 million USD for equity and project investment from gumi VR Inc.
The studio is currently developing The Bard’s Tale IV and Wasteland 3 – neither of which are for virtual reality (VR). However inXile Entertainment will use the investment towards its next VR title, an unannounced open world survival RPG which the developer plans to bring to all platforms.
“Gumi shares my passion for creating deeper virtual reality games and I’m fortunate to have a partner to work with in this spectacular new medium. We’ve had incredible feedback from our first game, The Mage’s Tale, and we want to continue to build on our experience and reputation. I’ve always been fascinated by the social dynamics of the open world survival genre and experiencing that in virtual reality will create powerful and terrifying moments. We’ll also be bringing our storytelling and RPG experience to the table to help enrich the genre,” said Brian Fargo, CEO, inXile Entertainment in a statement.
In addition to the investment, gumi Inc. CEO Hironao Kunimitsu also joins inXile Entertainment’s board.
“Brian is a legend in the games industry, and inXile Entertainment has a track record for creating ground-breaking PC and console games that feel AAA in scope and size using their creativity, ingenuity, and ambition. Over the past year, they’ve brought in very talented and experienced members as they shift their strategy from single player to multiplayer online games as a service, and we look forward to seeing how they approach the space,” said Kunimitsu. “Since breaking into VR, we believe they’ve already delivered the best VR RPG game to date with The Mage’s Tale. We’re honored to become a strategic investor and partner with inXile, and delighted for the opportunity to work together on the next VR title with such a masterfully skilled team.”
The Mage’s Tale launched last month for Oculus Rift and Touch, with VRFocusgiving it the full five stars, saying: “If you’ve been looking for a decent fantasy RPG then you can’t go too far wrong with this.”
For further inXile Entertainment updates, keep reading VRFocus.
inXile Entertainment, the studio behind The Bard’s Tale franchise including VR dungeon crawlerThe Mage’s Tale (2017), today announced they’ve raised a combined investment of $4.5M intended for equity in the company and as funds to develop an unannounced open world survival RPG VR game.
Hironao Kunimitsu, image courtesy The Venture Reality Fund
Investment comes from Japanese firm gumi VR Inc., a subsidiary of video game publisher and developer gumi Inc. In addition to the investment, gumi Inc. CEO Hironao Kunimitsu also joins inXile Entertainment’s board.
gumi Inc. first expanded into VR and AR in early 2016 with the launch of Tokyo VR Startups (TVS), an incubation program focused on the Japanese VR market. The company later expanded their investment strategy to encompass US-based companies doing AR/VR with The Venture Reality Fund.
“Gumi shares my passion for creating deeper virtual reality games and I’m fortunate to have a partner to work with in this spectacular new medium. We’ve had incredible feedback from our first game, The Mage’s Tale, and we want to continue to build on our experience and reputation. I’ve always been fascinated by the social dynamics of the open world survival genre and experiencing that in virtual reality will create powerful and terrifying moments. We’ll also be bringing our storytelling and RPG experience to the table to help enrich the genre,” said Brian Fargo, CEO of inXile Entertainment.
inXile is still playing it pretty close to the vest on their upcoming VR RPG, however they have said it will launch “on all platforms.”
image captured by Road to VR
“Since breaking into VR, we believe they’ve already delivered the best VR RPG game to date with The Mage’s Tale. We’re honored to become a strategic investor and partner with inXile, and delighted for the opportunity to work together on the next VR title with such a masterfully skilled team,” said Kunimitsu.
Following a successful Kickstarter to bring The Bard’s Tale IV to life, inXile has been busy developing several games including The Bard’s Tale IV, The Mage’s Tale and Wasteland 3. Before inXile, CEO Brian Fargo co-founded Interplay, known as the creator of the original Fallout series and as a publisher for the Baldur’s Gate and Descent series.
In The Mage’s Tale, you get to experience classic dungeon crawler staples like exploration, spell crafting, puzzles, and monster battles—and all of it in the immersive realm of VR using your own two hands with the help of Oculus Touch. In our review of The Mage’s Tale, we got a chance to step into a cohesive universe, that while a little rough around the edges, ultimately was a wonderful mix of charming throwback and modern, built-for-VR immersion.
Der VR-Dungeon Crawler The Mage’s Tale von InXile Entertainment wurde vor Kurzem für die Oculus Rift mit Touch Support veröffentlicht. Der VR-Titel konnte zwar allgemein begeistern, doch die überholten Fortbewegungsmethoden waren vielen Spielern ein Dorn im Auge. Die Entwickler haben sich der Problematik angenommen und kündigen ein Update an, das neben weiteren Verbesserungen eine freie Fortbewegung ermöglicht.
Neues Update von The Mage’s Tale verbessert Gameplay und Performanz
Das Dungeon Crawler RPG The Mage’s Tale bietet alles, was die Herzen von Genre-Fans höher schlagen lässt: ein eigenes Level- und Crafting-System, dunkle Dungeons mit jeder Menge Loot, den es zu entdecken gilt, und eine rollenspielartige Atmosphäre, die an alte Pen and Paper Spiele erinnert. Das Ganze wird noch gewürzt mit einer Prise Humor und Eastereggs. Natürlich alles in VR. Insgesamt sorgen 10 – 15 Stunden Gameplay für langen Spielspaß.
Doch die Fortbewegung per Teleportation stört in der ersten Version das großartige Gesamtpaket des Spiels. Schließlich zeigen Titel wie Arizona Sunshine oder Onward, wie geschmeidige Locomotion funktioniert. Der CEO Brian Fargo vom Entwicklerstudio InXile Entertainment kündigte letzte Woche per Twitter ein kommendes Update an, das diesem Problem nachgeht. Das Update soll bereits diese Woche erscheinen und den Spielern die Möglichkeit geben, auf freie Locomotion umzustellen.
Dazu erklärte der CEO in einem Interview: “Wir hören unserer Community genau zu. Die VR macht die Spieler wesentlich feinfühliger für Spielelemente, wie z. B. UI und Features, die die Immersion zerstören können. Einige Spieler störten sich beispielsweise am Fadenkreuz, deshalb bieten wir nun eine Option, um dieses auszustellen. Ein weiterer Kritikpunkt ist die Fortbewegung, die wir nun mit dem kommenden Update verändern. Zudem werden die Ladezeiten verkürzt.”
Das Update umfasst also einige Optionen, die die Immersion verbessern. Auch die Verkürzung der Ladezeiten dürfte den Spielern willkommen sein. Insgesamt verbessert das Update also sowohl Gameplay als auch Performance. Wir sind zuversichtlich, dass sich das Update positiv auf The Mage’s Tale auswirkt.
