Category: The Wizards

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The Wizards Series Passes 100,000 Copies Sold On Quest, PSVR, PC VR & Go

Beat Games isn’t the only one with sales news this week; Carbon Studios’ The Wizards series has surpassed 100,000 copies sold across its various iterations and platforms.

To be clear, that figure includes sales of the original game, the Enhanced Edition that came alongside the PSVR release, and the Oculus Go-exclusive The Wizards: Trials of Meliora. True, it’s not in the same league as Beat Saber’s two million copies sold, but it’s yet more proof that VR development is emerging as a viable platform for studios after years of struggles.

Carbon didn’t break down how many of those units were on Oculus Quest against other platforms. The Quest version was one of the first titles to launch on the platform after its release in May 2019. Since its arrival, multiple VR developers have seen increased sales of their games.

Carbon started working on The Wizards series after its first game, Alice VR, which only ever came to PC headsets. The first full game initially released in early 2018.

As the name implies, The Wizards is a spell-casting game in which players use a series of gesture-based inputs to summon magical weapons and shoot projectiles.

Elsewhere, Carbon is still working on its standalone expansion to the original Wizards in The Wizards: Dark Times. We’re hoping to see that release on PC VR headsets later this year. In the tweet above, Carbon teases that more news on the game is coming ‘very soon’, so we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled.

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The Wizards PSVR Patch Adds Tracking Improvements

Carbon Studios is improving the tracking of the PSVR version of spellbinding VR game, The Wizards, with its latest update.

The patch adds Tracking Projection, a technique seen in a handful of other PSVR games. Basically this shows you the area in which the PlayStation Camera can track you, making sure you never lean outside of it or move your Move controllers beyond the barriers, too. They even made this little GIF to show you how it works. Handy!

The Wizards PSVR Tracking

PSVR uses a single-camera tracking setup, making it a little more limited than PC VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and Valve Index. But, over the past few years, developers have thought up some clever tricks for navigating those limitations. This is one of them.

It’s pretty necessary for a game like The Wizards, which uses a lot of gesture-based interactions. You summon spells by moving your hands in certain ways. It’s pretty hard to do that if the PlayStation camera can’t see your hands.

We think the game’s a lot of fun. “On the gamut of magic-based first-person action games, The Wizards is definitely one of the better ones,” we said in our 7/10 review. “Its spell-casting system is interactive without being too cumbersome and the campaign mode packs a decent amount of content.”

Meanwhile, Carbon is still working on the standalone expansion to the game, The Wizards: Dark Times. This promising follow-up resembles more of a linear campaign than an arena-based battler. We’re looking forward to getting our hands on it, hopefully later this year.

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The Wizards: Dark Times Is A True Single-Player VR Adventure

For all of its flashy looks, Carbon Studios’ The Wizards was essentially a dressy wave shooter. A more polished and engaging one than most, but still very much a take on an endlessly recycled genre of VR gaming.

Take heart; The Wizards: Dark Times is not a wave shooter.

This upcoming standalone expansion to the spell-casting series isn’t labeled as a straight sequel, though it might as well be. Carbon says it’s instead a game more about reacting to the criticisms of the first. That means refining the original gesture system, while sprinkling in a few new options. More importantly, though, the team has reworked the foundations into a linear set of levels you navigate with either smooth locomotion or teleportation.

It’s still a relatively simple affair; walk down corridors that occasionally branch out into wider areas and take out enemies that either charge towards you or toss projectiles from afar. But Carbon hasn’t lost its penchant for environmental design; in my Gamescom demo I tour a shrouded forest with twisting roots and glowing fungi, often stopping to marvel at what’s on display. Meanwhile, explosive sprinting mushrooms and neon-infused monsters make for fearsome (if sometimes funny) foes.

Magical VR

As before, though, the star of the show is the spells. Carbon smartly navigates around complicated UIs and button presses with its returning gesture system; a left swipe with one hand summons a magical shield I can deflect spears with, while thrusting both hands forwards emits a pulse blast. Returning tricks have some new additions; the ice bow now not only freezes characters on the spot, but can also be pulled apart to create two ice swords.

Flair and freedom is at the heart of combat. At one point I turn an enemy to ice and then use the pulse blast to shatter him where he stands. I start tossing shields like a cross between Captain America and Doctor Strange, and vicious fireballs are only a flick of the hand away. Remembering the specific inputs for even four or five spells was pretty tricky, and the game didn’t always register my commands, but when it works it’s eloquently stylish.

As fun as flaunting your spells can be, I’m hoping to see more tactical depth added to the combat. Most of the encounters I fought my way through could be conquered with whatever spell I saw fit. Fights were far more interesting when I had to, say, work my way up the battlefield, slicing melee opponents while shielding myself from incoming projectiles. I’d like to see a mix of enemies that require specific types of attacks going forwards to lend a little strategy to it all.

All the same, this looks to be an encouraging step forward for a franchise its creators clearly care deeply about. The Wizards might never make it to the hallowed grounds of VR classics, but as an accessible bit of wish fulfillment, it more than does the job.

The Wizards: Dark Times is set to release sometime in 2020 on PC VR headsets. PSVR and Quest versions aren’t yet confirmed but the original game did come to those platforms, so keep fingers crossed.

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Preview: The Wizards – Dark Times – A Different Kind of Magic

When Cortopia Studios released The Wizards in 2018 the virtual reality (VR) title offered decent fantasy gameplay, with its main feature being gesture-based spells. The main downside was the feeling it was merely an advanced wave-shooter, locking you in locations to kill a set number of monsters before moving on. The studio has taken all this feedback on board for its next instalment in the franchise The Wizards – Dark Times.

The Wizards - Dark Times

Attending Gamescom 2019 the team said they wanted to create an experience far more freeing than before, keeping what made The Wizards great whilst dispensing with the less desired elements. This was obvious straight away as the landscape no longer features those arena-like locations. The world was twisted and dark, gnarled tree roots descended down steep rock walls while strange glowing mushrooms scatter the ground. It felt very much like being in the Dark Crystal universe.

While looking the part, this forest location kept to a linear formula so there was no real exploring as such. Paths were predefined with a puzzle here and there to mix up the gameplay design. As mentioned enemies are no longer confined to specific locations so it was very nice to find deadly mushrooms popping up and charging unexpectedly, or some sort of demonic creature staying back and launching a volley of arrows.

This all made The Wizards – Dark Times more dynamic and enjoyable to play. Just as in titles such as The Mage’s Tale or Witching Tower there’s now more to pay attention to with few lull moments where you’re wandering around simply heading to the next activation point.

The Wizards - Dark Times

As with any videogame featuring spells and incantations, The Wizards – Dark Times is all about the magic. All those gesture-based spells for attacking and defending are still there but now they’ve been improved, not only making them easier to cast but also great for combination effects. The two spells most commonly used tend to be the fireball and the shield. The fireball was always the simplest to conjure, however, now it’s now available at (the literal) flick of the wrist. While the shield is just an arm movement across the chest. There doesn’t seem to be an issue with getting the gesture exactly right, a problem which occasionally occurred in the original – meaning much arm-waving when an enemy got too close.

There’s also greater depth to the spells. The ice arrow returns where you can once again fire five before recasting. Now, two direct hits will freeze an enemy plus the bow can split into two making dual-wielding swords for close combat. As for those combination effects, freeze a monster, then defrost with a fireball. As they’re now dripping wet a nasty lightning spell is going to be even more effective (cue cackling laugh).

Only a few spells were on offer during the demo with Cortopia Studios saying 11 will be made available in the final release. Which should open up plenty of strategic opportunities. Especially as the enemies shown so far do actually seem to be fairly intelligent and offer a challenge – apart from the suicidal mushrooms.

The Wizards - Dark Times

From what’s been shown so far The Wizards – Dark Times is definitely on track to offer an even more engaging experience than before. The spell casting works well, the environments look great, and the monsters put up a fight. So hopefully things are only going to get better, just so long as there’s a hefty campaign to back it all up.

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Gamescom 2019 Interview: Darkness Falls on The Wizards

The second title from Carbon Studio, The Wizards launched in 2018 and proved to be a decent magical combat experience using gesture-based spells. A couple of months ago during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2019 the studio revealed an expansion of that universe, The Wizards – Dark Times, an add-on to the original but produced and to be sold as a standalone expansion. During the hecticness of Gamescom 2019 last week VRFocus had a chance to chat with Carbon Studio about the title and what to expect.

The Wizards - Dark Times

The Wizards – Dark Times takes everything the developer learnt from the previous videogame and looks to improve the gameplay whilst polishing every aspect of the experience. While set in the same universe players will travel in time to a new era, offering new enemies to face as well as new spells to master.

One of the main gripes players had about the first title was the restrictive arena-based fights, locking them into a location until every monster was dead. This time around Carbon Studio wants the gameplay experience to be more of an adventure, so players will encounter enemies as they wander through forests and other environments using both teleportation and smooth locomotion mechanics.

Another important part of The Wizards were the gesture-based spells. Performing certain hand actions would produce fireballs, shields and bows. Those actions have been refined to make them easier to cast whilst the elemental effects have been enhanced. For example, hit an enemy with an ice blast and it slows them, a second time and their frozen. Follow that up with a fireball to melt the ice and now that they’re covered in water a quick blast with some lightning has an even greater effect.

The Wizards - Dark Times

VRFocus spoke with Carbon Studio’s Marketing Director Piotr Gala about the title, learning that players who haven’t played the original needn’t worry as The Wizards – Dark Times is a standalone experience. While those that have should feel right at home.

The Wizards – Dark Times is scheduled to launch in Q1 2020 for PC VR headsets like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, while a separate version is being developed for Oculus Quest. Check out the trailer below and for further updates on The Wizards – Dark Times keep reading VRFocus.

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Hands-on: ‘The Wizards – Dark Times’ Brings More Intuitive Spellcasting, Story-based Gameplay & More

Carbon Studio, the Poland-based team behind The Wizards (2018), is bringing a standalone expansion to the series to PC VR headsets early next year called The Wizards – Dark Times​. We got a chance to go hands-on with a 10-minute slice of Dark Times here at Gamescom 2019.

I had an opportunity to pop into the original Wizards back when it arrived on Early Access in 2017, and although the team has since released the full version into the wild, now dubbed The Wizards – Enhanced Edition (2018), I haven’t really had the chance to jump back into the magical realm of Maloira to experience for myself just how enhanced it has become during its year in Early Access. So while I’m not a professed disciple of the series, I can say that on its own merit that the Dark Times demo I played checks some significant boxes in a few departments, the most noticeable of which is its more intuitive spellcasting system and its cohesive and striking visuals.

Moreover, the game is said to be more of a linear adventure and less arena-based, offering what Carbon calls a “short but lore-rich story from Meliora’s chronicles,” making it less of a points-driven wave shooter and more of a proper dungeoning experience, replete with its own story line.

The demo (played on Rift S) plopped me into a post-tutorial level, giving me a few spells at my disposal, including gesture-based spells such as fireballs, frostbow, throwable ethereal shields, and a force push that can knock down enemies.

 

Although this sounds pretty similar to the old system, Dark Times is also bringing secondary functions to many of its spells. For example, the frostbow can be transformed into two powerful frost-spears by simply bringing your hands apart.

What is radically different about Dark Times though is these spells do elemental damage more in line with standard RPGs, i.e. an ice attack can freeze an enemy in its path so you can transition to a more powerful spell to deal more damage. Mixing the elemental spells is also more intuitive too: freezing an enemy with a few frost-arrows or well placed frost-spear will freeze them, and a fire spell will again release them.

 

It gets a little more complicated than that though, as it also depends on which environment you’re in at any given time. If you’re sloshing around in a wet spot along the path​, enemies standing in water will automatically become resistant to fire magic, but also be more vulnerable to lightning spells too. You can replicate this vulnerability at any time by freezing an enemy, lighting them on fire (which makes them wet) and then shocking them with a lightning spell—something that provides a little more realism and solidity to the world.

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The studio maintains that all of the game’s spells have been reworked to play different roles in typical combat situations, which in end effect aims to get players to think more tactically about the spells they should use, and not continuously mashing the same ones over and over.

Besides the spells themselves, which did feel simple and reliable to use, I was also pretty impressed by the visual side of things too. In comparison to the studio’s previous titles Alice VR (2016) and the Early Access version of The Wizards, Carbon seems to really be hitting their stride with Dark Times, as lighting, textures, art direction, voice actors, and overall performance are all pretty much on point. Of course, a 10-minute demo can only reveal so much, although it looks like the standalone continuation of the series has really puts its best foot forward here.

The Wizards – Dark Times​ is slated to launch in Q1 2020 on the standard slew of modern SteamVR-compatible VR headsets. Carbon Studio is also planning an Oculus Quest version, and says that a PSVR version is also a future possibility.

The post Hands-on: ‘The Wizards – Dark Times’ Brings More Intuitive Spellcasting, Story-based Gameplay & More appeared first on Road to VR.

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GIVEAWAY: Win A Free Copy Of The Wizards Or Sairento On PSVR

Now that we’ve launched our weekly VR news recap video series, VRecap, we’re going to get back to doing weekly game giveaways here at UploadVR! This week it’s The Wizards: Enhanced Edition and Sairento VR, btoh on PSVR.

If you watch VRecap each week on Friday then you can jump into the giveaway pool early. Plus, not every giveaway is going to be posted here on the site as well.

For those unaware, The Wizards: Enhanced Edition on PSVR (read our review) is a first-person action adventure game in which you take on the role of a powerful wizard that can shoot fireballs, summon lightning, and slay dangerous beasts. It’s a linear game about fighting monsters and solving puzzles, but packs a punch and is due for a follow-up coming very soon.

Sairento VR (PC VR version review) is another action adventure VR game, but this time it’s all about fulfilling the fantasy of becoming a cyberpunk ninja that wields katanas, guns, and the ability to flip and jump in slow-motion. You can even run on walls. It’s got one of the most active and intense movement systems of any VR game we’ve played. The PSVR version is shaping up well.

Winners will be randomly selected. We have 10 total copies to give out: 2 physical copies of each and 3 download codes for each. The publisher is going to send out the physical copies and we’ll send you download codes directly via email.

GIVEAWAY: Win A Free Copy Of Sairento VR or The Wizards!

All you have to do is enter at the form above or click this link right here. There are lots of ways to enter to increase your chances of winning.

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The Wizards – Enhanced Edition Coming to Oculus Quest Tomorrow

The Oculus Quest has been out for a couple of weeks, receiving significant praise from most quarters (including VRFocus). While most owners hopefully haven’t got through the entire launch lineup just yet there are more videogames on the way. Today, Carbon Studio has announced that its popular sorcery experience The Wizards – Enhanced Edition will be coming to the standalone headset tomorrow.

The Wizards Enhanced Edition

The Wizards – Enhanced Edition is the same version as the one Carbon Studio debuted on PlayStation VR back in March. Having originally left Steam Early Access in March 2018 for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, the enhanced edition came with new content and mechanics to further improve the experience.

The main campaign was expanded by one additional level, new cutscenes were introduced, character customisation and a checkpoint system to make progression that bit easier. All of this will be included in the Oculus Quest version. It remains to be seen how well Carbon Studio have managed to squeeze all of this on the device, and what graphical changes have had to be made to ensure a smooth gameplay experience.

Gameplay inThe Wizards – Enhanced Edition is focused around creating gestures to unleash various magical attacks – there’s no pressing the A button to fire off some lightning bolts. Players have to learn (and remember) six elemental-based spells, each with their own hand gestures. Additionally, each spell can be upgraded as the single-player campaign progresses. Once that’s completed, the Arena mode offers endless battles that can challenge even the most hardened of wizards.

The Wizards Enhanced Edition

To help with the replay factor special Fate cards are available, altering the gameplay in new ways. Take the “Easy Prey” Fate Card for example which makes players start with 1HP, but dramatically increases the score multiplier.

VRFocus gave the original PC version of The Wizards a worthy four-star review in 2018, saying: “If you want to feel like an all-powerful sorcerer then The Wizards is up there with the best, an entertaining adventure that will make non-VR players jealous.”

Carbon Studio is releasing The Wizards – Enhanced Edition for Oculus Quest on 6th June. There’s been no mention of cross-buy support between Oculus Rift and Quest, when VRFocus finds out we’ll let you know.

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The Wizards Is Now Available On Oculus Quest, Has Cross-Buy With Rift

the wizards

UPDATE June 6: the game is now releasesd on Quest

VR spellcasting game The Wizards is now available on the Oculus Quest.

It’s priced at $24.99 and includes cross-buy with Rift, so if you own it on the Oculus Rift store you already own it for Quest.

The Wizards launched on PC VR in early 2018. In March of this year it launched on PlayStation VR alongside a major update called Enhanced Edition, adding a new “expansive” level, new mechanics, and new locomotion options.

The game features a roughly five hour story campaign packed with content, as well as a replayable Arena mode with three environments.

We gave the PlayStation VR version The Wizards 7.5/10 in our review, concluding:

On the gamut of magic-based first-person action games, The Wizards: Enhanced Editions is definitely one of the better ones. Its spell-casting system is interactive without being too cumbersome and the campaign mode packs a solid amount of content. Plenty of collectibles, a replayable Arena mode, and lots of mission augmentations add up to this being a really fun journey. But some of the repetition, relatively short length, and recycled wave-shooter-style mission structures left us wanting a bit more creativity. I absolutely enjoyed my time with The Wizards, but with a few additions it could have been the definitive VR spell-casting game.

Oculus Quest is a $399 all-in-one standalone VR headset. That means it doesn’t require or use a computer. Think of it as the first room scale VR console.

Strangely, Oculus Studios own spellcasting VR game developed with Insomniac Games, The Unspoken, hasn’t yet been announced as coming to Quest. Insomniac were shown as being a Quest developer, but that could be a new title made for the standalone headset.

Full fledged games like The Wizards will be appreciated on the Quest platform, since its store right now mainly consists of more casual games.

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Feel Like a Sorcerer as The Wizards – Enhanced Edition Appears on PlayStation VR

Today sees the launch of The Wizards – Enhanced Edition by Carbon Games, bringing the spell conjuring experience to PlayStation VR for the first time as well as updating the original PC version of the title.

The Wizards Enhanced Edition

Originally released for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive in March 2018, the new The Wizards – Enhanced Edition has been expanded upon, with the studio increasing the size of the campaign by adding an additional level and cutscene. Also included are checkpoints, character customisation, and other features and accessibility options which have been polished or added at the request of the PlayStation VR community.

So PlayStation VR players will now be able to enjoy an approximately six-hour single-player campaign, with online leaderboards adding a further competitive edge, while game modifiers called Fate Cards help to change the gameplay, even more, altering the difficulty and other rules like the “Easy Prey” Fate Card which makes players start with 1HP, but dramatically increases the score multiplier.

Checkpoints will certainly make things easier, with the glove customisation adding a little flair to proceedings. But just like before The Wizards – Enhanced Edition is still all about the magic, letting players learn and cast six elemental-based spells which can then be further upgraded.

The Wizards Enhanced Edition

And once the main campaign has been completed, there’s always the chance to test those skills in the Arena mode, offering endless battles that can challenge even the most hardened of wizards.

While the videogame is arriving today for PlayStation VR, Carbon Studio hasn’t forgotten its PC fans by making all of this content available for free if they already own the title.

VRFocus gave the original The Wizards a worthy four-star review last year, saying: “If you want to feel like an all-powerful sorcerer then The Wizards is up there with the best, an entertaining adventure that will make non-VR players jealous.”

The Wizards: Enhanced Edition is now on PlayStation Store, Steam, Oculus Store and Viveport retailing for $24.99 USD / €24.99 EUR/ £19.99 GBP, supporting English, German, French, Spanish and Russian, with Japanese and Chinese (simplified) also on the PC version. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Carbon Studio and The Wizards, reporting back with any further updates.