Bow to Blood: Last Captain Standing is a massive update Tribetoy has been preparing to release, featuring not only new content for the PlayStation VR version but also greatly expanded support, for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and PlayStation 4. Today, the studio has confirmed that the updated will be rolled out next week.
A single-player procedurally generated airship adventure, Bow to Blood: Last Captain Standing is a strategy title where you take control of an airship in a multi-stage competition being broadcast as a deadly reality TV show. The objective is to pilot your airship and stay alive, what’s not so easy is the staying alive part.
In the heat of aerial naval combat, you need to keep your ship afloat by managing the crew as you defend yourself from enemy ships, forge allegiances, and plot betrayals, as well as engaging in a little treasure hunting from time to time. As the captain, you can use your command console to route power between ship systems to charge and activate critical abilities, overcharge systems, or when things get a little close switching to your pistol can help.
While this is new for PC and console players, PlayStation VR gamers have been battling it out since last summer. So to keep them further entertained Tribetoy is adding a few extra features. The update includes an all-new Hard difficulty setting, more enemies and improved visuals making airship destruction even more satisfying, plus VR players will have the option to switch to the non-VR version if they wish.
“With its mix of naval combat, airship management and diplomacy Bow to Blood is one of the most unique IPs around,” said Matthew Hoseterey Co-Founder and Director of Design of Tribetoy in a statement. “We’re thrilled that a whole new audience will get to discover it in this multiplatform release next month.”
You can pre-order Bow to Blood now on the Nintendo Switch eShop, Xbox One, and Oculus Store, ahead of its release on Wednesday, 3rd April, with a 10 percent discount taken off its usual $19.99 USD price. Additionally, platforms such as Steam will feature a 10 percent launch week discount. For further updates on Bow to Blood, keep reading VRFocus.
Once a PSVR exclusive, Tribetoy today announced their ship-battling arena title Bow to Blood (2018) is soon headed to Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
The studio today released word that Bow to Blood is expanding support this April to traditional monitors on several platforms including Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PS4, and PC via Steam. The PC version is slated to arrive with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive support. Considering the PSVR version supports PS Move as well as DualShock 4, it’s likely we’ll see support for motion controllers on those platforms as well.
Image courtesy Tribetoy
The studio says it’s coming to PSVR as a free update; PSVR players will also have the option to play in traditional flatscreen-mode.
Tribetoy says the update, dubbed ‘Last Captain Standing’, is a “massive upgrade” to the original game.
Bow to Blood: Last Captain Standing is said to include randomized arena events hosting up to seven players. Like the reality TV series Survivor, players must make alliances with NPCs, and survive a voting process to see who’s kicked out, leaving only one left to win the match.
The new update will include hard difficulty settings, more enemy ships, and improved art.
The original Bow to Blood launched on PSVR last August. We haven’t had the chance to review, although it’s received mostly positive scores from critics, garnering an 80% critic score on MetaCriticand a [4.5/5] on the PlayStation Store.
Originally released last summer as a PlayStation VR exclusive, today, virtual reality (VR) developer Tribetoy has announced that Bow to Blood will be getting a massive update in April. The update will not only greatly expand platform support, but it’ll also include new features for the PlayStation VR version.
Called Bow to Blood: Last Captain Standing, the update increases its platform support by adding Xbox One, Switch, PC, and PlayStation 4 (non-VR) to the mix. On top of that, the PC release also includes support for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
When it comes to additional PlayStation VR content Tribetoy will be adding an all-new Hard Difficulty setting, more enemy ships, more events, improved procedural engine, and improved art making airship destruction even better looking.
“Bow to Blood is truly unlike anything out there, with its mix of naval combat, airship management, and diplomacy,” said Tribetoy Co-Founder and Director of Design, Matthew Hoesterey in a statement. “We’re thrilled that a whole new audience will get to discover it in this multiplatform release next month.”
Additionally, Bow to Blood: Last Captain Standing will also included a Ready Player One inspired community event wherein the first player to uncover a secret treasure will be immortalized forever in the videogame.
The experience itself is a single-player action-strategy roguelike which puts you in charge of a flying airship in a multi-stage reality TV show. You’ll need to manage a ragtag crew to keep the vessel afloat, fend off incoming attackers, gather resources, and search for treasure. One of the key factors in the videogame is forging temporary alliances, teaming up with NPCs to takeout the most dominant threats.
When VRFocusreviewed Bow to Blood originally, we gave it a commendable 4-stars, saying: “Bow to Blood is a fine, fun title with some minor niggles. The combat is good, though somewhat tricky to get used to, but the alliance system offers something interesting and unique that elevates the title to a higher level.”
Bow to Blood: Last Captain Standing will be available at some point in April. If you already own the PlayStation VR version of the title then it’ll be a free update. For any further Bow to Blood announcements in the future, keep reading VRFocus.
Entwicklerstudio Tribetoy (bekannt für Bow to Blood) gewährte vor Kurzem innerhalb eines Ask Me Anything (AMA) auf Reddit interessante Einblicke in die Finanzierung eines VR-Titels für PlayStation VR (PSVR). Dabei wurde auf die nötigen Verkaufszahlen des Spiels bis zum Profit eingegangen sowie die finanzielle Unterstützung vonseiten Sonys bei der Entwicklung.
Tribetoy AMA – Ask Me Anything über die Finanzierung und Entwicklung eines PSVR-Titels (Bow to Blood)
Ende August veröffentlichte Tribetoy seinen PSVR-Titel Bow to Blood. Kürzlich gab das Entwicklerstudio ein Ask Me Anything (AMA) auf Reddit und gewährte dabei Einblicke in die Entwicklung und Finanzierung eines erfolgreichen VR-Spiels für PlayStation VR (PSVR). Rede und Antwort standen Matthew Hoesterey, Co-Gründer / Producer und vieles mehr von Tribetoy, sowie der 3D-Artist Leif Drace.
Demnach wird deutlich, dass die Entwicklung eines VR-Titels nach wie vor ein Risikogeschäft ist. So rechneten die beiden vor, dass insgesamt 40.000 Einheiten des neuen VR-Spiels Bow to Blood verkauft werden müssen, um den Break-even-Point zu erreichen. Mit ungefähr 28.000 verkauften Kopien wären die Entwicklungskosten gedeckt, jedoch ohne das Gehalt der Entwickler/innen über zwei Jahren hinweg sowie private Zuschüsse einzubeziehen.
Für die erfolgreiche Entwicklung war ein Deal mit Sony ausschlaggebend. Das Unternehmen finanzierte den VR-Titel teilweise mit, weshalb nun 30 % jedes Verkaufs direkt an Sony PlayStation fließen. Um welche Summen es sich dabei handelt, wird nicht erwähnt. Allerdings scheint dies ein fairer Deal zu sein, womit sich der Konsolenhersteller vermutlich die Exklusivrechte von Bow to Blood sicherte.
Die Gründe für die Investitionen von Sony liegen in der Weiterentwicklung der VR-Technologie, spekulieren die beiden. Demnach würden die meisten VR-Spiele derzeit einen Verlust erzeugen. Zur Fortentwicklung der VR-Industrie seien solche Investitionen jedoch nötig, um Entwickler/innen mit Leidenschaft und innovativen Ideen eine Plattform zu geben. Nur dadurch können die Nutzerzahlen erhöht werden.
Treasure hunts have formed part of fiction and childhood adventure for centuries, and when it comes to videogames, entire communities have sprung up around the search the uncover mysteries and easter eggs in videogames. Hoping to provoke exactly this, developer Tribetoy have revealed the first part of its brand new community event, which takes the form of a game-wide treasure hunt in Bow to Blood.
The idea of a treasure hunt is certainly thematically appropriate for a title which is centered around giant galleons floating around in the sky blasting each other to bits, so the nautical/piratical slant is both expected and fitting.
The treasure hunt has been introduced as part of the first content update for Bow to Blood, which offers more voice over work from your faithful crew, along with the expected bug fixes, though the hidden treasure is clearly the main draw of the update.
The first clue reads as follows: “A gaze from the port eyeball rest, gifts a rock slanted. By its feel lie a clue, that shall not be found by late giants.”
The player who manages to figure out all the clues and follow them to find the hidden treasure will have the chance to work with the developers at Tribetoy for the chance to put their own mark on Bow to Blood.
Bow to Blood was positively received in its VRFocus review, saying: “Beyond the combat, there is an impressively in-depth relationship system, which involves trading favours and making alliances with other competitors. You often find you need to carefully weigh up the pros and cons of helping or hindering another contestant in a way that is often more engaging than the actual combat.”
The trailer for the new update is also available to view below. Further coverage on Bow to Blood and other VR titles will be here on VRFocus.
When it comes to a videogame lasting beyond its initial ‘play through to completion’ stage after release, one of the major influencing factors is the development of a large and active community surrounding the title. Tribetoy are trying to encourage just such a community in Bow to Blood with the introduction of its upcoming content update.
Bow to Blood is an unusual take on the arena shooter, in that it involves taking control of a flying galleon that uses cannons and other incongruously futuristic weaponry to take out opposing ships. The development team are planning on offering new content with the update as well as the expected bug fixes and tweaks.
The biggest feature to be included in the new update is the ‘Community Events’. Though few details are currently available on what exactly these events will consist of, Tribetoy says that the new update will include a clue directed at the community.
By following the hidden clues within the title, players have a chance of finding the ‘hidden treasure’ which will allow one lucky player to work with the developers at Tribetoy and put their own personal mark on Bow to Blood.
In addition to the community events, more voice overs will be added to the title for the crew of your ship to make for a more immersive experience.
Bow to Blood got high marks when it was reviewed by VRFocus, saying: “Bow to Blood is a fine, fun title with some minor niggles. The combat is good, though somewhat tricky to get used to, but the alliance system offers something interesting and unique that elevates the title to a higher level.”
A release date for the content update has yet to be confirmed. VRFocuswill be sure to keep you informed on any further news concerning Bow to Blood or other VR projects.
The idea of a majestic galleon that can sail gracefully across the sky is an idea which has captured the imagination for centuries, so of course there is a certain appeal in the idea of taking command of your own airship and rolling out the cannons for the ship-to-ship combat. This fantasy is exactly what Bow To Blood aims to provide.
The set-up for Bow To Blood is that of a contest between captains of these amazing airships, with a hint of the old reality TV set up, as a leaderboard is set up, and whoever sits on the bottom two slots at the end of each round is vulnerable to being voted off.
The airships are powered with a Captain’s ‘essence’, which provides power to all systems, and can also act as a kind of currency – a point I will get to later. You need to pilot your airship around the spacious arenas, fighting off opponents and trying to reach that coveted top spot on the leaderboard in each round.
If using the Dual Shock controller, the accelerator is controlled by the right thumbstick, while movement is on the left, and aiming the ships cannons is done using gaze control, as the cannons will fire where you are looking. Muscle memory can get in the way here if you are used to controlling a camera with the right thumbstick, but after some practice it comes together. The PlayStation Move controllers can also be used, but their lack of analogue stick makes them a poorer choice, over all.
Players who are prone to simulation sickness may wish to be careful and check the comfort options, as the airship does move convincingly like a ship at sea, so may cause problems for some.
You also have additional systems, such as a shield, advanced weaponry, attack drones and turbo boost. These all take essence to operate, and can be a lot of juggle early on, but become vital tools later. You also have a crew who you can send to perform various tasks so you aren’t completely overwhelmed, though said crew members might be more tolerable if they talked a bit less, particularly early on.
Beyond the combat, there is an impressively in-depth relationship system, which involves trading favours and making alliances with other competitors. This can involve lending some ‘Essence’ to another captain, in return for their aid. This does put you down on your essence total in the next round, but getting an ally might be worth it. You often find you need to carefully weigh up the pros and cons of helping or hindering another contestant in a way that is often more engaging the the actual combat.
The graphics have a very cartoonish feel to them, very colourful, bright and interesting. The voice acting is pretty good for the most part, though many of the conversation you have end up being mostly by text.
Interestingly, the stages are all procedurally generated, so if you fail in round three, the next time you play, round one and two will be completely different. While this does provide some variety, there seems to be a limited toolset to draw on, making them look somewhat similar anyway, which is something of a shame.
Bow to Blood is a fine, fun title with some minor niggles. The combat is good, though somewhat tricky to get used to, but the alliance system offers something interesting and unique that elevates the title to a higher level.
Thank god Bow to Blood didn’t go down the multiplayer route. Boasting the same televised tournament set up as both Rigs and Starblood Arena before it, Tribetoy’s VR debut could have easily ended up being another quickly-forgotten online wasteland. That would have been a real shame, as the game’s inspired mix of resource management, strategic relationships and arena-based combat make it one of the most dynamic and satisfying PSVR games of the year that’s not to be overlooked.
Instead of nauseating online battles, Bow to Blood takes a much more considered approach to answering the call for more ‘true’ VR games. Its randomized, permadeath campaign consists of seven events split into multiple matches that hinge upon several interchanging features. That not only means that no two playthroughs are the same but it also has you considering every slightest move, from the fire of a cannon to a simple choice in words.
Immediate gameplay has its simplistic thrills. You pilot a flying boat around large maps — complete with stomach-churning slow turns that initially give you a generous helping of seasickness — fulfilling different objectives that largely boil down to fending off attackers. Pointing your right Move controller to aim the cannons is as intuitive as ever, though the face buttons are an inevitably clunky substitute for navigation (you can also play with DualShock 4, which reverses those fortunes). The best battles have you zig-zagging in altitude as you try to dodge sweeping laser attacks before frantically switching to your personal firearm to take care of smaller, invasive robots that come aboard uninvited. Awkward as the movement can be, it is at least surprisingly responsive, making it easy to execute last minute dodges and sharp turns.
That said, Bow to Blood often struggles to root you in the moment and fully grasp the danger you’re facing. Perhaps it’s the large space between you and your attackers or the absence of any meaningful feedback from damage, but I never managed to escape the disconnect between my human body and the thunderous action of the virtual world, as if there was a protective barrier separating the two. There’s a lack of viscerality that robs all but the most demanding of encounters of the same kind of intensity you might have in, say, a really good first-person shooter.
Fortunately, it’s the layers built on top of that action that really make Bow to Blood shine. For starters, there’s a heck of a lot of micromanagement to be done on your ship, which more than makes up for the combat’s shortcomings. Through assigning two AI companions to different roles like shields and turrets as well as constantly rearranging your ship’s capabilities with limited Essence blocks the game takes a deeply strategic turn with a much more engaging edge than the base gameplay. It’s a mini-Faster Than Light by way of VR; quick orders need to be issued to repair damaged components and raw firepower sometimes needs to be traded in for the speed to escape a losing battle.
Bow to Blood’s real wild card (and its crowning feature), though, is the tournament itself and how you stay ahead in it. At the end of each event the two lowest-scoring “players” will risk being voted off by the remaining participants. In order to survive, you’ll have to build strong relationships with would-be competitors that approach you during and in-between matches to forge alliances, play tricks, scout for info or simply declare war. You’re put on the spot as desperate NPC “players” ask for a handful of points to keep them out of danger, plead for help in fighting off enemies so they can keep the rewards or seek to partner-up against more immediate threats.
It’s the impressive amount of agency this feature gives you that makes it so special. In one level, I toyed with the idea of leaving a player begging for power supplies to his doom so I could reap the profits, only to decide I’d need an ally in the upcoming vote, named The Culling. Helping him out meant I lost an Essence block for the rest of the event, but it also gave me better standing with the participants that had already allied with him. Soon the game’s leaderboard became an ever-changing relationship simulator in which I was constantly assessing the risk/reward balance of helping struggling opponents out and screwing them over. Ultimately in my most successful run so far (where I got to the fifth stage, which had taken nearly two hours to get to), I was coupled with the top scoring player, of whom I’d made a vicious enemy. I decided to take my chances and shoot him in the back. It did not go well for me.
This underlying system enriches each and every aspect of Bow to Blood’s gameplay and gives the player stories to tell unlike any other VR game before it. Do you have enough points to start leaving former allies in the dust? Or can you really afford to keep angering the tournament’s most popular player if you’re sitting just above The Culling? Tribetoy has done a stunning job seamlessly integrating choices like these into your actions, lending tangible weight to each and every encounter.
I only wish more use of VR had been made in this case. Interactions between players are displayed through simple text-based menus, and it’s a shame not to see VR’s ability to create empathy not explored here. It means that the decisions you make are mostly cold and calculated, without much of a hint of morality to them. The game’s bold, vibrant world, introduced by a spritely announcer and given life by your shoulder angel and devil companions, certainly feels like it could have brought these characters to life in more memorable ways. If Bow to Blood had managed to crack that final code, it could have made for something really special.
Final Score:8/10 – Great
There’s a lot to learn about Bow to Blood and not all of it’s to love, but what does work elevates the game to soar with all the majesty of its battle-hardened ships. This is a deliciously strategic bit of randomized arena battling that might not make the most compelling case for VR itself but stands as a thrill to play in its own right. If I were to make a bet on what might be one of PSVR’s most beloved sleeper hits in a few years, it’d be this.
Tribetoy’s airship adventure Bow to Blood, which was first announced at last year’s Paris Games Week, now has an official launch date on PSVR.
Coming August 28th exclusively to PSVR, the single player game pits you against AI competitors in a futuristic reality TV spectacle that will have you racing and battling in an otherworldly arena setting.
The game features procedurally generated encounters, meaning no two fights will be exactly the same. At your disposal is a mighty airship with a compliment of weapons, an AI crew, and a laser pistol for when the enemy gets too close for comfort.
According to a PS blog post, you’ll also be able to strike deals with AI challengers, which you can either fully honor or renege on for your own personal gain. Selfish decisions, Tribetoy says, “can quickly make enemies out of allies.”
Check out the quick gameplay trailer below to see a little more about Tribetoy’s upcoming Bow to Blood.
There’s something about airships in videogames. Don’t ask us how there is, there just is. While there’s been a few games focused on them here and there and more than a few instances of them being used as a creative mode of travel – or in the case of Bioshock Infinite, living.
Perhaps though, the most notable instance of their appearance must surely be in SEGA’s 2000 Dreamcast title Skies of Arcadia (or the 2002 re-release Skies of Arcadia Legends for Nintendo Gamecube) in which airships were the only form of transportation around the world and sky pirates roamed the… well, skies. However, for anyone pining for the days of Vyse and the gang there is a virtual reality (VR) title that might just be up your street. It’s called Bow To Blood – and it’s coming to PlayStation VR next month.
Announced as part of the line-up at the 2017 Paris Games Show, Bow To Blood rather fell off the radar after the announcement. With nothing heard about it at all from developer Tribetoy. VRFocus even included it in our April feature on ‘Missing In Action’ VR titles, hoping we would hear more at E3 – which came and went without a peep.
Now the developer has confirmed PlayStation VR owners will be able to set sail into the skies on August 28th 2018.
Set in a sci-fi world, Bow To Blood sees you take command of an airship taking part in a reality television show as you follow your goal of becoming a champion. You’re not short on tasks either, as you not only have to pilot your airship but also manage your crew. You’ll even have to do a bit of glad-handing as you strike deals and look to make your reputation among your airship peers. Balancing your honour against the need for profit. As the old saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed – but, if you’ve got bills to pay maybe you’ll think again.
Unfortunately, there is no new trailer to accompany this news, at least not at the time of writing. However, thanks to the announcement on the PlayStation Blog we do at least have some new screenshots to show off how the title looks now. You can see those below.VRFocuswill bring you more news about Bow To Blood and all the latest from the VR videogame world as we get it.
Perhaps though, the most notable instance of their appearance must surely be in SEGA’s 2000 Dreamcast title Skies of Arcadia (or the 2002 re-release Skies of Arcadia Legends for Nintendo Gamecube) in which airships were the only form of transportation around the world and sky pirates roamed the… well, skies. However, for anyone pining for the days of Vyse and the gang there is a virtual reality (VR) title that might just be up your street. It’s called Bow To Blood – and it’s coming to PlayStation VR next month.