After revealing that Ultrawings 2 would be arriving for virtual reality (VR) headsets in early 2022, developer Bit Planet Games has kept to that window. Today, the studio has confirmed the Meta Quest 2 launch date will occur on 3rd February.
The announcement was made via a new trailer showcasing more gameplay and all the vehicles you’ll be able to fly. There’s the microlight-style Phoenix, the vibrant and sleek Comet; stunt plane the New Hawk, the Stallion – very reminiscent of WWII fighters – and the Dragonfly helicopter.
As Bit Planet Games has previously mentioned, Ultrawings 2 will feature all-new, hand-crafted islands with a range of gameplay modes to help explore them. Test your hand/eye coordinating by flying whilst shooting balloons as fast as possible, perform amazing stunts, try to land on difficult platforms and so much more.
Bit Planet Games is taking its VR classic to the next level with this sequel, adding three times the amount the team claims. Even with the new stuff, some things don’t change. Ultrawings 2 will still offer a mix of simulator and arcade control schemes, with a refined motion control system to make flying each vehicle as fun as possible. If you’ve got the kit available, Ultrawings 2 will also support HOTAS on PC.
As you’ll notice in the trailer though, only the Meta Quest 2 is mentioned, with no indication regarding the PC VR version. Steam does list a “February 2022” launch window so if it’s not due on the same date it can’t be far away.
Bit Planet Games is launching Ultrawings 2 on Quest 2 at the beginning of February.
The flight game follow-up launches on the standalone headset on February 3rd, a new trailer below confirms. A wishlist page has also gone live on the Oculus Store. To be clear, this is just for the standalone version of the game – Ultrawings 2 is also coming to PC but a final release date for that version hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Ultrawings 2 Quest 2 Release Date Revealed
The Ultrawings games strike a balance between simulation and arcade gameplay. They don’t have a fully realistic approach like a Microsoft Flight Simulator, for example, but you do still have to familarize yourself with a cockpit, master tricky landings, and perfect the controls to progress in the game. We’ve been hands-on with the game extensively already, and it’s shaping up nicely. The virtual flight stick controls work well and there are multiple islands to fly between.
As you play you’ll unlock new aircraft to master, each presenting its own unqiue challenges. Plus, Bit Planet is adding new combat missions to the game, enabling dogfights in the series for the first time. Combined with the usual stunt and race missions as well as other objective types, the developer promises that the game is going to keep you busy for some time.
Elsewhere the game may come to PSVR, though an official version for that platform hasn’t been confirmed at this time. Are you going to be picking up Ultrawings 2 on Quest 2? Let us know in the comments below!
Another year is over and what a year 2021 was. Great videogames and awesome new tech but those pandemic issues never subsided so bring on the metaverse. Now isn’t the time to reminisce, now’s the time to look ahead and when it comes to virtual reality (VR) titles on the horizon there is plenty to get excited about. Here are the ones VRFocus is most interested in playing.
Moss: Book II
Make no mistake the original Moss by Polyarc was an awesome VR title so the news that its sequel Moss: Book II is due for release this coming Spring is exciting news.
Continuing the tale of Quill, the little mouse with a big heart, Moss: Book II is a puzzle adventure only confirmed for PlayStation VR at the moment. Having rescued her uncle Argus in the first instalment, this time around Quill must end the merciless rule of the Arcane whilst confronting a winged tyrant hunting her within the hexed castle where her uncle was held captive. Offering new locations and puzzles to solve, Moss: Book II is set to include new features like a nature attunement ability to grow new pathways and a huge hammer to cause some destruction.
Needless to say, Moss: Book II should be on every PlayStation VR owners most wanted list.
Teasing its next project back in November, Ultimechs is going to be a futuristic sports experience mashing together robots with football (soccer). Only a few teasing details have been released so far showcasing rocket-powered fists, 2v2 action and some highly competitive gameplay.
Looking like a far more dynamic experience than Resolution Games’ other competitive sci-fi videogame Blaston, Ultimechs will allow you to move around an arena, giving it a much more esports vibe. Considering the studios’ expertise in this VR field, Ultimechs could well become a “must-have” VR multiplayer next year.
Supported headset(s): ???
Release date: 2022
Ultrawings 2
The original Ultrawings was a beloved classic so there’s plenty of excitement regarding the sequel. Developer Bit Planet Games has spent four years working on Ultrawings 2 and says it’ll be: “3X the gameplay of the original”.
Mixing arcade gameplay with simulator mechanics, Ultrawings 2 is set to feature four planes and one helicopter with hundreds of missions to test your flying skills on. From popping balloons with a dart pistol and stunt plane aerobatics to air-to-air combat shooting down drones in the fighter plane, there should be plenty to keep players entertained. They’ll also have their pick of control schemes. Whether that’s a normal gamepad, using their virtual hands to grab the cockpit controls or going fully immersive using a HOTAS setup, Ultrawings 2 will balance fun with realistic flying.
VRFocus can’t wait to get back into the skies again.
Supported platform(s): Meta Quest, PC VR
Release date: February 2022
Green Hell VR
Creepy Jar’s survival adventure Green Hell is coming to VR headsets thanks to Incuvo in 2022, remastering the control scheme for fully immersive gaming.
Heading to Meta Quest and PC VR headsets – a PlayStation VR version has also been mentioned – Green Hell VR drops you in a lush jungle with all the dangers you’d expect for the Amazon rainforest. Survive by foraging for food, learn how to build shelters, make tools, and craft weapons to defend yourself from whatever lurks in the undergrowth as you try to find a way out.
Being rebuilt for VR means that Green Hell VR has the kind of physical control system you’d expect from Incuvo, wrap your injuries with leaves, draw your bow to kill predators and light fires by sparking rock together. It’s all about enveloping you in the jungle experience so what’s not to look forward to?
Supported platform(s): Meta Quest, PC VR
Release date: Q1 2022
NERF Ultimate Championship
Another multiplayer with some exciting potential is NERF Ultimate Championship for Meta Quest. Initially unveiled during E3 2021 by Secret Location, the first proper look at the arena shooter came only a few short weeks ago with a gameplay reveal trailer.
A 4 vs 4, team-based VR experience, NERF Ultimate Championship will encourage players to navigate arenas in a parkour-like fashion with plenty of wall running and jumping. Of course, this being an official NERF tie-in players will have access to a wide variety of NERF blasters to choose from, each featuring manual reloading, revving triggers, dual-wielding capabilities. There’s also unique dart physics to be aware of.
From the looks of it, NERF Ultimate Championship is going to take all those regular NERF battles and up the action, in ways only VR can.
Supported platform(s): Meta Quest
Release date: 2022
Hubris
Originally due for release this year, Cyborn’s rather gorgeous Hubris is now due to hit PC VR headsets at some point next year. Aiming for very high-end, sci-fi VR adventuring, Hubris looks like it could very well be the Lone Echo II of 2022.
Promising a fully explorable world where you can climb, swim, jump and run around as you please, VRFocusdemoed Hubris a couple of months ago, finding a promising experience that was very pretty to look at. Visuals aside, there was plenty of physical activity where you could climb cliff faces, swim underwater and harpoon creatures as well as platforming sections.
One route that Cyborn has said it’s taking with the videogame is that it’ll be episodic, which may or may not work in its favour. If you’ve ever wanted Halo in VR – and who hasn’t? – then Hubris may just fill that hole, so long as there’s enough of it.
Supported platform(s): PC VR, PlayStation VR
Release date: 2022
SIN
Love your horror? SIN is the follow up to the popular The Exorcist: Legion VR where you play as a detective going up against demonic forces. Fun Train has teamed up with Pocket Money Games for this project. SIN stands for “Safety in Numbers” and as that implies you won’t be alone this time around.
No gameplay details have been revealed just yet but SIN will continue the narrative from the previous episodes, so it’s going to be scary at the very least. Teaming up with a friend – or braving it solo – SIN is the only horror VRFocusknows of for 2022 and should be in good hands.
Supported platform(s): Meta Quest, PlayStation VR
Release date: Late 2022
Wanderer
Another one delayed from 2021, Wanderer is a joint project between New Zealand-based studios M Theory and Oddboy.
Wanderer is a time-travelling adventure with a talking watch where you have to visit particular points in history in a bid to save the world. Exploring historical, futuristic and post-apocalyptic settings, you’ll take to the stage in 1969 for an epic musical performance, uncover traitors and crack codes during WWII; help inventor Nikola Tesla prepare his machinery, and step onto the moon.
Wanderer is one of the more unique prospects for 2022, a fascinating narrative alongside time-hopping puzzles and some lovely looking locations.
Supported platform(s): PC VR, PlayStation VR
Release date: 27th January 2022
Hitman 3
An exclusive PlayStation VR release – where VR is concerned – in January 2021, IO Interactive’s infamous assassin will eventually make its way to PC VR headsets in the coming 12 months.
Continuing the Hitman storyline, Hitman 3 features five gameplay modes: a full campaign, Elusive Targets, Escalations, Contracts Mode and Sniper Assassin, all of which can be played in VR. It’s been the studio’s most successful Hitman videogame with 50 million players stepping into the shoes of Agent 47.
However, unlike the PlayStation version that’s only compatible with the DualShock controller, and therefore lacks that extra bit of immersive freedom the PC VR edition won’t, and that’s really exciting. IO Interactive has worked on motion controller support, already showcasing Hitman 3 working with Valve Index controllers. This means dual-wielding weapons and other interactions that make VR so immersive will be present in this edition.
Supported platform(s): PC VR
Release date: 2022
Little Cities
And finally a far more casual strategy VR title. Being built by indie team Purple Yonder with publishing support from nDreams (Fracked, Phantom: Covert Ops), Little Cities is a laid back city-building experience for Meta Quest.
You’ll be able to construct complex cities that require residential areas, areas for commerce as well as industrial zones, all carefully balanced to make the populace happy. Specialist buildings such as network phone towers, schools, hospitals, police stations and more all add to the success of your city but they each only cover a certain radius so making sure they’re in an optimal spot is crucial.
Demoing one map from Little Cities, VRFocus found a delightful little city management experience that offered promising gameplay for fans of non-action oriented VR videogames.
We’re looking forward to a ton of new games this year, as newcomers and trusted names in VR development alike are prepping to release bigger and better VR experiences.
Here we look at our most anticipated titles that are scheduled to release in 2022. We’ve ordered games according to their confirmed release dates, then the rash of titles sporting the ever-nebulous ‘coming in 2022’ release window, and then games that we have our eyes on (TBA). We update this article regularly, so make sure to check back for updated info.
Cities VR
Platform: Quest 2
Developer: Fast Travel Games
Release date: April 28th, 2022
Studiodescription: Be the mayor in Cities: VR, the ultimate VR city-building and management simulator. Design neighborhoods, construct buildings, direct the flow of traffic – all while you handle economics, emergency services, and more. Step inside this VR adaptation of the leading city-builder, Cities: Skylines.
Little Cities
Platform: Quest & Quest 2
Developer: Purple Yonder
Release date: May 12th, 2022
Studiodescription: Get ready to escape to the charming world of Little Cities, the cozy VR city creation game. Start with a simple road, carefully place your residential, commercial, or industrial zones and then watch the citizens move in! But keeping them happy is the only way to help your cities grow.
The Last Clockwinder
Platform: PC VR, Quest 2
Developer: Pontoco
Release date: Summer 2022
Studiodescription: A VR game about building contraptions out of your own clones in a cozy sci-fi world.
Ruinsmagus
Platform: PC VR, Quest 2
Developer: CharacterBank
Release date: Summer 2022
Studiodescription: Beneath the quaint streets and alleyways of Grand Amnis lies a vast labyrinth of ruins, long-forgotten by those above. In RUINSMAGUS, journey deep into this hidden subterranean realm in search of precious and powerful artifacts. Unravel the secrets of a lost age and grow from a novice wizard into a powerful, spell-wielding Magus in this narrative-driven action JRPG that includes 26 fully-voiced quests—featuring the vocal talents of Naomi Ohzora, Ai Maeda, Eiji Takemoto, and more.
MOTHERGUNSHIP: FORGE
Platform: PC VR, Quest 2
Developer: Terrible Posture Games
Release date: June 2022
Studiodescription: Craft. Shoot. Die. Repeat. Forge absurdly powerful guns and fight through the belly of a metal alien monstrosity in this VR FPS roguelite follow up to MOTHERGUNSHIP. Wanna build a rocket-firing-shotgun or a toxic spike-ball-launcher? Unleash your inner mad scientist, then take on the MOTHERGUNSHIP.
NFL PRO ERA
Platform: Quest 2, PSVR
Developer: StatusPro
Release date: Fall 2022
Studiodescription: NFL PRO ERA uses NFL game data to create the most authentic on-the-field NFL VR experience to-date. Lead your team to a Super Bowl, improve your QB skills by participating in drills, or play catch virtually with your friends in your favorite NFL stadium. Read the defense, run the offense and make the plays just like the pros do on Sundays—and see whether you have what it takes to compete at the highest level.
Espire 2
Platform: Quest 2
Developer: Digital Lode
Release date: November 2022
Studiodescription: Your mission—should you choose to accept it—is to ultimately locate and stop the launch of an untraceable, supersonic missile, a true doomsday device. Wield an array of high-tech gadgets as you go behind enemy lines and try to save the world for a second time.
Tea for God
Platform: PC VR, Quest 2
Developer: void room
Release date: Late 2022
Studiodescription: VR adventure that allows infinite movement within your own place. Customise your experience. Make it an intense shooter, a roguelite explorer, a relaxing trek.
The Exorcist Legion: SIN
Platform: Quest, PSVR
Developer: Fun Train
Release date: Late 2022
Studiodescription: As the sequel to The Exorcist: Legion VR, the game advances the chilling storyline and mythology with both single player and co-operative gameplay as well as some other mechanics and play styles never seen before in a horror co-op game.
Ziggy’s Cosmic Adventures
Platform: PC VR, Quest 2
Developer: Stardust Collective
Release date: Late 2022
Studiodescription: ZIGGY’S COSMIC ADVENTURES is a fully immersive cockpit VR game set in a stunning universe. Fight your way through the solar system amidst intense arcade combat, navigate through treacherous space environments, and feel the rush of scrambling to manage your ship’s systems.
Among Us
Platform: PC VR, Quest 2
Developer: Schell Games
Release date: holiday 2022
Studiodescription: Among Us VR will keep what made the original party game so awesome. Players attempt to get their spaceship in working order, priming the shields or diverting power to various subsystems. Easy enough—except one or more members of the Crew are secretly Impostors, tasked with sabotaging and killing off the crew. Among Us at its best involves everyone accusing everyone, with the Crew trying to ejectImpostors from the airlock and Impostors trying to get Crewmates to turn on each other. Nobody is above suspicion.
Propagation: Paradise Hotel
Platform: PC VR
Developer: WanadevStudio
Release date: End of 2022
Studiodescription: Live an intense VR survival horror adventure with gripping storytelling, in which you will explore dark environments, make terrifying encounters and get your adrenaline pumping. Will you find your way out of the Paradise Hotel alive?
“Coming in 2022”
BONELAB
Platform: PC VR, Quest 2
Developer: Stress Level Zero
Release date: 2022
Studiodescription: Sentenced to death, you embody an outcast escaping fate. Discovering a pathway to a hidden underground research facility. A series of challenging experiments and discoveries await. A road to the truth calls from the void.
Ghostbusters VR
Platform: Quest 2
Developer: nDreams, Sony Pictures
Release date: 2022
Studiodescription: Head to San Francisco and start your very own Ghostbusters HQ. With a trusty proton pack on your back and a P.K.E. meter in-hand, you have everything you need to track, blast, and trap ghosts—and begin to unravel a mysterious conspiracy that threatens the entire city. You can go it alone, or grab up to three friends for a true Ghostbusters crew experience.
Red Matter 2
Platform: Quest 2
Developer: Vertical Robot
Release date: 2022
Studiodescription: Red Matter 2 picks up right where the previous game left off. You might’ve escaped the titular red matter last time, but you certainly haven’t stopped it. Doing so will take you across the solar system, from a base on our own moon to a space station orbiting above Saturn’s rings, and beyond. Uncover dark secrets and do your best to halt the red matter’s spread and save humanity.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution
Platform: Quest 2
Developer: Skydance Interactive
Release date: 2022
Studiodescription: Continue your journey through a changed New Orleans, one that’s even more dangerous than before. Expect fewer resources, more walkers, and a new and bloodthirsty threat that will hunt you across the city. Scrounge up whatever you can to survive—and be careful. Your choices matter now more than ever.
Studiodescription: COMPOUND (Pre-Alpha) is a randomized rogue-lite, free-roaming shooter for VR veterans. Duck and dodge around enemy fire in a tough-as-nails retro FPS with multiple locomotion options.
Super Kit: To The Top
Platform: PSVR, PC VR(?)
Developer: Electric Hat Games
Release date: 2022
Description: Electric Hat hasn’t said much about the game outside of the official trailer, but looking at the video it’s apparent Super Kit is focusing again on high-flying parkour with the addition of some combat elements and some very slick-looking environments that recall games like Jet Set Radio, Mirror’s Edge, and The Climb 2.
Paradox of Hope VR
Platform: PC VR
Developer: Monkey-With-a-Bomb
Release date: Coming to Early Access “soon”
Studiodescription: Paradox of Hope is an immersive single-player VR shooter with survival and horror elements. Explore mysterious metro mazes of post-apocalyptic Moscow, use stealth or combat approach to achieve your goal, upgrade your equipment and arsenal, and enjoy the atmospheric moments of stalker’s life.
Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom VR
Platform: PC VR, Quest 2
Developer: Maze Theory
Release date: 2022
Studiodescription: Step into the gritty streets of 1920s Birmingham and London and explore iconic locations from the show, including The Garrison pub, Charlie’s Yard and Shelby’s Betting Shop, as you take down rivals and move up in the world.
Vertigo 2
Platform: PC VR
Developer: Zulubo Productions
Release date: 2022
Studiodescription: Vertigo 2 is a single-player VR adventure. Explore the depths of the vast Quantum Reactor as you descend to finish your journey home.
Ultimechs
Platform: “major VR platforms”
Developer: Resolution Games
Release date: 2022
Studiodescription: Ultimechs is the multiplayer VR gaming experience from Resolution Games that will be coming to major VR platforms next year. As the thrill of professional athletics meets the precision of purpose-built machines, Ultimechs welcomes players into the sport of the future to compete for victory. If you don’t have the speed, precision and rocketry that it takes to defeat your opponents, you’re done for.
The Last Worker
Platform: PC VR, Quest
Developer: Oiffy, Wolf & Wood Interactive
Release date: 2022
Studiodescription: The Last Worker is a first person narrative adventure centered around our struggle in an increasingly automated world.
Nerf Ultimate Championship
Platform: Quest 2
Developer: Secret Location
Release date: 2022
Studiodescription: NERF Ultimate Championship is a competitive multiplayer game that brings NERF battles into an electrifying competition only possible in virtual reality. Gear up with a wide range of new and classic blasters as you leap around fantastic arenas in intense 4v4 team matches. Soak in the sound of roaring fans and master your skills as you begin your journey to become the Ultimate NERF Champion.
Samurai Slaughter House
Platform: PC VR, Quest 2, PSVR
Developer: Tab Games
Release date: 2022
Studiodescription: VR-only physics-based combat game. Use stealth and creativity or brute force to take on your foes in a vast physics based sandbox. Battle both humans and demons while exploring a large metroidvania-style open world. Collect items and power up your character. Explore towns and interact with NPCs.
Update (April 21st, 2022): We’ve cycled out a number of previously released games, and plugged in a few more promising titles set to come out this year. If you have any suggestions or tips, let us know in the comments below.
What VR game are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below!
Chris Stockman has a secret. Or at least, he should have one.
When I sit down to talk with the Studio Director of Bit Planet Games about the upcoming Ultrawings 2, I sheepishly confess that the flight genre, at large, is not my cup of tea. I tell him I’m a nervous flyer. Not in the real world but certainly in VR. Not because I’m worried I’d have a near-real, near-death experience but because I’m forever concerned that I just won’t ‘get’ what I’m meant to be doing.
It happened with Flight Simulator, a game I have endless respect for but have settled for never fully understanding with its torrent of dashboards and tutorials, and even the drastically simpler Star Wars: Squadrons’ class-based multiplayer seemed beyond my grasp. Stockman stares at me over webcam with a knowing grin and says: “I thought that way. I hate flight games and, honesty, I hate Flight Simulator.”
Surely, this is heresy of the highest order. But Stockman’s words aren’t intended as an attack on the wider genre — which he recognizes has its many dedicated fans — but instead as a guiding light for the design philosophy for Ultrawings 2. “We kind of made a flight sim for me,” he says.
More broadly speaking, I think Bit Planet is making the flight ‘sim’ VR needs right now.
Within minutes of jumping into the sequel, I find myself getting the hang of it. Ultrawings 2 doubles down on a blend of authentic process and accessible control. It’s got a virtual joystick-based control scheme that actually works, making smart use of Touch controller haptics and audio cues to give you a sense of just how aggressively you’re steering. But it also doesn’t deprive you of the inexplicably moreish details of flight simulation, like flicking a bunch of switches before take-off or angling a plane just right for a slow and steady touchdown.
Stockman describes it as controlling an aircraft as how it “should” feel as opposed to how it actually feels. Early staple challenges like flying through rings against the clock aren’t deviously difficult displays of aviation so much as enjoyable obstacle courses that lul you into how and when to pitch and at what speeds, before later missions start to incrementally ask more of you.
“For us, we want the learning curve to be there because this isn’t Ace Combat,” Stockman notes. “But with that said, we don’t think you need an FAA license to pilot anything.”
Within my first hour of play I was racking up Gold Medals with ease without feeling like the game itself was going easy on me. Crucially, I was confident that I could hand the headset over to pretty much anyone else and they’d experience a similar learning curve. These details will be familiar to anyone that’s played the first game, but this is also an extension of all of that. It’s aiming for all the right cliches in VR’s early life: more content, new features and refined gameplay.
“The first Ultrawings was very relaxing and, at the time, I thought it was kind of groundbreaking with how we did our motion controls and being able to interact with all this stuff,” Stockman says. “But that’s where the time was spent, in the creation of the islands. Less time was spent on having a lot of variety of gameplay. And so that’s something that we focused on really early was how can we just make it better across the board?”
Better across the board means a new map with no loading times between differently-themed islands (albeit with a lengthy journey between them), new challenges with a medal-based rating system to satisfy casual players whilst still pushing the hardcore pilots, and a series first – aerial combat. The first Ultrawings had target practice missions in which you held a gun in one hand, but Ultrawings 2 will have full-on dogfights that adhere to that same mix of half-sim, half-arcade design.
You might’ve seen me behind the wheel (or yaw), facing down enemies in new gameplay from last week’s Upload VR Showcase. It’s about 30 seconds of highlights edited down for a 10-ish minute battle in which I was frantically looping round and trading shots back and forth. At times there’s a dreadful sense something’s on my tail. At others, there’s a smirk across my face as the crosshairs line up and I pull the trigger. There’s a touch of frustration as I come to understand the game’s laws and how to get myself out of harm’s way but, as with the rest of the experience, I soon figure it out.
“We wanted to be semi-realistic, but not completely,” Stockman says of combat. “I don’t know if you noticed the enemy’s die a lot faster than you do. And that I think was important because I just don’t think it’d be very fun [otherwise].”
He later adds: “Most realistic aircraft games, if you take off your fly to a location for 20 minutes, you do a little bit of combat. And ours, it’s all very much within the world and within the island that you’re on so that you get into it really, really quickly.”
Moreover, every element of the game, from the combat-oriented missions to the time-based challenges, will have a sense of progression to them. Stockman says that battles will evolve from dogfights to combat with ground-based vehicles and beyond, whilst races with slowly get you to hone your skills and try out new tricks. Missions will be bite-sized chunks that get you in and out of action quickly (you can also fly around in a free-flight mode), with mode raised from completing objectives then spent on new planes and airports.
You’ll also get to spend more time at other islands; the starting location is a humble little town but just over the pond awaits winding canyons and bustling cities. Playing on Quest 2, I’m struck by how I can view all of these islands from far off whilst also spotting cars moving around the streets directly below. The game has a remarkable draw distance on that front, though rest assured that the PC VR version will also use improved assets for a visually superior experience.
Another key feature of the experience is persistence. “In one mission, you may encounter enemy fighters. And if you don’t destroy them, they’ll actually come back in on a future mission,” the developer says. “To gold metal everything you kind of have to play it in a sense of like, you really should have destroyed those fighters before in a previous mission before they came back.”
The result, Stockman says, is something that might be almost too big. He says that unlocking most of the essential features — all aircraft and airports — will take around five to eight hours depending on skill level. Completing all the missions? Perhaps around 20 to 40 hours. But what if you want to Gold Medal everything? “I like to say takes about 60 hours to go Gold Medal everything,” Stockman answers. “I think that might be an understatement. It might be closer to 80.”
Granted that’s a goal only the most dedicated will aim for, but it’s certainly a welcome thing to hear. And it calls back to why I think Ultrawings 2 might be the flight ‘sim’ that VR needs in 2022. Because this is one of the few things headsets can do really well right now, and we all want something that realizes that potential. Microsoft Flight Simulator is an undeniably fantastic experience deserving over every accolade thrown at it. But it’s also obtuse from just about every possible angle and it needs a lot of work to understand and a lot of expensive machinery to even get running smoothly.
Ultrawings 2 has its learning curves, yes, but it’s much faster to deliver gratification, meaning you spend more of those 5 – 80 hours feeling like an ace pilot and not studying tutorials. Some people might be sniffy about that and, yes, that’s fine too; you already have your flight sim of choice. This, however, feels like it’s going to allow a much wider range of people to soar.
“One of our beta testers — we have a few beta testers that are playing — they wrote back to me,” Stockman adds. “They said “Ultrawings 2 is a love letter to aviation.” I think what he meant by that is that we took all of the good things about flying and distilled them down into that and removed all of the boring things about flying.”
Ultrawings 2 releases on Quest in February of 2022, with the PC VR version to follow soon after.
We’ve got our first look at Bit Planet Games’ Ultrawings 2 running on Meta Quest 2.
We debuted the footage as part of this week’s Upload VR Showcase. Feast your eyes on over a minute of clips below.
Ultrawings 2 Quest Gameplay Reveal
The footage shows the first island you’ll visit in the game, along with a tease of a few others, plus some combat. The latter feature is new to the series and will see you take part in dogfights, though there are still plenty of other mission types too.
Bit Planet is also bringing the game to PC VR, but the Quest 2 version consists of remade assets specific to the platform so that the studio can retain the sweeping draw distance when you look out across the map, and allow you to visit other islands without loading screens. You’ll be weaving through buildings in city environments and swooping down into canyons, too. Overall Bit Planet is aiming for a much bigger experience with this game.
Currently, Bit Planet is planning to release the game on Quest 2 in February of next year, with a PC VR version following likely sometime in Q1, though keep in mind those dates could shift. We’ve been hands-on with the game and spoken to Bit Planet about its development, so we’ll have more to share very soon!
We saw plenty more announcements at the Upload VR Showcase this week, including the reveal of Cities: VR and a release window for Moss Book 2. You can catch up with all the announcements right here.
Ultrawings is an arcade VR flight sim that’s been on the market since 2017 and has become something of a classic in its own right. Developer Bit Planet Games just announced that the long-awaited sequel, Ultrawings 2, is landing on Quest 2 February 3rd.
Update (January 28th, 2022): Bit Planet Games announced that Ultrawings 2 is set to arrive on Quest 2 on February 3rd. In a blog post, the studio says a PC VR release date will be announced “soon,” which may mean it will have some measure of timed exclusivity before it makes the jump to other major VR headsets.
Additionally, the studio says the Quest 2 version is “virtually identical to the upcoming PCVR version with the only exceptions being lack of HOTAS support … and reduction in asset quality.”
They’ve also tossed out a new trailer, which we’ve linked below this update.
Original Article (September 27th, 2021): Ultrawings charmingly combines flight sim mechanics with an inviting world full of aerial mini-games. The game has been well received over the years as its become available on all major VR platforms.
“[…] we decided to go all-in, so to speak, and develop a game that we felt was worthy of being called a sequel,” wrote the studio in its announcement.
Indeed, from the announcement trailer we can see that the game looks more detailed than ever with new environments, challenges, and mini-games. And, a significant addition over the original, Ultrawings 2 is leaning into combat missions which the studio says will include dogfights, bomber interceptions, and convoy destruction.
Bit Planet Games is also promising “three times the gameplay of the original,” with five unique aircraft (including a helicopter) and brand new islands that are significantly larger than the originals. The studio says players can expect a whopping 40–60 hours of gameplay across “several hundred hand-crafted missions.”
'Ultrawings 2' Screenshots
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Image courtesy Bit Planet Games
Image courtesy Bit Planet Games
Image courtesy Bit Planet Games
Image courtesy Bit Planet Games
Better still, Bit Planet Games says that Ultrawings 2 is “designed and built for expansion,” and that players can expect new aircraft, gameplay modes, and levels to be added after launch.
While the game is designed around VR motion controllers, like the original, Ultrawings 2 will also support a range of HOTAS (flight sticks) for players who have flight sim hardware at the ready. While officially supported hardware hasn’t yet been announced, we’d expect to see the HOTAS supported by the original game (Saitek X52/55/56, Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog/HOTASX/HOTAS4/T16000M) carry over to the sequel.
A price has not yet been announced for Ultrawings 2, but a release date of February 2022 is listed on the game’s Steam page.
Bit Planet Games has been teasing details of its aerial title Ultrawings 2 for a little while now. A few days ago the studio ended all of that hinting with an official announcement, Ultrawings 2 will be coming to Oculus Quest and PC VR headsets in early 2022.
The original Ultrawings was a particular favourite amongst early VR fans with its mixture of simulator and arcade flying mechanics. After nearly four years in development, Ultrawings 2 is taking that gameplay up a notch with Bit Planet Games saying it’ll be “3X the gameplay of the original” with a bunch of new mission types as you progress through the open-world adventure.
Providing realistic physics and mechanics for each of the five aircraft – which includes a helicopter – you’ll be able to use your virtual hands to grab the cockpit controls or use HOTAS and gamepad controllers if they’re more to your liking. As mentioned, Ultrawings 2 is a mixture of sim and arcade flying with the studio noting: “Although the aircraft’s flight model is based off of its RL counterpart, liberties have been taken to make them uniquely fun to fly.”
Ultrawings 2 will be all about giving pilots stuff to do with hundreds of missions that should keep you in the air for 40-60 claims Bit Planet Games. These will include popping balloons with a dart pistol, stunt plane aerobatics, air-to-air combat shooting down drones in the fighter plane, and trying to land the rocket-powered glider. All of this will take place across day, night, dusk, and rainy conditions to alter the challenges.
Combat Missions will be introduced in Ultrawings 2 in which you’ll encounter dogfighting scenarios, having to intercept bombers and sinking enemy shipping convoys using a one-handed grenade pistol.
Even with the release still months away the studio has already said it has big plans post-launch: “Ultrawings 2 is designed and built for expansion. Expect new aircraft, new gameplay (air races anyone?) and new islands.”
Bit Planet Games is currently aiming to release Ultrawings 2 for Oculus Quest, Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index and Windows Mixed Reality headsets in February 2022, with other platforms to be revealed at a later date. Take a look at the new trailer below, and for further updates keep reading VRFocus.
Bit Planet Games, the developer behind Ultrawings (2017), has teased a few clips of the upcoming standalone sequel to the open world flight game.
The original Ultrawings offers up multiple aircraft to fly around in, and a variety of missions across its island-themed world. It’s been available across all major VR headsets, including Oculus Quest, PC VR headsets, and PSVR.
The studio isn’t saying much about Ultrawings 2 for now, however it released two clips of the game in action and sprinkled some info across its various social channels. Here are the clips:
Taking to Reddit recently, Bit Planet describes the game:
Imagine the first game with a much larger world, increased graphic quality, and a healthy dose of combat.
That’s just SOME of the improvements we’re making to our next game. Lots more will be revealed over the next couple of months
There’s still precious little information out there for now, however Bit Planet says it’s supporting SteamVR headsets and the Quest platform, and will also feature HOTAS support. The studio hasn’t mentioned a release date yet.
Bit Planet Games has shared the first footage of its long-anticipated follow-up to VR flight game, Ultrawings.
Over the weekend the studio released a GIF of the game, which does not yet have a title, across various channels. It shows what looks like flight combat, with a plane shooting at something on the ground and a small explosion visible just before it swoops overhead.
It’s just a few seconds but it definitely looks promising. If Bit Planet Games can build on the control schemes and the immersion they started establishing with the original games, this could be a big deal. Over on Reddit, the developer confirmed there will also be air-to-air action. More information will arrive in the coming months, apparently, but the title should be releasing this year.
Ultrawings first released in 2017 and Bit Planet has been teasing its next game since early 2018. It’s been three years since those first teases, but the studio did port Ultrawings itself over to Quest during that time and release a flatscreen version of the game, too.
Based on the Reddit posts, it looks like this new game will be coming to Quest, PSVR and PC VR too. The developer also teased that the recent announcement of a new PSVR headset had thrown a possible “wrinkle” in their plans. You can expect the full name to be revealed alongside a full trailer. Are you looking forward to the Ultrawings follow-up? Let us know in the comments below!
