Virtual Virtual Reality (VR) was an indie hit for Tender Claws back in 2017, thanks to its narrative and immersive gameplay. Today, the studio has announced a follow-up, Virtual Virtual Reality 2 (VVR2), whichis about to launch offering a critical take on the latest tech buzzword, the “metaverse”.
In VVR2 you are a human who’s uploaded their conscience to the retirement metaverse of Scottsdale, where humans and AI can enjoy a peaceful afterlife. Or that would be the case but for one little issue, Scottsdale’s venture capitalist funding has been pulled, and so with it the servers where you all live. So rather than settling down into retirement, it’s now a race to avoid being deleted as servers are shut down one by one.
The ultimate goal is to escape and try and make it back into what the AI call; meatspace. This being VVR2 that’s no simple task but along the way, you’ll meet plenty of unusual characters and enjoy some new gameplay mechanics. One of the main ones is the operation of a mech. This giant machine requires multiple NPCs to operate so you’ll be switching between Scottsdale and the mech hive mind.
As you work your way out of Scottsdale the new NPCs you pick up along the way all have their own unique tools and abilities; as well as some emotional baggage. All of which adds up to 10+ hours of gameplay claims Tender Claws.
One thing is for certain, from the look of the new gameplay trailer VVR2 is still in keeping with the wacky aesthetics that made the original stand out.
Virtual Virtual Reality 2 will be coming to Meta Quest 2 and Rift next Thursday, 10th February, retailing for $29.99 USD. A SteamVR version will appear on 17th Feb. For further updates on VVR2, keep reading gmw3.
Virtual Virtual Reality launched on Google Daydream back in 2017, but thanks to some fun and clever interaction design that worked equally well on both 3DOF and 6DOF headsets, the game made its way to all major VR platforms with marked success in the years following the demise of the ill-fated Daydream. Now developers Tender Claws announced a sequel to Virtual Virtual Reality is arriving on Quest 2 and PC VR headsets this month.
If the trailer is any indication, VVR 2 is going to be another crazy ride of meta commentary, weird one-off worlds, interesting missions, and the sort of madcap narrative we’ve come to expect from Tender Claws, which is also known for the lovably weird The Under Presents.
Promising “ten+ hours” of gameplay, VVR 2 is said to bring new action mechanics like cooperatively piloting a mech with other NPCs, and something the studio says will let players “switch seamlessly between the external world of Scottsdale and the internal world of the mech hive-mind.”
Here’s how the studio describes VVR 2:
This darkly funny dystopian mech platformer game takes place a few years following the reset of Activitude at the end of VVR. VVR2 introduces players to the newest virtual network: the peaceful retirement metaverse of Scottsdale, where both humans and AIs have uploaded their consciousness for a digital afterlife. As players begin settling into this virtual utopia, suddenly, Scottsdale’s VC funding is pulled and its servers begin to shut down one by one. Players have no choice but to outrun the data deletion – ultimately escaping the metaverse and finding a new home back in meatspace.
Virtual Virtual Reality 2 is set to launch on February 10th on the Meta Quest 2 and Rift, and February 17th on SteamVR headsets, priced at $30.
We’ll be diving into its many strange and recursive worlds before launch, so make sure to check back then to see if the sequel holds a candle to what has become one of the go-to VR experiences for anyone looking for a positively wild narrative experience.
From Tender Claws, the studio behind Virtual Virtual Reality (2017), and the New York-based live theater company Pie Hole comes The Under Presents, something its creators call “part game, part theater, part extravaganza.”
The Under Presents doesn’t have an official launch date yet, although the studios say that it should land on Oculus Quest “very soon.”
First debuted at Sundance earlier this year, The Under Presents presents a bit of a mashup between game and live performance piece.
Here’s how Tender Claws describes it:
Where live immersive theater meets VR to bring live actors into your living room. An intriguing experience set between two worlds: a jaunty vaudeville stage and the harrowing survival narrative. Uncover the story of a ship stranded in time as supplies dwindle and day-by-day an otherworldly mist rolls closer. Follow characters’ interlocking fates as all journeys forward must turn back or become lost.
At its Sundance 2019 unveiling, Oculus said that user enters a vaudeville stage that exists in a “special dimension outside time and space, where you are guided by a mysterious proprietor. The Under operates on a loop with different live and recorded acts coming and going — and the main act ‘The Aickman’ is the story within the story.”
If the trailer tells us anything, we’re in for an interesting time to say the least.
VR games are difficult to market, especially when they don’t fit obviously into existing genres. Here’s 12 gems you may have overlooked but are well worth your consideration.
Updated – August 21st, 2020
The Paradox of VR Game Development
There exists a paradox of sorts in the VR game development landscape: many of VR’s most interesting games just don’t look like the sort of non-VR games we’re all familiar with. By not obviously fitting into existing genres—the ‘shooter’, ‘RPG’, ‘racer’, ‘puzzler’, etc—it’s very difficult to actually market such titles, no matter how excellent they may be.
The result, as I’ve found over the years, is a surprising number of ‘indie VR gems’: VR titles which are much better than their lack of noteirty would suggest. Oftentimes these games are rated exceptionally well by those who give them a chance, but getting people to decide to try them in the first place is the real challenge.
This is a double bummer because it’s these very developers—who are thinking outside the box and discovering what native VR games actually look like—which we should supporot if we want to accelerate the maturation of VR game design. Indies are usually working with small teams and shoestring budgets; if they don’t at least break-even with each VR project, it’s unlikely that they will be able to justify a followup and continue to help push VR game design forward.
So, if you want to help VR succeed, and have some fun in the process, take a careful look at these 12 indie VR gems and consider giving them a shot. I would be blown away if everyone doesn’t find at least one title they think is worth owning in this list. And you have little to lose here if you’re using Oculus or Steam; both have very reasonable refund policies: if you find out the game isn’t for you and you’ve played it for less than two hours, you’re entitled to a full refund within 14 days of your purchase.
Indie VR Gems
Real quick: this list isn’t intended to be comprehensive, nor is it scientific. In the VR space most developers fit the definition of ‘indie’ (those which aren’t working with a publisher). For the purposes of this article, I’m loosely defining an ‘indie gem’ to mean ‘a VR game which deserves more attention than it receives’, whether or not it is from a recognizable VR studio. Without further ado, and in no specific order:
Fujii is part walking simulator, part puzzler, and part meditation. The game presents a serene world which somehow manages to offer a feeling of exploration without traversing huge distances. As you explore and solve light puzzles, you’ll discover new plants and bring their seeds back to your garden. The garden acts as a persistent ‘home’ space which you can cultivate and customize to your liking by planting and watering your plants. Fujii does so much right in design and aesthetics. Nearly everything you do feels good, thanks to intuitive interactions and expert use of sound, animation, and haptics. This is a game which delivers a sense of delight just by being in its world.
Compound is a randomly generated rogue-lite shooter with a style all its own. Something about its 8-bit artwork manages to feel totally authentic and while still somehow completely at home even in the medium of VR which is so far removed from the 8-bit era. This is a challenging game; lethal and unforgiving enemies bring a heightened sense of immersion as you’ll need to be on high alert to prioritize and eliminate threats to succeed. Luckily you’ve got an array of interesting and fun weapons, each with its own sense of character.
While a handful of better known flight simulators exist with optional VR support, the vast majority are made for keyboard and mouse input or peripherals like flight sticks. VTOL VR sets itself apart by being made from the ground-up for VR and motion controllers. So set your HOTAS aside and bask in the feeling of interacting directly with the controls in your cockpit as you operate critical aircraft functions, identify targets, and engage enemies without needing to buy niche peripherals to make it all feel great.
Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades (AKA H3VR) [Early Access]
Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, also known as H3VR, is a VR sandbox for the gun aficionado. With more than 300 unique weapons in the game, you could spend hours just exploring the detailed custom sounds and interactions of each gun, right down to individually chambered rounds, folding stocks, fire modes, and adjustable iron sights. With heaps of modular accessories, you can do everything from the realistic—like adding sights, grips, and lasers to your favorite assault rifle—to the unholy—like turning a pistol into a kitbashed sniper rifle. Once you’ve got your arsenal sorted out, you can hit the shooting range, play a heap of mini-games and activities, or make up your own. Though H3VR launched in early access in 2016, its developer has been actively updating the game ever since, regularly bringing major new content additions and improvements over time, like the Team Fortress 2 weapon set.
Sprint Vector is a racing game that offers a sense of speed and mobility that’s hard to find anywhere else in the VR gaming landscape. Channeling elements of arcade racing games like Mario Kart with a Mirror’s Edge sense of flow, Sprint Vector’s unique take on ‘arm swinger’ locomotion is a revolution in its ability to maintain comfort even while you’re cruising at breakneck speeds—and it can be a good workout to boot. Alongside a competitive racing mode, the game also offers time trials which challenge you not just to be fast, but also to be creative as you look for new routes to shave precious seconds off your record. This game’s strong visual presentation is topped off by an excellent soundtrack.
Panoptic is a stellar asymmetric VR game where one player wearing a headset takes on the role of a giant and menacing ‘overseer’ while another player outside of VR plays as a tiny saboteur who attempts to blend in with roaming NPCs and destroy key objectives without being discovered. Thanks to VR, the overseer’s embodied presence and giant scale feel exceptionally imposing to the tiny non-VR player, creating tense moments where a single slip-up could lead to a suspenseful cat-and-mouse chase. The overseer may be powerful, but they can’t watch everything all at once; with a blend of strategy and cunning, the saboteur can prevail. The need for only one VR headset makes Panoptic a great game for sharing some of VR’s unique fun with friends who don’t have VR headsets themselves. While the game currently only supports local multiplayer, we found that Steam’s Remote Play Together feature makes it pretty easy to play Panoptic together online.
FREEDIVER: Triton Down is a short but worthwhile narrative adventure about an oceanographer who gets caught in a capsized research vessel after discovering something unexpected in a cave in the ocean depths. The game is built entirely around a unique ‘swimming’ locomotion system which is more than just a way to get the player from A to B; not only does it allow you to seamlessly navigate in 3D space underwater, it creates a built-in tension between movement and survival as the player has to surface for air or risk drowning. This effectively puts a time limit on puzzle solving which is always in the back of your mind, especially as the oxygen indicator on your arm beeps as it gets closer to 0%. Thanks to engaging interactive elements and thoughtful VR design, this is an adventure worth taking.
Virtual Virtual Reality is a narrative-driven VR game with an intriguing concept that’s worth seeing through to the end. As the name implies, you’ll find yourself popping in and out of various levels of virtual reality to navigate the game’s light puzzle elements while experiencing its strong art direction, writing, and interaction design. The developers include “an artichoke screams at you” among the game’s ‘key features’, which ought to give you an idea of the comedic flavor within.
Electronauts is half game, half tool, and wholly unique. It’s a VR music mixing game which lets you tap into your inner musical creativity even if you don’t have any idea how to play an instrument or make music from scratch. Each song in the game is effectively a ‘kit’ which includes various backing tracks, vocals, and unique instruments. Even though the game does much of the heavy lifting behind the scenes to keep everything in the right key and on beat, you’ll be surprised at how much freedom you have to make each song your own. While there’s no ‘objectives’, there’s much satisfaction to be had at managing seamless transitions between song segments, creating instrument loops that add a new flavor, and one of my favorite challenges: bringing each song to a smooth conclusion. Electronauts is an incredible way to experience the magic of music, and with multiplayer (on the Steam and Oculus Rift versions of the game only) you can even jam with a friend.
Racket: Nx is a polished and high energy game which feels like a futuristic mashup of racquetball fused with elements of Breakout. Players stand at the center of a 360 degree arena with neon targets that pulsate to the game’s excellent soundtrack. With racket in hand, players smack the glowing orb to destroy some targets while avoiding others. There’s some depth to hitting the orb too: you can slice it to give it spin, or give it an especially firm smack to send it roll along the wall for bonus points before it finally bounces back. Powerups and portals add additional variety. Racket: Nx can be a good workout, and is great for playing with VR friends thanks to cross-platform multiplayer between all versions of the game.
Until You Fall is a procedurally generated rogue-lite that’s all about melee combat. You’ll battle your way through a string of rooms populated with enemies of increasing difficulty. Eventually, inevitably, you’ll die. At the end of each round, you’ll respawn in a hub space where you can spend money you’ve earned on new weapons and upgrades, making you stronger for your next bout. The game successfully fuses VR sword combat with meta-game elements in a way that no other VR title has yet managed. Combat is underscored with a sense of deliberate strategy that can change from one encounter to the next, especially depending upon which weapons you choose to bring into battle.
As a VR mech game, Vox Machinae strikes and impressive balance between playability and immersion. It feels like a simulator, but manages to be almost as easy as an arcade game to pick up while remaining challenging to master. It’s controls and systems are intuitive enough that you can grasp the basics in a match or two, but that doesn’t stop the game from delivering a incredible sense of immersion thanks to its interactive cockpit and unique mech control model. Even now, two years after its early access launch, Vox Machinae remains arguably unmatched in immersion by any other VR mech game.
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Surely this list only covers a fraction of VR’s indie gems—let us know your own picks in the comments below!
It looks like Oculus Quest isn’t the only headset getting one of VR’s best experiences this week. Tender Claws’ fantastic Virtual Virtual Reality is launching on PSVR too.
The developer confirmed as much to us after we spotted the title on the PlayStation Blog, which listed it in its roundup of new releases. It releases today for $19.99.
Virtual Virtual Reality is a narrative-driven VR experience. In it, you join a futuristic mega-corporation that allows clients to virtually fulfill their dreams, however weird they may be. You start out by working for the company, but it doesn’t take long to uncover a more sinister undertaking behind the scenes. The game’s sharp script and inventive use of VR are quite brilliant.
It’s a funny week to bring the game to PSVR. V-VR is, of course, also launching alongside the Oculus Quest as well. It started life on Google Daydream and Oculus Go but also came to PC VR headsets like Rift and Vive. The Quest version, then, provides the freedom of the mobile version with the tracking of the PC version. We haven’t tried it on PSVR, but we’d imagine Quest will be the best place to play it.
If you’re not getting Oculus’ standalone on launch, though, we’d definitely suggest getting V-VR elsewhere. In our (very late) review last week, we labeled the experience as an Essential app. “Virtual Virtual Reality remains an early VR gem,” we wrote. “Whether its message of the possible pitfalls of the VR generation ahead is to be heeded seriously is part of its appeal. Is this simply a wacky exaggeration of where we’re headed, or is there something deeper hidden in the depths of Activitude? It’s up to you to decide, but you’ll have a lot of fun doing so.”
Here at UploadVR we’ve had access to most of the Oculus Quest launch library for quite some time. In fact, we already have reviews for games like Superhot, Dance Central, Virtual Virtual Reality, Creed, and more. And now that the Quest is officially launching to the rest of the world today, we thought we’d collect a list of the top 10 best Oculus Quest games available on day one.
This list is written from the perspective of being able to apply to anyone even if you haven’t used VR before. Here is a livestream where we show off a bunch of the games on this list:
Worth noting we’ve left off free apps like Rec Room and VRChat because you should definitely have those downloaded regardless and since they don’t cost anything they didn’t seem useful to include in terms of recommending purchasing decisions. You should definitely install YouTube VR as well for all of the great and free 360 video content.
And we’re leaving off some games we haven’t gotten to try yet on Quest to confirm port quality (like VR horror game The Exorcist: Legion VR) or games we haven’t sunken enough time into yet (like VR MMO OrbusVR) but if preliminary indications are any value then both should be worth your hard-earned dollars if you enjoy those genres.
Without further ado, here’s the list of the best Oculus Quest games to buy at launch! They are all listed alphabetically.
As one of the few “full” games launching on Quest with beautifully rendered stylized visuals, killer bow and arrow mechanics, and a solid multi-hour campaign, this should be the feather in the cap of every Quest owner. It’s got a sense of scale and narrative consistency that few VR games have, let alone VR games on portable standalone devices.
If you are reading this article then you have probably seen or heard of Beat Saber at some point. This is the rhythm-based box-slashing VR game that’s sold over a million units and helped put VR on the map for tons of people. Now, it’s portable and plays just as good as you’d hope.
There aren’t many shooters on Oculus Quest at launch, but the few that are there are really fun. Drop Dead: Dual Strike is an expanded version of a game that originally launched on the Gear VR and now features excellent dual wielding mechanics, melee weapons, a horde mode, a decent-sized campaign, and full co-op. It’s hard to go wrong with this much zombie-slaying action.
One of the most popular VR games is making its way to Quest and it plays better than ever. Removing the tether frees you to walk around the office cubicles if you’d like and spin about without worries. It looks great too and is easily the most accessible and fun to play version yet.
Journey of the Gods ($29.99)
Watch Our Gameplay Video Above
Journey of the Gods from Turtle Rock is a Zelda-inspired action-adventure VR game that has you slashing your sword, blocking with a shield, and firing your crossbow at enemies across large, sprawling levels. If you’re a fan of larger adventures, similar to Apex Construct in scope, then this is a great one to pick up.
Robo Recall: Unplugged ($29.99)
Watch Our Gameplay Video Above
As one of the most anticipated games for Quest, Robo Recall does not disappoint. The Unplugged version ports the entire experience over from the Rift with the only downgrades coming in the form of lower graphical power. The whole game is here complete with its tight gameplay and arcade-style fun.
Even after over three years, Space Pirate Trainer is still my go-to VR game when I am showing someone VR for the very first time. It’s dead simple to play but has a ton of layers and complexity if you’re willing to dig deeper. It nails that “just one more try” feeling and the high score board makes it perfect to pass around at parties.
It’s difficult to overstate just how fantastic of a game Superhot is in VR. In this part shooter and part puzzle game time only moves when you do. That means you can freeze and contemplate your next action — a power that the game forces you to master quickly. It’s exhilarating, challenging, and really forces you to think outside the box. And now it’s without any wires!
Even though it’s immediately clear that Vader Immortal: Episode 1 is just the start of something much larger, it’s still absolutely worth the entry fee. You get a nearly hour long story that feels like an authentic part of the Star Wars universe and an addictive Jedi training dojo full of replayability. Highly recommended.
Finally this is the most meta game on our list. And by that I mean that it’s part commentary on what VR actually is and what it could be, as well as what it can do. It’s a really great story that’s full of humor, charm, and memorabe moments that everyone should experience at least once.
When I first gave my verdict on Virtual Virtual Reality I said this:
“Budget Cuts might have the tone, The Lab might have the authenticity, but for my money Virtual-Virtual Reality is the closest we’ve gotten to VR’s Portal 2 yet. I can’t wait to see what Tender Claws does next.”
That was just under a year ago, at a time the piece itself was already a year old. It’s worth noting even now, though, that this hilarious adventure hasn’t lost any of its luster.
You might, at first, think that Virtual Virtual Reality is a glowing endorsement of, well, virtual reality. As the latest employee of a virtual treatment company, you’re swept away to idyllic locales to fulfill client’s wildest dreams. Tending to a lush green garden set to a sky blue backdrop sounds soothing, right? What if I told you your ‘client’ was a croaky-voiced pinwheel that becomes consumed with rage at a slight mishap?
No, I’m not making that up.
Down The Virtual Rabbit Hole
Virtual Virtual Reality delights in VR’s inescapable surrealness. It’s a deep rabbit hole, part silly slideshow of the future, part warning about what that future holds. And, although its narrative occasionally lets your mind wander over its two-hour length, its pitch-perfect mix of tone, humor and cautionary tale makes it one of the most essential VR experiences to date.
Having recently joined an AI-driven metaverse named Activitude, it’s your job to keep clients happy. But the situations you find yourself in become increasingly bizarre. You might already be familiar with the short-tempered slab of sentient butter that demands being covered in perfectly-toasted bread, but what about a rambling sailboat that demands your undivided attention? Or an electrical supply for a monochrome urban metropolis that wants to relive the chaos of a balloon parade?
Suffice to say V-VR has no shortage of surprises. It’s often laugh-out-loud funny and highly-interactive environments invite playful experimentation. Why not water that pinwheel instead other plants? Or stick a carrot to the butter instead of bread? It’s your decision whether to play along or forge a path of your own and, although the end result is always the same, your involvement in getting there keeps things personal. It’s a kind of agency that’s missing from a lot of other experiences.
Metaverse Mayhem
But, crucially, developer Tender Claws isn’t just in search of laughs. As you begin to peel back the layers of Activitude (sometimes quite literally), a more intriguing experience presents itself. Taking a page out of the book of Portal, looking beyond the overly-optimistic outer layer reveals a dark past. The piece does a wonderful job of rewarding your curiosity and making discoveries surprising and unintended. Moreover, V-VR starts to ask interesting questions about the nature of VR’s current status, and the implications of handing the keys to the metaverse over to the billion dollar executives that currently shepherd it.
It can, at times, be too obscure in its solutions. V-VR isn’t necessarily a puzzle game, but it’s sometimes frustrating figuring out which specific action is needed to push the story forward. You can get stuck in loops by missing small details in certain scenes, which adds an unwelcome touch of tedium. In fact, if anything, it could stand to shed just a few of its scenes in the name of pacing and repetition. Tender Claws isn’t in any rush to get you through its plot points, but you can’t help wishing it would speed things up a little in the exposition-heavy moments.
It helps, at least, that its ‘characters’ are some of the most personable you’ll find it VR. Chaz, your robotic warden of sorts, is peppy and ironic.
Final Say:Essential
Virtual Virtual Reality remains an early VR gem. Whether its message of the possible pitfalls of the VR generation ahead is to be heeded seriously is part of its appeal. Is this simply a whacky exaggeration of where we’re headed, or is there something deeper hidden in the depths of Activitude? It’s up to you to decide, but you’ll have a lot of fun doing so.
Virtual Virtual Reality is available now on Oculus Rift, Go, HTC Vive, and Google Daydream for $14.99. It will launch alongside the Oculus Quest on May 21st. For more on why we scored this app as an experience and how it rated, read our review guidelines.
The studio used the interface for their two most recent titles, Floor Plan & Along Together. But TButt has also been used by other studios, most notably by Tender Claws for their hit Virtual Virtual Reality.
Turbo Button additionally stated that the interface already supports Oculus Quest, and that several in development Quest titles are already using it.
The issue TButt aims to solve is the fragmentation that exists between VR platforms SDKs of today. Without an interface like this developers have to rewrite code to achieve the same result on different VR platforms. TButt abstracts input, performance settings, tracking data, and more.
Input (handling controllers) is a core focus of the interface. Input is the most significant difference between VR platforms today. TButt handles everything from basic 3DoF laser pointers to dual 6DoF controllers. A useful feature is that it allows for emulating a 3DoF controller in the Unity editor for more rapid development than pushing a full build to a standalone headset.
TButt supports the Oculus, SteamVR, Windows MR and DayDream platforms. Crucially, it also complies with the publishing requirements of the default stores for each platform, meaning it can be used to ship real games.
TButt is free and open source, leveraging the popular MIT Licence. This lets any developer use and modify it even for commercial projects. It’s encouraging to see the spirit of co-operation in the VR development community- hopefully it lives on as VR enters the mainstream market in coming years.
Samsung’s Gear VR headset was once the dominant mobile head-mounted display (HMD), it featured everywhere, in Samsung’s Unpacked events, standard videogame conferences, and institutions the world over as they looked to entertain visitors with new technology. But that position and stature have slowly faded, Samsung isn’t bundling the device with smartphones as it did and with the arrival of Oculus Go, VR enthusiasts can now go mobile with even more ease. That being said, there are a lot of Gear VR owners out there, and developers are still supporting the HMD. So here are VRFocus’ ten favourite videogames from the latest twelve months.
The Best Samsung Gear VR Games of 2018
Slightly Heroes – Hatrabbit Entertainment
Whilst this isn’t a dedicated Gear VR title that’s no bad thing. In fact that works to Slightly Heroes advantage as the videogame is a one vs one online multiplayer, with cross-platform support, enabling you to battle those on Oculus Go, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Google Daydream, Windows Mixed Reality, Lenovo Mirage Solo, and the non-VR Android app. This should ensure there’s always someone to match against. If not there’s always AI enemies to dispatch.
Arca’s Path VR – Dream Reality Entertainment
Arca’s Path VRtakes the gameplay style of classics like Marble Madness and updates it for VR headsets. Featuring a dark storyline where you play a girl tricked by an evil witch, you’ve been turned into a ball and must navigate 25 labyrinthine levels in a bid to free yourself and return home. To do this, Dream Reality Interactive has employed a gaze-based control mechanism, meaning you just need to look where you want to go.
Narrows – Resolution Games
Narrows lets you take to the high seas, heading to the Caribbean during the golden age of piracy to make your fortune. Combining real-time crew-management with ship-to-ship combat, there are plenty of customization options to tweak your cannons and crew for battle, plus rogue-like replayability. Gameplay also includes swashbuckling sword fights, charting your own course, and making sure your crew of misfits are healthy and fed.
Covert – White Elk
Covertfeatures asymmetrical gameplay that lets two players work together to pull off a high-profile heist, whether they’re inside or outside of VR. This works by the VR player having to pull off the heist while their mate acts as the hacker accomplice on a mobile device, feeding them vital information. Being the multiplayer title that it is, make sure the mobile device is compatible with the app, Android 7.0 or iOS 6 and above.
Eclipse: Edge of Light – White Elk
Eclipse: Edge of Light’sstory finds you crash landing on a sentient planet. Upon discovering the ruins of an ancient civilization, you then come across a device known as The Artifact, allowing you to interact with their technology whilst bestowing seemingly magical powers upon you. In order to uncover the secrets of the planet and this long-lost civilization, eventually hoping to escape, players must recover the pieces of The Artifact that have been scattered across the landscape.
Virtual Virtual Reality – Tender Claws
Virtual Virtual Reality is a narrative-driven comedy adventure about VR and AI. Players use virtual VR headsets to explore over 50 unique virtual realities, delving into the story behind AI service Activitude. As bizarre as this all sounds, Tender Claws’ VR experience is a great introduction to VR.
Catan VR – Experiment 7
Mixing traditional boardgame gameplay with the immersive online gaming that only VR can provide, Experiment 7’s Catan VRis a polished example of the genre. Featuring both single-player and multiplayer online modes, up to four people can play against one another in cross-platform gameplay, with players taking the role of settlers who need to establish colonies on the islands of Catan, acquiring resources to build infrastructure and roads whilst engaging in trade with other players.
Racket Fury: Table Tennis VR – 10Ants Hill
For those who enjoy a bit of sport, Racket Fury: Table Tennis VRoffers a single-player campaign with four Cups to play through. Each of the 16 opponents have their own temper and unique style of play meaing players will have to think on their feet and adjust their strategy with each new opponent they face.
Astraeus – E McNeill
Like E McNeill’s three previous VR videogames, Darknet, Tactera, and Skylight, Astraeusis another deviously simple looking real-time strategy (RTS) experience that becomes a lot more complex the longer you play. Astraeus is a VR asteroid mining title where you need to build a mining network from dozens of bases and watch as hundreds of ships swarm around you. Your job is to control these swarms of mining drones, create the bases, and outpace the competition in Campaign, Skirmish, and asynchronous multiplayer modes.
The Wizards: Trials of Meliora – Carbon Studio
The Wizards: Trials of Meliora is the next step in Carbon Studio’s spellbinding adventure. Designed specifically for mobile devices, the videogame enables players to wield powerful spells as they defend the realm. There are five levels to complete with four gesture-based spells to master. You’ll also be able to upgrade the spells to inflict greater damage and cause more chaos. One for those who enjoy a good magical fight.
All the Black Friday hijinks has finally ended for 2018, and with the mad sales dash now over it’s time to enjoy some of those nicely discounted items. One of the good deals this year was for standalone headset Oculus Go, which was the first time the device had been reduced since launch in May. If you happened to pick one up and need a helping hand in the right direction of decent content, or already owned one and just want to expand your library then read on.
What VRFocus is looking at is purely the best content, whether that’s apps for watching movies and TV, playing videogames or simply going online in VR. This is all about showcasing what Oculus Go can do and the reason for buying it in the first place.
Oculus Go Apps
YouTube VR
One of the best ways to see plenty content, the app gives Oculus Go access to the video platform’s massive library of immersive, 3D 360° and VR180° experience, allowing viewers to watch the videos as intended.
Price: Free
Netflix
Watch all of the streaming services TV shows, movies and original content anywhere you like, whenever you like. All on one massive screen, binge-watch to your heart’s content.
Price: Subscription based
Facebook 360
Similar to YouTube VR, the Facebook 360 app gives you access to social media sites 360 videos, 360 photos, Live 360 and Facebook Shows, all in one convenient location.
Price: Free
Gala 360 – See the World
With over 300 tours (most of which are free), Gala 360 is a great app to showcase the quality of the 6k resolution images. Drop viewers in exotic locations to see how awe-inspiring VR can be.
Price: Free (premium content costs $3.99 USD)
AltspaceVR
One of several apps that showcase the social qualities of VR, AltspaceVR allows you to hang out with friends, make new ones, play videogames together and even attend live events with comedians, DJ’s and more.
Price: Free
Oculus Go Games
Virtual Virtual Reality
Virtual Virtual Reality a somewhat bizarre comedy adventure about VR and AI. Use virtual VR headsets to explore over 50 unique virtual virtual realities, uncovering the story as you go.
Price: £7.99 GBP
Catan VR
Experiment 7 has brought this classic board game to VR, offering four-player tournaments online as well as a single-player to learn the ropes. Players take the role of settlers who need to establish colonies on the islands of Catan, acquiring resources to build infrastructure and roads whilst engaging in trade with other players, all with aim of growing large enough to get the ten victory points needed to win.
Price: £7.99
Wands
A cross-platform multiplayer experience, Wands puts you in the shoes of an apprentice magician who must do battle in one-on-one matches against other wizards. With a small selection of spells to begin with, as you level up and become stronger you’ll gain access to better spells offering a wider choice of tactical opportunities.
Price: £7.99
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
An oldie but a goldie, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodesby Steel Crate Games was one of the earliest examples of local social VR multiplayer, highlighting the fact that VR doesn’t have to be a solitary experience. The VR player has to diffuse a bomb, unfortunately, they have no idea how to as each bomb is made up of different modules that have to be solved individually. To do this all the non-VR players have a bomb manual and must guide the person in VR to the correct solution.
Price: £7.99
République VR
One of the bigger adventures on this list, République VRis another Oculus Go launch day title. It’s stealth-action videogame that explores the perils of government surveillance in the internet age. With over 10 hours of gameplay, République VR has players controlling the fortunes of Hope, a woman trapped inside a mysterious totalitarian state who must hack her way to freedom.
Price: £7.99
Rush
One for the adrenaline junkies out there. Proximity jump off mountains in a wingsuit and race AI competitors to the bottom, just watch out for cliffs, trees, the ground, basically, everything in this adrenaline-fuelled ride.
Price: £5.99
End Space
Designed as a pure space combat title, End Spaceputs players in the pilot seat of the Minos Starfighter that can track targets with their gaze and blast them with Pulse Lasers, or lock on and pound them into space dust with Meteor Missiles. Like any good shooter, players can unlock new weapons and upgrades as they progress through the ranks by taking on increasingly daring missions.
