Bethesda has announced that their upcoming mobile game The Elder Scrolls: Blades will not release until “Early 2019”. The previously stated release window was Autumn 2018. Blades is a new installation in The Elder Scrolls series made for mobile devices and is planned to eventually release on PC, consoles, and even VR headsets.
The game was first announced at E3 2018. On stage, Bethesda’s director & executive producer Todd Howard stated that the game would be available for all levels of VR, from mobile VR to high end PC VR.
The announcement today only mentions that iOS and Android are coming in early 2019. While this could technically also include Android based VR platforms like Oculus Go and Google Daydream, it seems unlikely. The more likely situation here is that the VR version will come later in 2019 (at the earliest) as a lower priority.
It’s not clear what has caused the delay for Blades. In an interview with Geoff Keighley at the time of the announcement, Todd Howard said that his ideal scenario was to release it right after E3. Perhaps the recent issues and controversy with Fallout 76 have caused the company to reprioritize their developers, although it could be unrelated.
We also still don’t know exactly which VR platforms the game will land on. With Oculus Quest releasing in 2019 too however, Blades could be that headset’s biggest hit, or greatest missed opportunity. We’ll keep you updated on any further news about Blades from Bethesda.
So you picked up shiny new PlayStation VR and you’re ready to dive into VR. Here’s our breakdown of the best PSVR games that you should definitely check out.
The 5 Best PSVR Games
5 – SUPERHOT VR
Though it was created first as a non-VR game, SUPERHOT’s unique ‘the world moves when you do’ slow motion mechanic just so happened to translate beautifully to VR. The world and everything in it is still as long as you are, but as you start to move, everything else does too, including the baddies trying to kill you. In SUPERHOT VR this creates a totally unique experience which plays somewhat like an action game, but with the ability to stop and think about your next move before you actually do it. The game encourages lots of movement and dodging, so you’ll want to maximize the size of your playspace and you’ll also want to play the game while standing.
Sci-fi shooter Farpoint was the debut game to launch with the PSVR Aim controller—an optional, first-party VR gun peripheral—so it’s no surprise that the game plays best with it. In Farpoint you’ll find yourself battling for survival on an alien planet. With strong production values, rich gunplay, and an interesting set of enemies, the game successfully melds traditional ‘space marine’ FPS fundamentals with the rich immersion that comes from playing in PSVR. Farpoint technically supports the PS4 gamepad, but we highly recommend the PSVR Aim controller for the best experience. If you’re thinking about picking up the game but don’t have a PSVR Aim controller, skip the bundle—at this point it’s usually cheaper to buy the game [Amazon] and PSVR Aim [Amazon] separately.
If you’re looking for a tactical multiplayer shooter on PSVR, this is the one. Built from the ground up for multiplayer and the PSVR Aim controller, Firewall Zero Hour delivers all the trappings you’d expect from a tactical multiplayer shooter: a gritty, contemporary setting, familiar weapons and weapon classes, and round-based 4 vs. 4 gameplay where you only get one life. It’s tense and tactical, and demands teamplay to succeed. While the game technically supports the PS4 gamepad we highly recommend the PSVR Aim controller for the best experience; especially with all the main weapons being two-handed, playing with the gamepad often feels awkward. If you’re thinking about picking up Firewall Zero Hour but don’t have PSVR Aim yet, consider picking up the game and controller bundle [Amazon], which (unlike the Farpoint bundle) is cheaper than buying them separately.
Yes, Beat Saber is a rhythm game, but even if you don’t think you like rhythm games, you deserve it to yourself to give this one a try. Where traditional rhythm games are typically about pressing buttons to a beat, Beat Saber is about moving your body in a way that turns out to be very satisfying and uniquely suited to VR. It’s very easy to play—which makes it a great game even for non-gamers or quick pass-and-play at parties—but maintains a high skill ceiling which means you can sink hours into refining your technique, and get some exercise while doing it. One warning: if you hate electronic music, Beat Saber probably isn’t for you; the game’s original soundtrack is (currently) just about entirely electronica. On the other hand, if you do like electronic music then you’re in for a treat of memorable original songs. Either way you can sample the soundtrack on Spotify.
Interestingly, Astro Bot Rescue Mission is the only sit-down gamepad-only PSVR game on our list, and yet it takes the number one spot thanks to its delivery of an expertly crafted, polished, and playable platformer that makes use of VR in unexpected ways. While it might look like ‘just a platformer’ from the outside, Astro Bot actually makes very clever use PSVR by allowing the player to interact with the main character and the world in novel and immersive ways. For instant, the PS4 gamepad is tracked in the game world and throughout the game several ‘controller gadgets’ will attach to it for your use (like a grappling hook, water cannon, or flashlight). While longer levels mean it isn’t quite as suitable for pass-and-play like Beat Saber, the game is firmly rooted in traditional platforming game design language which means even casual gamers who have never tried VR can jump right in and pick it up as they go. That’s a double-edged sword because it means family, friends, or significant others might want to steal some time in your precious headset to play.
Electronauts [our review, PC]: While it’s less of a game and more of an accessible music creativity tool, Electronauts can make anyone feel like a master DJ. If you like EDM or have any interest in mixing or making music, you’ll have a great time expressing your inner musical creativity with Electronauts.
Moss [our review]: If you liked Astro Bot, Moss should be next on your list. It’s a slightly more ‘serious’ VR platformer, but follows a similar premise of controlling a little character in a big world while occasionally interacting directly between you and the character. It’s also a rather beautiful game world worth experiencing.
Sprint Vector [our review, PC]: If you’re looking to get your adrenaline pumping (and get in a some exercise to boot), definitely check Sprint Vector. This game’s totally unique movement system has you racing and flying around huge courses while managing to keep most players totally comfortable. You won’t find speed like this anywhere else on PSVR unless it’s inside of a cockpit.
PlayStation VR Worlds: Consisting of a series of polished VR experiences, PlayStation VR Worlds was originally bundled with PSVR and served as a thought-provoking sampling of where virtual reality gaming is heading. Back in its heyday it was some of the best VR content out there. Today it’s still worth checking out and having on hand as some of the best demo content for showing off PSVR to VR first-timers, especially at the excellent price of $15.
Skyrim VR [our review]: While unmistakably a port of a (great) game from 2011, if you love RPGs you’ll find no greater depth in a VR RPG today than Skyrim VR. It remains quite clunky despite being adapted in several ways for VR (including Move support for things like swinging your sword, blocking with your shield, and shooting your bow and arrow), and it isn’t easy on the eyes, but if you can overlook its flaws, the game’s sheer depth of content will keep you content in virtual Tamriel for a long time to come.
Batman Arkham VR [our review]: Something of a hidden gem from the PSVR launch era—Batman: Arkham VR was made by the same studio (Rocksteady) which developed the excellent Batman: Arkham series. And though it’s very different from those games—focusing instead on Batman’s gadgets and crime scene investigations)—it was far ahead of its time in VR game design and still represents some of the best licensed superhero content available in VR today. If you’re a fan of Batman, give this one a go.
WipEout Omega Collection [our thoughts]: Years before PSVR was released—back when it was still just a prototype called Project Morpheus—people were already fantasizing about how amazing the storied zero-G racing franchise, WipEout, could be in VR. The dream finally came true in 2017 when the WipEout Omega Collection, a remastered bundle of several WipEout games, launched with optional PSVR support, deeply enhancing the game’s adrenaline-fueled arcade racing action. Don’t push yourself though; while the VR mode has been adapted with several options to maintain comfort even at the game’s breakneck speeds, not pacing yourself could lead to nausea. Good thing there’s a free demo available to see if this one’s for you.
Did we miss something? Let us know your top recommendations in the comments below!
Viveport is unique amongst VR app stores in that it offers a subscription option instead of just regular purchasing. For $8.99 per month, subscribers can play 5 games per month from a selection of hundreds of titles.
This offer is technically only for Viveport subscribers, but anyone can access it by signing up for the free 14 day trial.
Superhot VR – 96% Off
Superhot VR is a unique shooter experience where the faster you move, the faster time moves. If you keep completely still, time will freeze. It is a perfect blend of mental and physical challenge, and perhaps one of the best VR games ever made.
Buying it at $1 saves $24 over the regular Viveport price. When we reviewed the game, we gave it 9/10, concluding:
SUPERHOT VR is a pure, distilled, injection of unadulterated adrenaline that will get your blood pumping just as quickly as time stops in the game itself. With every movement you make, time creeps forward ever so slightly, and everything from the level design to the way it feels to dodge a series of bullets in slow-motion is orchestrated to reinforce the core ideals of the experience. From start to finish it plays out like a fantasy ripped from the screen of every action movie; an indulgent cacophony of visual and gameplay excitement.
Arizona Sunshine – 97% Off
Arizona Sunshine is a zombie FPS with a full voice acted singleplayer campaign and co-op multiplayer. Buying it at $1 saves $39 – this is a staggeringly good deal. When we reviewed the game, we gave it 8.5/10, concluding:
Vertigo Games proved that even in the most saturated genre we’ve seen for VR games this year — shooters with zombies — there was still room for something fresh. Arizona Sunshine combines the narrative power of a fully-featured 4+ hour campaign mode, with the intensity of a wave-based horde mode, and then adds multiplayer to both experiences. The protagonist’s witty humor make it worth recommending on his charming personality alone, with enough depth and variety to keep people coming back for several hours. By doing so many things so well, Arizona Sunshine quickly rose to the top of the pack as the best overall zombie shooter we’ve seen yet in VR.
Accounting+ – 92% Off
Accounting+ is a unique comedy game with the voice acting of Rick and Morty star Justin Roiland. Buying it at $1 means saving $11. When we reviewed the game, we loved it, concluding:
I wish there were more VR experiences like Accounting+. I’d sooner take another 20 rides on its unpredictable emotional rollercoaster than suffer another wave shooter. But its individuality is ultimately what makes it so memorable, and I believe that as developers gain a tighter grasp on what really makes VR tick, this will be seen as a key cornerstone of what helped us get there.
Sariento – 97% Off
Sariento at $1 means saving $29. While we haven’t yet formally reviewed the game, it currently sits at 90% positive reviews on Steam, and is a frequently recommended buy in the VR community.
The Wizards – 95% Off
The Wizards at $1 means saving $19. When we reviewed the game, we gave it 7/10, concluding:
On the gamut of magic-based first-person action games, The Wizards is definitely one of the better ones. Its spell-casting system is interactive without being too cumbersome and the campaign mode packs a decent amount of content. Plenty of collectibles, a replayable Arena mode, and lots of mission augmentations add up to this being one of the best ways to live out your most fantastical magical fantasies in VR. We just wanted more and preferably multiplayer of some kind.
While some may prefer to have all their VR games on Steam, this deal is simply too good to avoid no matter what your store preferences. We highly recommend snagging these prices while you can – HTC may have just launched the best offer in VR gaming history.
From the very first time we previewed an early build of ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission, it was clear that there was much care and craft behind the work. At its October 2018 launch, the finished game not only didn’t disappoint, it saw critical praise, quickly becoming PSVR’s top rated title and even one of PS4’s top titles overall for 2018. The reception was a testament to the undeniable art and skill of the creators at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s JAPAN Studio. But how did they succeed where so many others struggled? For the latest in our Insights & Artwork series, we spoke with Astro Bot’s Creative Director and Producer, Nicolas Doucet, who gave us a glimpse into the game’s design process and a look at some of the artwork which guided the way.
Update (July 19th, 2019): Over at the official PlayStation Blog, Nicolas Doucet today shared some additional background on Astro Bot’s development, which seemed fitting to include here to add to this deep-dive background on the game’s creation. Doucet shared a look at a ‘mecha spider’ enemy prototype which was ultimately cut from the game but lived on through similar mechanics which manifested in the ‘bamboo stack’ enemy, which the team found “simpler, clearer, more versatile, and gratifying to shoot.”
Image courtesy SIE JAPAN Studio
He showed how level segments were built modularly, which allowed them to be rearranged and even repurposed where needed. A segment of the Canyon stage was pulled from that level and visually adapted to fit right into the Volcano level.
Image courtesy SIE JAPAN Studio
Doucet also elaborated a bit on Astro Bot’s cut multiplayer mode, which was clearly a tough decision but seems to have ultimately worked out in the game’s favor. “It was probably the hardest cut we ever made, and it created some controversy within the team, especially because it felt like we were taking something of quality away,” he said. “But at times, such decisions are necessary for the greater good and there is no more regret today as it allowed the game — and the team — to reach new heights.”
Continue reading below for our deep-dive with Doucet on Astro Bot’s development.
Editor’s Note: The big, beautiful pictures and exclusive artwork in this article are best viewed on a desktop browser with a large screen, or in landscape orientation on your phone. All images courtesy SIE JAPAN Studio.
Winding Roots
Original Article (November 7th, 2018): While Astro Bot has only been out for a month now, the game’s origin stretches at least back to 2013 when JAPAN Studio released THE PLAYROOM, a piece of PS4 bundleware which was designed to show of the console’s then new camera peripheral. The Playroom included a series of mini-games where the studio’s adorable ‘bot’ characters were heavily featured. When PS4’s next major peripheral came along—PlayStation VR, which launched in 2016—JAPAN Studio was tasked with creating The Playroom VR. Just like the game before it, The Playroom VR was bundled as a showcase, and included a series of VR mini-games with the bots back in action.
JAPAN Studio’s ‘bots’ were a fixture in THE PLAYROOM VR (2016)
It was there in The Playroom VR where Astro Bot’s foundation was solidified. One mini-game called ‘Robot Rescue’ had players guiding one of the bot characters around a fantastical world from a third-person perspective, but still embodied the player as a first-person character in the game world. Looking back today, the fundamentals of ‘Robot Rescue’ and Astro Bot are one in the same, but with the latter, JAPAN Studio had the time and resources to fully explore what the mini-game could become.
“To be honest, [‘Robot Rescue’] was the odd one out as all other games [in The Playroom VR] were built as quick-fire party play.” Nicolas Doucet, Astro Bot’s Creative Director and Producer, tells Road to VR. “As we released The Playroom VR, the gamers inside us loved ‘Robot Rescue’ because it is a game closer to classic gamers’ taste re-invented for VR, so we wanted to make a full game.” As it turned out, the interest in ‘Robot Rescue’ wasn’t just from within the studio. “The vast amount of [player] comments on the forums, videos, and petition gave us the boost we needed to go full steam. So shortly after releasing our DLC for The Playroom VR, we started working on Astro Bot Rescue Mission.”
Image courtesy SIE JAPAN Studio
18 months later, and with a peak development team of 25, Astro Bot was born. Packed full of smart VR game design, a distinctly ‘playable’ feel, and enough meat to feel satisfied by the end, Astro Bot is the first game we’ve rated a 10 out of 10.
A game like Astro Bot doesn’t just happen; it’s the product of talent, time, and direction.
“One thing to establish first is that [JAPAN Studio’s] ASOBI Team is articulated around four key pillars that define the emotions our games must convey. They are ‘Magical’, ‘Innovative’, ‘Playful’ and ‘Inclusive’. These words are to be considered in their broad meaning and anything we create should be relatable to these four key pillars.” Doucet says.
Months of Experimentation
With that framework in mind, the team set aside one-third of the game’s development time for experimentation, before locking in key mechanics and interactions.
“We prototyped lots and lots of mechanics for the first six months, as we always do. We then assembled the entire game from the various successful ideas,” says Doucet. “These prototypes happen over a very short time and are mostly made by programmers working on their own. We then gather everything that is fun and that gives us our tool set for interactions. We only bring art in once the gameplay is robust so there is no temptation to rely on graphics before the fundamental gameplay is proven.”
Doucet and the team specifically set out to make sure Astro Bot was more than just a third-person platformer thrown into a VR headset.
“[…] there was a strong desire for the game to not become a traditional platformer in panorama view. That would have no value for PS VR,” he says. “[…] so a checklist of ‘VR-ness’ was created, such as verticality, lateral gameplay, volume play, perspective play by leaning your body, proximity play to create a bond, far-distance play to create dramatic moments, and also physical play via the player’s head, blowing mechanics, etc.”
Astro looks at the player’s avatar.
Central to the game’s “VR-ness” is the way that it embodies the player as not just a camera but an actual character that’s present inside the virtual world. That’s reinforced especially with the PS4 controller which is motion tracked inside the game and becomes as critical to the gameplay input from buttons and sticks. This happens primarily through ‘gadgets’, virtual tools that attach to the in-game controller allowing the player to uniquely interact with both Astro and the environment.
“It was important that these gadgets worked on several layers, at least three strong use cases to be precise,” Doucet says. “This is why the water gadget for example can be used to grow vegetation, activate propellers, and also harden lava. All of these use cases have a direct correlation with platforming (they essentially create a path for Astro and support the various ‘VR-ness’ [we were seeking].” In fact, there were a few gadgets—like a magnet and a vacuum cleaner—that got cut because they didn’t meet the bar of interactivity that the team had set.
Things seem to be gradually getting back to normal for many of us as costume parties, haunted houses, and tossing candy to trick-or-treaters are all back on the Halloween menu this October. If you’re looking for an extra fright this spooky time of year though, go no further than these top VR horror games which are sure to send shivers down your spine.
Here’s our top 15 favorite VR games which span the gamut of horror and thriller sub-genres.
With rare exceptions, most of the games below support all major VR headsets, including SteamVR, PSVR and Oculus Quest. We’ll get the platform exclusives out of the way first before heading into the cross-platform titles.
Platform Exclusives
Resident Evil 4 – Quest 2
Fire up the nostalgia train for one of the most beloved survival horror games out there, as Capcom has teamed up with Facebook and Armature Studio to bring Resident Evil 4 (2005) to VR in a big way. Although it’s still not what you’d call a native VR experience, the new first-person viewpoint really works alongside some fine-tuning by Armature to make this a much more immersive and visceral way to enjoy the 15 hour zombie-slaying adventure. The only thing we want out of RE4 now is broader support for other headsets besides Quest 2.
What bumps in the night must be killed, no question. In this graphic novel-inspired survival horror, you traverse levels delving into the psyche of the protagonist, Mae. Gain a full arsenal of weapons as you battle different monsters, all of them intent on putting a stop to your one-way quest to salvation.
Whereas RE4 is all about running and gunning, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard is more on the horror adventure side of things, offering atmospheric frights and plenty of story to experience as you delve into the Baker House Mansion. Even at nearly five years old, this one is still very much worth your time if you haven’t played before. We were hoping for broader VR support when the flatscreen game came to PC, but that never happened.
You may have a gun and a handy dandy gravity glove to help you, but nothing will prepare you for VR’s preeminent horror shooter, which dumps you into the quarantined zone (sound familiar?) for a zombie-killing good time. It’s worth the $60 bucks, although we’ve seen it on sale for $35 back in March. Maybe something to watch out for when Steam’s Halloween sale rears its head on October 28th.
Hellblade: Senau’s Sacrifice is a frightening action-adventure game that simulates psychosis, which is heightened in VR to such a degree that you’d be forgiven for taking a few breaks. The game’s disembodied voices whisper into your ears and criticize your every move, level geometry mysteriously changes as you look away to accomplish another task, making you question your own sanity. It’s a third-person game that doesn’t so nearly enough for the sake of making it more of a VR-native experience, but it’s so beautiful and well-crafted that we might just forgive it.
Where other zombie games may have failed to provide a good balance between creepiness and all-out zombie-ganking fun, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners has definitively succeeded. Enter a post-apocalyptic New Orleans as ‘The Traveler’ in this single-player RPG, where you’ll scrounge for parts, craft weapons, and broker deals between waring factions—all while dealing with the truly deadly hordes of ghoulies. Shoot, stab, rest and survive for another day.
Just because you’re already dead doesn’t mean you’re safe in Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife. Set in a haunted Hollywood mansion that acts as a prison, you use your supernatural powers to unravel the mystery behind why the mansion is chocked full of ghosts. Run, hide, and don’t get caught.
The makers of the famous jump scare-tastic Five Nights at Freddy’s, Steel Wool Studios, have done the unthinkable and made a version for all major VR headsets. Keep an eye on the monitors, manage power, and for heaven’s sake don’t blink for a second, because Freddy Fazbear and his possessed animatronic compatriots will definitely going to eat your face.
Franchise tie-in games aren’t always good, but Blair Witch bucks the trend by offering up a story-driven psychological horror game which has been thoughtfully rebuilt for VR headsets. The VR port does have its rough edges, but this dark, bone chilling story will truly force you head first into insanity. Make sure your flashlight is working.
Take one part Soviet brutalism, two parts puzzle-adventure, mix them up in the low atmosphere of a mysteriously abandoned off-world colony, and garnish with a slice of Cold War espionage. That’s the sci-fi thriller Red Matter in a nutshell. Creepy, unsettling atmosphere and no jump scares.
As the years pass us by, it’s amazing how Arizona Sunshine persists as one of the besy co-op zombie shooting adventures out there. Zombies popping out left and right, dwindling ammo—there’s not much more to say about Vertigo Game’s story-driven co-op shooter Arizona Sunshine. Ok, maybe one thing: practice your headshots.
AFFECTED: The Manor is an oldie but a goodie. Essentially a haunted house simulator, in Affected you move through multiple pathways and obstacles on your way through a number of classic horror tropes. Only being able to see by candle light simultaneously adds immersion while detracting from user sanity.
This puzzler lets you step back into Edwardian-era London, 1908. As a detective, you’re tasked with investigating the disappearance of an esteemed Egyptologist where you’ll explore cryptic locations, examine gadgets and uncover an otherworldly discovery which blurs the line between reality and illusion. No jump scares, plenty of puzzles and creepy vibes.
Sólfar Studios’ rogue-lite bow-shooter is drenched in gothic horror. You fruitlessly battle against increasingly powerful monsters with your trusty bow, all in service of an achievement-based progression system that advances between sessions, revealing yet more unseen horrors.
Broken down into five chapters with their own stories, The Exorcist: Legion VR serves up plenty of demonic entities, exorcism tools, hidden artifacts and atmospheric locations. Less scary and more ominous.
Since the game’s release in 2016, VR gamers have been asking for VR support for No Man’s Sky, the sandbox space survival game from Hello Games. The most recent hint the developers might be considering it comes from a recently posted poll to the community of players, asking what they wanted to see in future updates to the game. Among the 10 possible options is ‘VR Support’.
No Man’s Sky was first teased in late 2013 and became one of the most anticipated titles in gaming history due to Hello Games’ ambitious claims about its scope and depth of features. By the time it released, a particular criticism was that while Hello Games had claimed it would be multiplayer, players could only see named planets from other players. They could not actually directly interact. Over the past two years, however, the game has received multiple major updates addressing the missing features from launch as well as performance and stability issues, and much of its playerbase now seems satisfied with the state of the game today. In many ways, it now feels like a completely different game and similar to the originally teased concept.
The demand for VR support for No Man’s Sky is not arbitrary. Earlier this year, we wrote about reasons why the game would be perfect for VR. VR is extremely well suited to games where the player is primarily in a cockpit, though only a portion of No Man’s Sky is set inside a spacecraft. Elite Dangerous, another sandbox space game with planetary landing, is considered by some to be one of the best VR games available, and many players have bought a VR headset to enhance their experience in it.
Of course, this is only a poll, so the community may vote to prioritize other features, or potentially not enough will vote for VR support for it to ever be added to the game, but the fact that Hello Games intentionally put it into the list means there is a decent chance of it coming eventually. It is also not known whether this would be limited to PC VR headsets, or whether it would also come to PSVR (given that the game is already on PlayStation 4). Regardless, we’ll keep you updated as soon as any further VR news from Hello Games emerges.
From the makers of FORM (2017), a well regarded indie VR puzzle game, comes Twilight Path. With an entirely new setting, Twilight Path attempts something more ambitious than its predecessor, but winds up feeling like a rushed followup.
Developer:Charm Games Available On: SteamVR (Vive, Rift), Oculus Store (Rift) Reviewed On: SteamVR (Vive Pro) Release Date: October 2nd, 2018
Gameplay
Opening with a short prologue about a spirit world that’s recently come under siege by a cursed dragon demon, Twilight Path begins ever so briefly in the human world before transporting you to the spirit world with little explanation, beginning a linear string of puzzles which can be fun but often feel arbitrary as you teleport from one puzzle node to the next.
Whereas Charm Games’ previous title, FORM, had a more abstract presentation which relied and usually succeeded with dazzling visuals, Twilight Path sets up a more structured world and introduces the player to a few characters in an effort to infuse the game’s puzzle gameplay with interesting context.
Screenshot by Road to VR
Unfortunately it fails on that front as the characters are ill developed and almost entirely without player interaction, serving more as a convenient in-game location for some voice acting work to emanate. By the end, the game tries to bring a little action into the mix and suss some emotion out of the player after a climactic scene, but fails to achieve a sense of danger or urgency, while lacking the requisite character development to make the player care about the outcome.
Failing in its overambitious attempt at world building, Twilight Path is left then with just its puzzles. While you’ll find a few new ideas, there’s plenty borrowed from FORM. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, Twilight Path didn’t feel like it brought many innovative or memorable puzzle ideas to the table, and rarely offered me any “eureka” moments that are often accompany puzzle games that make you think outside the box.
Despite being usually fun to interact with thanks to (usually) good affordance design, FX, and SFX, puzzles largely felt like one-off contraptions. Twilight Path doesn’t really teach the player underlying concepts to later be tested in a challenging setting—the essence of most any game.
Screenshot by Road to VR
Even priced at a low $15, with a little over an hour of play timeTwilight Path feels like it tries to do too much with its world in the time allotted, while not focusing enough on the player’s gameplay journey.
Charm Games says that Twilight Path serves as an introduction to its world and they plan to add more chapters to this tale in the future.
Immersion
Screenshot by Road to VR
In Twilight Path you’re described as a human who has come to the spirit realm, apparently a fairly uncommon happenstance. You’ve acquired several magical abilities (for some reason), allowing you to interact with objects at a distance, transform broken things into not broken things, and teleport from one predefined location to the next.
The purely linear nature of the game, coupled with node-based teleportation—which sometimes moves you hundreds of feet or more from where you just were in a matter of seconds—makes it hard to stay grounded in the game world as you’re often left wondering exactly where you are in relation to the rest of the environment.
While the game gives you abilities which on paper should feel empowering, they often feel more like a means of activating scripted sequences. For instance, early in the game there’s some giant boulders blocking a pathway. While you might want to use your force power to pick them up and move them off of the track, instead you can only use your force power to just click and hold on certain action nodes on the boulders which causes them to blow up after a few seconds (for some reason).
Other ‘puzzle’ elements involve using your force power to click and hold on an obvious node for a few seconds as a large broken object reforms into its unbroken shape. Again, it would have been more empowering if I got to physically manipulate the large pieces to put the object back together myself, instead of simple activating a scripted animation with a trigger hold.
Twilight Path is a decent looking game, but lacks some consistency in its environmental design. The first half of the game takes place in the large outdoor spirit realm setting which is mostly passable, but lacks character. In the latter half of the game you’ll find an immense spirit creature that’s surprisingly detailed and quite well animated for its size. From then on out you enter interior spaces which are significantly more detailed and occasionally awe inducing. Sadly, you’ll only spend a few minutes in some of the game’s most richly detailed areas.
Comfort
As the game is purely teleportation based, and doesn’t require you to move more than a step from your central position, it’s perfectly comfortable, save for a few moments where you’re riding on a slowly moving vehicle.
To use your force power at a distance, the game relies on cursors which are projected out into the world. Played with the Vive, the cursors moved with my hands in a somewhat unintuitive manner, making control a little less precise than it seems it should be. I think this may have been an effort to avoid simple laser pointing input (which is smart), but the result could have felt better.
Oculus today announced ‘Quest’, their new high-end standalone VR headset. The company is promising that some of the top Rift titles will be ported to the headset, including Robo Recall, Moss, The Climb, and Dead and Buried.
On stage today at Oculus Connect 5, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that Oculus is focusing on creating a self-sustaining ecosystem so that VR developers can thrive on their platform. Part of achieving that, Zuckerberg said, is making sure that the company’s various efforts across mobile and PC VR are working toward that common goal.
Toward that end, Zuckerberg said that the new Oculus Quest headset will run some of Rift’s current top titles. On stage he mentioned Robo Recall, Moss, The Climb, Dead and Buried, ‘and more’.
He also announced that there are some 50 launch titles planned for the Oculus Quest launch which is set for Spring.
It’s surprising to hear that games like Robo Recall and The Climb will be coming to Santa Cruz, given that they are graphically intense games built on engines that usually power high-end PC titles. It’s very likely that the graphics will have to be toned down for these titles to run on Quest, given its mobile graphics processor, but it’s still great to know that the investments put into these high-end titles will be able to be enjoyed by mobile VR players too.
Oculus today announced Lone Echo 2, a sequel to the highly praised Lone Echo which was developed by Ready at Dawn and published by Oculus Studios in 2017. While the game, like the original, is expected only to launch on the Rift, the announcement comes with an immersive trailer available on the Rift, Go, and Gear VR.
Now a little more than a year after the launch of Lone Echo, Oculus today confirmed that Lone Echo 2 is finally on its way. An immersive trailer, available on the Rift, Go, and Gear VR headsets, shows that the game is likely to be a direct continuation Jack and Liv’s story, the main characters of the first game. You can download immersive trailer on those headsets, or watch the flat version below:
The Lone Echo 2 immersive trailer is seen from the perspective of Jack, and shows Liv coming to terms with a challenging situation arising apparently shortly after players last left things at the end of Lone Echo. Not much is revealed in the trailer about exactly what’s going on or how Lone Echo 2’s gameplay will or won’t evolve from the original.
Lone Echo received high marks for its immersion and narrative, and is often regarded as one of VR’s top titles to date; we gave it a 9 out of 10 in our review. The game is unique for its high production values while steering completely away from first person shooter action, instead focusing on threats and conflict introduced by the environment rather than generic baddies or humanoid aliens dispatched with hot lead or lasers.
Granted, developer Ready at Dawn has been working hard on Echo Combat, a multiplayer FPS component to Echo VR—the multiplayer spinoff that’s set in the Lone Echo universe. Given what the team has learned about mixing handheld weapons with the games’ unique zero-G locomotion may mean that armed conflict isn’t entirely out of the question for Lone Echo 2, for better or for worse.
