Category: White Lotus Interactive

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‘XING: The Land Beyond’ Launches on PSVR Today, Free DLC Coming to All Platforms

Xing: The Land Beyond has come a long way since its 2013 Kickstarter days, releasing on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and traditional monitors back in late 2017. Today, indie studio White Lotus Interactive cuts another important notch on their belt as they bring the otherworldly puzzle-adventure to PS4 and PSVR— along with it some well-timed DLC to all platforms.

The game, which sends you on a head-scratching journey through the land of the dead, will be available today on the US PlayStation Store for PS4 and PSVR.

White Lotus says the European release is slated for February 13th, or possibly later depending on Sony’s regional scheduling.

At the time of this writing, White Lotus hasn’t released pricing info, although the game is currently $20 on Steam, so we’d expect to see similar pricing on the PlayStation platform as well. The studio says PlayStation Plus Members will also be able to pick up Xing at a discount this week.

The PlayStation 4 version is launching with an exclusive new level too. Dubbed ‘Agnirok’, White Lotus says in a blogpost that the new level is “a combination of our Short Stories and Main Levels, and includes a new puzzle mechanic.”

Also incoming—this time to all supported platforms—is a new level called ‘Ice Scape’, a similar combination level that features a new story along with a complex puzzle, taking place is a pretty frosty-looking environment.

In Xing, you’re tasked with earning your freedom by freeing other spirits trapped in the ‘inbetween’. Spirits help you along the way with the game’s various puzzles as you make your way to the final gate of oblivion.

We haven’t had a chance to go hands-on with Xing, although it’s fared well with its userbase, garnering a ‘Very Positive’ user ranking on Steam (Vive, Rift) and a [4.6/5] stars on the Oculus Store (Rift).

The post ‘XING: The Land Beyond’ Launches on PSVR Today, Free DLC Coming to All Platforms appeared first on Road to VR.

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White Lotus Interactive Release Major Update for VR Puzzler XING: The Land Beyond

Indie developer White Lotus Interactive launched its ambitious puzzle experience XING: The Land Beyond back in September 2017 for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR. This week the studio released the 8th update for the title and its a big one, adding plenty of improvements and bug fixes.

Xing: The Land Beyond Screenshot 2

To start with one of the main additions for VR players is the ability to sprint using motion controllers. This was always an option if you happened to use a gamepad but now all you need to do is double tap the movement button to start sprinting, handy for getting round those puzzles even quicker.

Another major fix the team managed to address was a complaint players had about collision, and as such falling through things like bridges. As White Lotus Interactive points out in a long and expansive Steam post on the update: “The collision is fine! The issue is depending on their VR setup sometime people don’t play in the defined center of their play area, resulting in a desync between the players collision and their actual HMD location.” Thankfully that has now been sorted.

For those that suffer with simulator sickness XING: The Land Beyond now includes an optional vignette, darkening the viewable edges to increase comfort. It’s a technique that a number of developers have used when making VR locomotion as comfortable as possible.

Xing: The Land Beyond Screenshot 4

There are plenty more fixes, both VR specific and general, that White Lotus Interactive has added to XING: The Land Beyond. The team isn’t stopping there however, with many more updates planned for the near future including new content. As further details are announced, VRFocus will keep you updated.

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Go on a Spiritual Journey as XING: The Land Beyond Arrives on Steam

It’s been a long time in the making but finally today White Lotus Interactive has released its long awaited puzzle adventure XING: The Land Beyond on Steam, with full support for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

XING: The Land Beyond transports you to XING, an afterlife where secrets lay in wait to be uncovered telling the truth about why you’re there and who you are. The videogame is littered with environment-based puzzles which require powers and abilities gained along the way to solve them, such as rain and snow.

Xing: The Land Beyond Screenshot 4

Because the videogame has been designed to support both virtual reality (VR) headsets and standard desktop monitors White Lotus Interactive has ensured there are plenty of control options available. Gamepads and motion controls are fully supported with VR players able to use a free movement system the studio calls ‘Reins’ because it is similar to directing a horse, which VRFocus goes into more detail in a recent preview. There’s also the usual analogue stick style with snap turning and smooth rotation options.

XING: The Land Beyond can be purchased through Steam for £14.99 GBP. There will also be a version for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR although at the time of writing the title isn’t listed on the console’s store.

For any further XING: The Land Beyond updates, keep reading VRFocus.

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2013-era Crowdfunded VR Puzzle-Adventure ‘XING: The Land Beyond’ Finally Launches Today

XING: The Land Beyond (2017), a puzzle-adventure from White Lotus Interactive, is set to ship today—a good 4 years after they initially launched their Kickstarter and successfully stretch-goaled their way to include Oculus Rift support.

Of course, back then the team was targeting the Oculus Rift DK1, and with only $30K at their disposal, the lengthy development period must have been a labor of love. The game is now fully optimized for current-gen room-scale VR, with motion controller and gamepad support for both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

Set after your own death, you journey across a series of mysterious lands in the afterlife that are filled with the thoughts and personalities of those dearly departed. On a quest to follow these forgotten stories, you collect artifacts, solve puzzles, and discover secrets, promising to let you ‘make your own adventure’ along the way.

‘XING: The Land Beyond’ on Steam

We’ll be going head-first into XING: The Land Beyond in our full review due out soon. Whatever the result though (we haven’t played it yet), we applaud the team for their continuous updates, tenacity for developing on a shoestring budget, and for finally delivering to their backers.

The post 2013-era Crowdfunded VR Puzzle-Adventure ‘XING: The Land Beyond’ Finally Launches Today appeared first on Road to VR.

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XING: The Land Beyond Release Delayed

Virtual reality (VR) users have been eagerly awaiting puzzle adventure title XING: The Land Beyond since it was originally announced three years ago. Now it seems the wait might be slightly longer than expected, as the release has been put back by three days.

XING: The Land Beyond was developed by independent developer White Lotus Interactive and has been designed to be an immersive, exploration-oriented action-puzzle title. Gameplay is based around environmental puzzles that need various powers to unlock, powers that become available as you progress, so new areas gradually become open to you.

There are even some platforming elements – a rarity in a first-person VR title. This is possible due to the way the title handles movement, with the left Vive wand purely handling movement, pressing the touchpad will move you in the direction the wand is facing.

Xing: The Land Beyond Screenshot 3

Story receives a large focus in XING: The Land Beyond. Unlike many VR titles, it seeks to offer a deep, moving story, as the player finds themselves in the afterlife, with no memory of who they are or how they came to be there. As the player progresses, the truth is gradually uncovered.

The original slated release date has now been pushed back three days from 18th September to 21st September, 2017. No reason for the delay has yet been given, though it is possible that the development team needed a few more days to complete polishing, or squash a nasty bug.

VRFocus will bring you further news on XING: The Land Beyond as it becomes available.

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Preview: Xing: The Land Beyond – A Puzzle-Adventure of Epic Proportions

It’s been over three years since VRFocus first reported on White Lotus Interactive’s puzzle-adventure title XING: The Land Beyond, and a fair amount has happened in the virtual reality (VR) industry over those following years. This month the videogame will finally see a release for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive and by all accounts it’s been worth the wait.

VR platforms are home to a variety of imaginative and complex puzzlers that utilise the technology and motion controls in a mixture of ways and XING: The Land Beyond is no different. For this preview VRFocus got to sample the first level, set on an idyllic, sun drenched beach, with golden sands and crystal clear blue waters. To say it all looks gorgeous is an understatement, in fact you could just use the area as a relaxing chill out zone, almost like some of those meditative VR apps.

Xing: The Land Beyond Screenshot 3

It’s that calmness that not only runs through the environment but also in the puzzles. The first few are very easy as you’d expect – mainly finding items to put on pillars or shifting blocks to make a path – with handy (sometimes cryptic) hints dotted around the place should you need them.

An issue with puzzle videogames is that they can often lack depth, so White Lotus Interactive has ensured this isn’t the case with XING: The Land Beyond, offering an almost spiritual storyline which unfolds by finding stone tablets, each one written in rhyme and wonderfully narrated. So the title not only manages to draw you in with interesting puzzles, but also invites you to really explore the environment and uncover its many secrets.

As mentioned XING: The Land Beyond is about exploration and for once there’s no teleportation in sight – which may or may not please some gamers. In both hands are wands, with the right snapping your viewpoint to wherever it’s pointed. While the left purely handles travel. Pressing the touchpad will move you in the direction the wand is facing, allowing complete freedom of movement. It’s a mechanic that works surprisingly well, and because you’re physically and visually seeing where you’re directing yourself the entire process is very comfortable.

Xing: The Land Beyond Screenshot 4

What was surprising were the platforming elements. Something very rarely seen in any VR experience without the ability to teleport, there are moments that require jumping across pedestals. A common feature in normal videogames, but in VR, it almost seemed like White Lotus Interactive was trying to induce nausea, even though none actually occurred.

XING: The Land Beyond may not have been designed specifically for VR headsets but you wouldn’t be able to tell. In fact, after sampling the beautiful environments and puzzles playing the videogame on a monitor just won’t seem right. This is certainly one VR experience VRFocus is going to enjoy delving into further.

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XING: The Land Beyond Releases New GIFs

Developer White Lotus has been working on puzzle adventure title XING: The Land Beyond for a very long time. Lead developer John Torkington notes in a blog post that 19.7% of his life has been spent working on the title. It seems the end is near, though, as the developer recently announced the title would be released on 18th September, 2017.

As stated on the XING: The Land Beyond developer blog, work continues on the title, with the main focus for the team at the moment being elimination of bugs, finishing and mastering of the soundtrack, and the final polishing for various events. The team have also been looking to producing a new trailer ready for the launch announcement, which you can find HERE.

 

XING: The Land Beyond is a puzzle-adventure title that takes players into a mysterious ‘afterlife’ where there are secrets waiting to be uncovered, hidden messages that might reveal the truth about why you are there, and even who you are. The gameplay revolves around environment-based puzzles that require various powers and abilities that can be unlocked as you progress.

The title is planned to be available for HTC Vive, with two different options for locomotion, free movement involving holding down the touchpad, and teleportation movement, to offer comfort to those prone to simulation sickness.

The developers also offered some more close-up looks at what work has been done on the title with the release of some new GIFs, which you can see below.

VRFocus will continue to bring you news on XING: The Land Beyond as it becomes available.

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XING: The Land Beyond Release Date and New Trailer Announced

Long-awaited virtual reality (VR) puzzle adventure title XING: The Land Beyond has been teasing HTC Vive and Oculus Rift owners for some time. Now the developers at White Lotus Interactive have finally announced its release date, along with a new release date.

The atmospheric puzzle-adventure title has been in development since 2014, with a significant delay following the decision to rebuilt the title using the more advanced Unreal Engine 4. The title puts the player in the shoes of a person who finds themselves in a mysterious land that appears to be some sort of afterlife, though they have no memory of who thy are are why they are there. As the story progresses, various secrets are uncovered, slowly revealing the truth of the mysterious land, and the identity of the player character.

Gameplay is based around environmental puzzles that need to be solves using various powers and abilities that are unlocked as the player progresses through the story. There are two planned forms of locomotion available, Free Movement, which will involve using the HTC Vive and Oculus Touch touchpad to control speed and direction, and the tried-and-tested teleport mechanic, for the comfort of those who experience motion sickness symptoms in VR.

The planned release date is 18th September, 2017. Further information can be found on the XING: The Land Beyond official website.

The new trailer is available to view below.

VRFocus will continue to bring you the latest news on XING: The Land Beyond and other upcoming VR titles.