Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

Walkabout Mini Golf's latest course takes players to a Mars Garden.

The four level structure is built into the side of a crater with a course laid down for players moving up through 18 holes to a vista with a stunning overlook across the martian landscape.

The paid DLC course features an optional gravity simulation mode to make your ball fly around more playfully, as if you were actually mini golfing on Mars. Walkabout creator Lucas Martell offered UploadVR a pre-launch design tour, explaining how the martian colonists have a ton of automation and their fresh foods grow big on the red planet.

Martell's development team at Mighty Coconut is nearly ready to release the iPhone version of the game with tap-to-putt and swing-to-putt offering a slice of VR anywhere. The game is in open testing now on iOS devices, with a cross-play beta test underway between VR and iPhones. Found balls and other progress from the testing release won't carry over to the full release on iOS.

Check back with us in the days ahead – we'll have the link to the iOS version of the game on the App Store as soon as Walkabout makes it public.

When I first applied to university, it was to study mechanical and nuclear engineering, so you can imagine my delight when I got asked at Gamescom to preview a VR game where I’d personally stop the Chernobyl disaster — one of the worst nuclear catastrophes in history. There’s an intriguing premise behind Chernobyl Again, though the game suffers from a cumbersome inventory system.

You play as the child of gifted nuclear physicists, and your goal involves going back in time to stop the reactor meltdown in Pripyat, Ukraine. It’s a tale of redemption and espionage, and the seeds are sown during the game’s overlong tutorial. Time terrorists - don’t ask, just get on board - are up to no good, and your agency must set things right. Could this mean the disaster was never meant to happen and was always the result of malicious interference?

The tutorial takes place in a staging area in space, on the rim of a black hole you could believe was pulled straight out of Interstellar’s concept art. Chernobyl Again has all the standard tactile controls I’d expect of modern VR, but the inventory system isn’t nearly as fluid as other games. You can't grab tools from around your person, everything is stored in a sci-fi watch. Opening it involves bringing your wrist up to your face and pointing at it with your other hand. Since absolutely everything gets stored here, you’ll need to stop whatever you’re doing and use both hands to grab whatever you need.

It’s cumbersome, slows the game's pacing, and feels leagues behind the times. I don’t use a VR headset to spend time in menus; I want VR games to immerse me in their environments. Numerous puzzles, fortunately, let you interact with the ‘80s nuclear facility, but some of the setting's magic is lost every time I need to stop what I'm doing to lift both my hands and get a different tool. 

After the basics get explained, it's off to Chernobyl, or so I thought. The game is incredibly interactive, requiring you to insert the time coordinates yourself, and while this should have been a fun little tactile puzzle, the controls themselves were rather finicky. Turning the various knobs, dials, and switches over to their precise positions can be tricky.

These interactions have been a frequent issue during this preview. Buttons didn’t press as easily as it seems like they should, items I grab don’t stay in my hands as intuitively as I’d hoped, and there's a general air of jank around the design. The setting also doesn’t connect with me as much as other VR games I've experienced.

The black hole outside the space station appears as a static background, and the reactor console inside Chernobyl is similarly lifeless when it seems like it should be the game's centerpiece. It’s disappointing because the promise of preventing time terrorists from pulverizing Pripyat is a phenomenal one, but the game doesn’t feel great to play. The physicality of VR is there; it’s just poorly realized.

Chernobyl Again is out now on the Meta Quest platform, Pico, PSVR 2, and Steam.

Arizona Sunshine is one of VR's oldest zombie shooters, and Vertigo Games makes a compelling case for its upcoming remake. Here's what we thought.

The original Arizona Sunshine is admittedly feeling pretty dated these days, though it's still widely available on most major VR platforms. And after playing the remake's first two chapters at Gamescom on PlayStation VR2, followed by replaying the original Arizona Sunshine on Steam to compare, I fully understand Vertigo's decision to remake it.

Once again, we're back in post-apocalyptic southwestern America killing hordes of "Freds," and Remake's opening plays out almost identically to the original game with small changes. While co-op support is confirmed, my demo was single-player only.

Arizona Sunshine Remake uses the same engine as Arizona Sunshine 2, and it feels like a natural extension of last year's sequel. Vertigo Games has modernized its VR gameplay design with improved physicality, and the differences are immediately clear beyond a shiny new coat of paint. Manual reloading is now an option, grabbing items feels considerably more responsive, and ladders can now be physically climbed without teleporting to the top.

My biggest issue during this preview was that my right Sense Controller would consistently lose tracking, leaving me at a significant disadvantage when hordes began coming towards me. Hardly ideal to be stuck with a floating hand mid-battle when the gunplay otherwise feels good. This may have been a hardware problem though, and I'm hoping this issue doesn't return come full release.

I can't understate how much more visually appealing Arizona Sunshine Remake looks compared to the original game - the desert looks better than ever. These initial chapters have been accurately recreated, and Remake still offers some entertaining action. Shooting up zombies is nothing particularly special at this point; we've all seen repeated attempts across the years, yet the remake's changes are reinvigorating it for a new audience.

It's a different case to Wanderer: The Fragments Of Fate, which is remaking a much more recent game from 2022. By comparison, Arizona Sunshine first appeared in 2016 back when modern VR was finding its footing. Common VR game design principles weren't universally agreed upon in the way they are now, which makes this remake even more intriguing.

In that sense, Arizona Sunshine Remake showcases just how far VR games have evolved in just under a decade. I still cannot believe we've reached a point where studios are actively remaking earlier VR games. Returning to the original afterward showed me how many best practices we often take for granted these days, many of which simply didn't exist back then. The old game still offers some fun, but this remake looks highly promising.

Arizona Sunshine Remake arrives on October 17 for Quest, PSVR 2, and Steam. Owners of the original Arizona Sunshine on the same platform can purchase the "Remake Upgrade" at a lower price.

Human Fall Flat, the comedic puzzle platformer, will receive a VR adaptation "soon" on Quest, Steam, and PlayStation VR2.

Developed by No Brakes Games and published by Curve Games (Lawn Mowing Simulator VR), Human Fall Flat VR adapts the 2016 physics-based flatscreen game with a new control scheme. Each controller represents the respective "wobbly" arms of your avatar, and each level takes place across different environments. Here's the announcement trailer.

In a press release, Curve Games states the VR adaptation is a "completely new experience" from the original game that uses a third-person view. Though solo gameplay is supported, Human Fall Flat VR supports co-op for up to three friends as you tackle various challenges. All the original levels are included alongside a selection of "Extra Dreams" crafted by the community.

"Together, you'll navigate tricky traps and solve mind-bending physics puzzles, all while laughing at the unpredictable antics along the way. Imagine yourself wobbling through whimsical dreamscapes, now with the power to flail your arms in every direction, just like a real-life ragdoll. Whether you're swinging from ledges or pulling levers, the all-new VR control system lets you reach out and touch the madness," states the studio in a press release.

A specific release date remains unconfirmed, but Human Fall Flat VR is "coming soon" for $13 to the Meta Quest platform, Steam, and PlayStation VR2.

Dungeons of Eternity, the hit VR action co-op game, will reach Steam later this year.

Developed by Othergate, Dungeons of Eternity is a fantasy action RPG playable alone or with up to two other people. Previously released on Quest last October, a Steam listing has now emerged that confirms a Q4 2024 release date, though it's unclear if cross-platform multiplayer is supported. We've contacted Othergate to clarify, and we'll update this article if we learn more.

Today's news follows several content updates for Dungeons of Eternity, as previously outlined in the post-launch roadmap. Last month's Arachnophobia Mode lets you swap out spiders for something "more loveable and friendly looking," while May's 'Longswords and Traps Spring' update added a two-handed longsword, an increased level cap, bHaptics support, and more.

We awarded our highest score in our Dungeons of Eternity review on Quest. Naming it our best multiplayer VR game for 2023, we praised the combat, high production values, and co-op support.

Dungeons of Eternity isn't a revolutionary experience but it's an incredibly enjoyable fantasy action RPG to play with a group of friends... Combat is excellent, catering to many different playstyles, while the progression system feels rewardingly well-considered. Dungeons of Eternity quickly became one of the most enjoyable VR co-op experiences I've ever tried and I can't recommend it enough.

Dungeons of Eternity reaches Steam in Q4 2024, and it's available now on the Meta Quest platform.

Dungeons Of Eternity Review: One Of Co-Op’s Best On Quest

Dungeons of Eternity offers one of the best VR co-op adventures yet on Meta Quest headsets. Here is our full review.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Pistol Whip is the next PSVR 2 game joining the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, arriving soon for Premium subscribers.

Following this week's news that the PS5 Pro will launch this November, Sony announced the next set of monthly additions to its rotating PlayStation Plus Game Catalog. While the line-up is otherwise completely dominated by flatscreen titles, PlayStation Premium subscribers can redeem Cloudhead Games' hit rhythm action game Pistol Whip for no extra charge on September 17.

This announcement follows Sony adding six more PSVR 2 titles to the Games Catalog in June. While the catalog is normally accessible if you subscribe to either PlayStation Plus' Extra or Premium tiers, PSVR 2 games are usually only available for Premium subscribers.

Here's the full list:

• Before Your Eyes
• Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord
• Humanity (Available to Extra subscribers)
• Pistol Whip (Available on September 17)
• Synth Riders
• The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners + Chapter 2: Retribution
• Walkabout Mini Golf

As a reminder, a PlayStation Plus subscription at any of the three tiers is mandatory to use PS5's online multiplayer. Premium subscribers can also currently access free trials for 15 different PSVR 2 games like Demeo, Ghost Signal: A Stellaris Story, and Moss.