Neon Genesis Evangelion Is Getting An Official XR Game Next Year

An official Neon Genesis Evangelion XR game is in development, aiming to kick off a new trilogy based on the anime.

Developed by Korean studio Pixelity Inc (Teahouse of SoulsThe Patcher), the team announced that it's signed a licensing agreement with Japanese animation studio Khara, Inc to design and develop the currently unnamed game. Pixelity confirmed the first installment is planned as a trilogy “based on the world and events of all 26 episodes” from the original anime TV series, and it's scheduled to launch next year.

Text says "Neon Genesis Evangelion XR Game Development Announced"

This action-adventure title sees you portraying an original character, letting you explore this world which involves “taking on quests, and engaging in thrilling battles - all while following the timeline and key events of the anime.” Pixelity also advised the upcoming game features interactive and cooperative gameplay with familiar characters. Not much else was confirmed, and the studio states to, “stay tuned for more updates and sneak-peeks about the game”.

Initially aired in 1995, the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series remains critically acclaimed to this day. Focused on the fight between paramilitary group NERV and the Angels, this isn't the first time the post-apocalyptic mech series has been adapted for XR. However, these have never been widely available beyond Japanese theme park attractions like Evangelion VR - The Throne of Souls and the Evangelion XR Ride.

No platforms have been confirmed yet, but the first installment for the Neon Genesis Evangelion XR game targets a 2026 launch.

Meta Will Give $50 Million To The Top Horizon Worlds Creators

Meta will give out a total of $50 million dollars to creators of the most "fun and engaging" Horizon Worlds experiences.

These Meta Horizon Creator Fund payments will be "tied to worlds’ contributions to the overall ecosystem across time spent, retention, and in-world purchases, so there are a variety of different ways for creators to maximize their earnings"

Separately, Meta is launching a $1 million "mobile-focused" competition on March 11.

Back in 2021, Meta launched a somewhat similar $10 million creator fund when rebranding the platform from Facebook Horizon to Horizon Worlds. And in 2022 it launched a smaller $500,000 fund for "unique, innovative, and engaging worlds".

The new Horizon Creator Fund dwarfs both previous efforts, and arrives amid significant concerns about Meta's focus on Horizon Worlds over store apps.

Meta Horizon Desktop Editor Now Available In Early Access
The Meta Horizon Desktop Editor has asset importing and TypeScript support to build “high-fidelity worlds” with “complex game logic”.

The Horizon Creator Fund announcement comes as Meta just launched the Horizon Desktop Editor in early access, letting creators use their PC to import assets and write TypeScript to build "high-fidelity worlds" with "complex game logic".

Meta is also enabling Horizon Worlds' in-world monetization features, which let world creators charge for items and experiences, in 18 new countries from Monday: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Taiwan, in addition to the currently supported US, UK, and Canada.

VR Parkour Platformer Pixel Arcade Arrives On Quest Today

Prepare to sweat as the competitive VR platformer Pixel Arcade swings onto Quest today.

Developed by CJG Studio, Pixel Arcade is a VR parkour platformer that challenges players to throw themselves through tricky neon environments and earn competitive high scores on a global leaderboard. Alongside throwing yourself from platform to platform, you'll also need to watch for hazards like lasers and bounce pads that could spell the end of your cleverly planned run.

There are ten levels to beat across Pixel Arcade, with each new landscape offering various complex spatial scenarios to try your hand at. As you advance, you can unlock checkpoints to lock in your progress.

CJG Studio's previous platformer, Pixel Arcade Legacy, forms the basis of Pixel Arcade. The 2016 release also featured vibrant pixel playgrounds that players could navigate while unlocking checkpoints. Pixel Arcade aims to build on its predecessor's design scheme and gameplay, offering visual upgrades and fresh environments for players to strategize through.

While multiplayer won't be available at launch, CJG Studio has included a note on the game's store page saying this will arrive in the future, alongside seasonal updates and further in-game content.

Pixel Arcade previously launched on Steam Early Access, and it's out on Quest today. The trailer also mentions a PlayStation VR2 version is “coming soon.”

Notice

This article was briefly published on January 31 when Pixel Arcade's Quest version was initially planned to release. We've posted it again today following the confirmed launch.

VR Parkour Platformer Pixel Arcade Arrives On Quest Today

Prepare to sweat as the competitive VR platformer Pixel Arcade swings onto Quest today.

Developed by CJG Studio, Pixel Arcade is a VR parkour platformer that challenges players to throw themselves through tricky neon environments and earn competitive high scores on a global leaderboard. Alongside throwing yourself from platform to platform, you'll also need to watch for hazards like lasers and bounce pads that could spell the end of your cleverly planned run.

There are ten levels to beat across Pixel Arcade, with each new landscape offering various complex spatial scenarios to try your hand at. As you advance, you can unlock checkpoints to lock in your progress.

CJG Studio's previous platformer, Pixel Arcade Legacy, forms the basis of Pixel Arcade. The 2016 release also featured vibrant pixel playgrounds that players could navigate while unlocking checkpoints. Pixel Arcade aims to build on its predecessor's design scheme and gameplay, offering visual upgrades and fresh environments for players to strategize through.

While multiplayer won't be available at launch, CJG Studio has included a note on the game's store page saying this will arrive in the future, alongside seasonal updates and further in-game content.

Pixel Arcade previously launched on Steam Early Access, and it's out on Quest today. The trailer also mentions a PlayStation VR2 version is “coming soon.”

Notice

This article was briefly published on January 31 when Pixel Arcade's Quest version was initially planned to release. We've posted it again today following the confirmed launch.

VR Hoverbike Shooter Retronika Leaves Early Access On Quest Today

Hoverbike racer Retronika is leaving early access today on Quest, and 4Players-Studio is bringing it to SteamVR in the future.

In Retronika, you become a daring driver tasked with navigating a futuristic city as you're forced to fight off drones for survival. As you push forward through Retronika’s single-player campaign, you’ll get the chance to customize and upgrade your loadout, as well as tweak your hover-bike in hopes of earning a tactical edge against the enemy.

In our review-in-progress, we were initially impressed with Retronika’s visual identity despite an array of pre-release shortcomings. We'll aim to revisit that review in the coming days, but at the time, we said, “This is a visually stunning and immersive title in VR, eschewing realism for simplistic cel-shaded models of a city that feels alive far beyond your limited racing perspective.”

4Players-Studio also announced that Retronika is heading for SteamVR but did not specify a date. “We set out to create a VR experience that blends the thrill of high-speed combat with an immersive world and deep gameplay mechanics,” said the developer in a prepared statement. “We’re excited to bring Retronika to Quest players and look forward to expanding to Steam VR and other platforms soon.”

Retronika is available now on Quest, and can be wishlisted on Steam.

Is Realize Music: Sing Really What The Doctor Dre Ordered?

Mental health is one of the greatest struggles of our modern society. Anxiety and depression are at an all-time high. I'm personally still working through burnout recovery, as well as general self-care and wellness. As such, you can imagine I'll sit up and take notice whenever a game or app is trying to help ease people's struggles.

Trying being the key word there, since Realize Music: Sing struggles a lot and despite its ambitious aims, I'm not sure what the end goal truly was. It's complicated, let's get into it.

A vibrant multi-color environment with Linkin Park's 'In The End' song playing.

I'll cut to the chase – Realize Music: Sing is a VR singing game. Yes, it's called an app, an “immersive experience,” but you score points. The points enhance the reactivity of whatever spherical world you're playing in. There's a meter that grows based on performance. You can hammer optional drums with your controllers that, if I'm understanding the microscopic icons on your drumsticks correctly, add to that meter too. Achievements can be unlocked. It's a shame the app doesn't lean into it more, but we'll return to that later.

If it weren't for the adult-oriented music selection, boasting some examples like Linkin Park, Nickelback, Chappel Roan, Korn, and more, I'd assume this is made for kids. Why else would you have a random set of optional painting tools that serve no function other than to clutter the virtual play space? Or have most of the play spaces be very whimsical and storybook-esque? I get not wanting to set users in industrial grunge, but if I'm belting out The Emptiness Machine? I'm probably not looking to see mountains that look like they're out of The Sound of Music while I'm jamming.

A menu showing different Linkin Park songs to choose between

Meanwhile, despite boasting “more than 1 million songs,” the album selection and curation is a mess. There are instrumental-only versions of songs. Both the normal and deluxe editions of albums are here, instead of just the deluxe, for some reason? Why are some songs inexplicably listed as individual albums? Why do some songs give a warning "This song doesn't have lyrics" even when they do, in fact, have lyrics?

Sifting through can be tedious. Every time you enter into any “album” to confirm whether it's the full music or not, it snaps you back to the start of that artist's page. I tried to find Lily Allen's hit Fuck you!, and it was a genuine challenge. Even then, the only version available is censored (even though the song's title itself isn't), further confusing who the target audience is.

Then there are stranger discrepancies. The app boasts much of Paramore's discography, while only Lady Gaga's oldest works are here. Some musicians only appear because one of their songs appears in a movie's soundtrack album. I understand that some of this will change with time, and is doubtless beyond the developers' control, yet it really sticks out.

Granted, this is provided the menu systems work. Searching for Evanescence via the voice-command search function led to a hard crash. Looking at the Similar Artists section for Katy Perry had the app claiming her music that I'd just seen available was, in fact, not actually available. When one of my old playlists got wiped for some reason, opening it froze every aspect of the app, save for the Jukebox mode. This is after patches from the first time I explored Realize months ago. It was less buggy back then, which is not commonly how this works. A release build typically has less bugs.

And yes, there's a Jukebox mode for those who just want the top hits. It's a great idea, but also serves to highlight how randomly the genres have been assigned to some artists. Alanis Morissette is not a Rock musician. Just because a guitar strums at the end of Uninvited doesn't make it rock. Don't worry though, it gets worse.

The real kicker was finding The Cranberries' world famous Zombie... under Pop. Like, if this were some obscure song, or from an artist that used to do Pop, like fellow Irish artist Imelda May, that'd be one thing. However, The Cranberries are one of the most well regarded Irish bands ever, and this is them performing their saddest ballad. It's about a decades-long conflict that caused endless despair and death for an entire nation. It is not something you put alongside Hot To Go. This should not need explaining. Why is this a thing?

Also, the UI is a mess. Why is the Jukebox mode separate from the rest of the menu system? It can only be accessed by one of two virtual buttons set so low that they practically sit on the user's feet. Accessing the rest of the app requires clicking on your Profile button, which paradoxically takes you to your Library, rather than to your account profile or settings - those require clicking on other, different buttons.

Granted, the library UI is also rather oddly arranged for a VR interface – in addition to the odd placement of the Jukebox mode's button. Some parts are cramped, others take up too much space. I can understand there being limitations on a flat screen, but this is VR, you can get more creative.

If nothing else, purely as a singing experience, Realize Music: Sing seems solid... at first. The variety of genres is good, ranging from rock and country to metal, R&B, and rap. The lyrics are presented nicely, they respond with eye-catching animations when you hit the note right, and they can even shift in place based on where you focus your gaze during a song. The drums are also really satisfying to hammer on. However, there problems here too. Thankfully not the crashing kind, at least.

Most notable is how Realize Music: Sing has more faith than I do in my ability to perform a duet all on my own. Yes, you read that right. As a Linkin Park fan, seeing In The End immediately there in Jukebox Mode, it seemed like a perfect first song to try. Except here's the thing - you aren't just singing Chester's melodic delivery, but also Mike Shinoda's rapid-fire poetry, with next to no pausing between.

This was also an issue with some pop songs, where you're sometimes expected to sing some of the backing vocals, but not all of them. Evanescence, meanwhile, had odd timing errors where Amy Lee's vocals were clearly still hanging on words that Realize Music had decided were done. At least given how passive the scoring is, you can just let it breeze by.

There's no numerical scoring system to speak of, though it does track “perfect” lyrics on your profile. The main indicators for your performance are the visual reactions of your 'world' play space. However, there are also no difficulty indicators on the music like you'd expect from a rhythm experience. Instead, it's on the user to know how intense a song will be, more than anything. It's also on them to make their own fun whenever an instrumental solo kicks in, or a song has a long intro or outro.

Now, if Realize Music: Sing were, say... a game, it could lean into this. They could incorporate either the painting or drums as a more deliberate minigame sequence. And as a live service, subscription-based platform, Realize Music: Sing certainly could embrace game-like aspects in the future. Regular updates with new songs have been promised, after all.

That is, provided the app is properly registering your singing. When testing its responsiveness to different vocal registers, sometimes Realize only recognized my audio made on delay. You can tell when it catches your vocals because little stars and gems appear out of your "mouth". Other times, without any noise being made, it would randomly indicate that I was, in fact, singing. This wasn't an issue when I first previewed the app, but unless there was a ghost singing next to me, it is now a concern. The result is less Guitar Hero, more Rock Revolution, for my rhythm gaming aficionados out there.

Yet even when it's running in its most ideal state, Realize Music: Sing never really justifies its own existence. It promises an immensely unique, emotionally restoring experience, yet it… doesn't? And I kept looking for something, anything – a distinct angle, or a meaningful hook. What sets this app apart from just singing along to a song lyric video on YouTube's VR mode in your VR headset?

It's not a bad time in VR by any measure: the stationary/room-scale nature of the spherical play area ensures that, with the drums and UI following you as you walk and turn. I'm simply not grasping the point. There are some basic community features like the ability to share playlists that can be upvoted by other users. Though I was unable to test it myself, I'm told you can cast your feed to your friends for long-distance karaoke nights. That sounds lovely, but you can already do this too with something like Discord and any existing music streaming platform as well.

There is one aspect that will be a big gripe for some though – you have to manually sign in every single time you restart the app. This includes both intentionally or due to the Realize crashing spontaneously. If you don't have that password memorized, you'll be juggling a headset half on your head while checking it with one hand and entering it with the other holding a controller. This is a UI design problem that's long been solved, why is this a thing here?

Moreover, I'd really love to know why the painting system is here, because it has had a fair bit of UI design work implemented... to what end? You can't save your paintings or export them. If you could, then that could be an angle too. Art therapy is a thing. Even the name raises questions. Realize Music: Sing? What does that mean? What are we realizing? How does the owl factor in?

Realize feels like a project where, between the elevator pitch to final release, something was lost. Did it get me more in a musical state of mind? Absolutely - on my PC, humming along to my existing music library. As it stands, Realize Music: Sing is a curious novelty, and for some that may be enough; I just don't see how that is meant to translate into a long-term subscription service. Even if you patch out every issue and offer a glut of music, what sets this service apart?

If there was dancing and sing simultaneously, or actual vocal coaching lessons, or some additional stuff for meditation, I could see a fresh angle coming together. There is room here for something substantial. However, if it's going to grow into that, it will be in future updates and not this current vision. Realize Music: Sing may have been built with noble intentions but it's more than a few lyrics short of a platinum hit, and that's a darn shame.

Realize Music: Sing is out today on the Meta Quest platform. At launch, the app offers an introductory subscription price of $9.99 monthly or $99.99 annually.

Among Us VR Becoming Among Us 3D With Flatscreen Cross-Play

Among Us VR is being rebranded to Among Us 3D, introducing flatscreen support on Steam.

Two years after it initially launched, Schell Games and Innersloth announced that Among Us VR will soon be rebranded “over the next few months” across all existing platforms. The upcoming flatscreen adaptation on Steam will retain the VR game's first-person perspective, while cross-platform multiplayer between PC and VR players will be supported for Among Us 3D.

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A release date for the flatscreen version remains unconfirmed, though Schell Games elaborated more on its upcoming plans. Among Us 3D is introducing a new in-game currency called Stardust, a move the studio states will expand customization options and “support the expansion of the game.”

As for additional plans, Among Us 3D plans to add new modes, new tasks, further collaborations and a wardrobe expansion. More limited time events are also on the way, following a series of events last year that included the vigilante focused 'Dum Justice,' month-long 'Lights Out' mode, and more. Here's the full roadmap for further details.

Elsewhere, Innersloth recently confirmed its current 2025 roadmap for the 2D game, which isn't compatible with Among Us 3D. By comparison, the original title is getting four new roles, a matchmaking system overhaul, new cosmetics and security updates. News on the animated Among Us TV series is also promised to arrive “soon.”

Among Us 3D will remain available on Quest, SteamVRPico, and PS VR2, while the flatscreen version is only confirmed for PC. A Steam Next Fest demo will go live on February 23 until March 1.

Horizon Worlds Desktop Editor Now Publicly Available In Early Access

The Horizon Worlds Desktop Editor is now publicly available in early access, with asset importing and TypeScript support to build "high-fidelity worlds" with "complex game logic".

Horizon Worlds is Meta's "metaverse" platform. Most worlds on it today are made inside VR, using the Touch controllers to manipulate primitive 3D shapes and rig up interactions using a spatial visual scripting system. While this allows anyone with just a Quest to build virtual worlds, the results have been widely and harshly criticized for their simplistic cartoonish appearance.

Since summer 2023, Meta has been providing desktop tools to game studios, including an internal studio it spun up called Ouro Interactive, to build higher fidelity worlds using traditional 3D asset creation pipelines and textual scripting. These worlds, including Super Rumble and Citadel, now make up some of the top visited and rated destinations on the platform. Last year, Meta started rolling out these advanced desktop creation tools to select Horizon Worlds individual creators in a closed beta.

Now, the Horizon Worlds Desktop Editor is available, in early access, to anyone aged 13 and above in any of the 23 countries where Horizon Worlds is available.

In the US, exclusively for now, the Desktop Editor public beta release also includes generative AI tools. To start, you can generate sound effects, ambient audio, and TypeScript, and Meta plans to roll out new generative AI features later this year, including 3D model and texture generation.

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Meta preview of upcoming Horizon Worlds Desktop Editor model, texture, and animation AI generation.

Meta's (Limited-Scope) Unity Competitor

According to creators who have been testing the closed beta version, the Horizon Worlds Desktop Editor has an interface resembling a simplified version of game engines like Unity, reminiscent of Apple's Reality Composer Pro, the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), or the Roblox Creator Hub.

Horizon Worlds Desktop Editor screenshot from Vidyuu.

The tool, which currently only runs on Windows, offers the ability to import 3D assets, images, and sound files, place them in a 3D landscape, and implement game logic functionality using TypeScript, an offshoot of JavaScript popular with web developers.

The software also supports creating in-world user interfaces (UIs) for use in VR, web, and mobile, and for creating, animating, and setting up the behavior of simple non-player characters (NPCs).

As with other similar desktop game creation tools, it supports near-instant testing of your world with one click. You can also send a link to your phone, or open a link in your PC's web browser, to test it as it will be seen by non-VR players.

With the Desktop Editor, and the company's continued focus on the Horizon Worlds platform, Meta seems to want to entice individual VR developers (or as it would now say, MR developers) to build their experiences for Horizon Worlds, and use its tools rather than Unity.

That may be appropriate for some developers, especially those with limited experience with full-fledged game engines. For other more traditional game developers though it will be a hard sell, given it would mean being locked into one XR platform, and giving Meta a higher percentage of their earnings. Meta takes 47.5% of transactions within Horizon Worlds, compared to 30% for apps on the store.

From Quest To Horizon: How Meta’s Shifting Priorities Are Affecting Developers
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To make this a more appealing option, Meta is enabling Horizon Worlds' in-world monetization features, which let world creators charge for items and experiences, in 18 new countries from Monday: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Taiwan, in addition to the currently supported US, UK, and Canada.

Further, Meta is launching a $50 million Meta Horizon Creator Fund to pay creators of "fun and engaging" worlds. Here's the company's description of how the money will be distributed:

"Each month, we’ll pay out bonuses from the Creator Fund to the makers of fun and engaging mobile and MR worlds. Bonuses will be tied to worlds’ contributions to the overall ecosystem across time spent, retention, and in-world purchases, so there are a variety of different ways for creators to maximize their earnings."

Pinball FX VR Brings The Arcade Pastime Back To Quest This April

Pinball FX VR revamps the flatscreen game on Quest with a new environment, mixed reality support and more.

Developed by Zen Studios, Pinball FX VR notably differs from the original 2023 flatscreen game. It features a new environment, a mission-based campaign mode for unlocking new rewards, alongside activities like darts mini-games and interactive gadgets. Mixed reality mode lets you place virtual pinball machines across your play space, and online leaderboards are also supported. Here's the announcement trailer.

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Three tables will be available with the base game for $9.99: Pinball Noir, Curse of the Mummy, and Sky Pirates: Treasure of the Clouds.

Some DLC tables for the flatscreen version are coming to Quest like Williams Pinball tables, alongside themed options based on Indiana Jones, Battlestar Galactica, Xena, Star Trek, Knight Rider, The Addams Family, and Twilight Zone. More tables will follow “in the months after Pinball FX VR’s launch.”

Zen Studios has developed other VR iterations of its pinball games across the years, most notably with Star Wars Pinball VR and Pinball VR Classic (also known as Pinball FX2 VR). In our 2021 review, we considered the former to be “one of VR’s best pinball games” that we praised for fusing Star Wars and pinball into a “surprisingly robust package.”

Pinball FX VR reaches the wider Meta Quest platform on April 3.

Ashen Arrows Review: Good Shot But Could Aim A Little Higher

The early days of consumer VR were filled with wave shooters. Many such as Raw Data were fun, but few could offer anything beyond a scant couple of hours of entertainment. Ashen Arrows aims to breathe new life into this tired genre by integrating roguelike elements. Does it succeed in standing out in its field?

Ashen Arrows uses a Nordic mythological setting, putting the player in the role of a simple archer who has been recruited by the Gods. You'll face not only common foes like bandits and enemy warriors but also fierce mythical beasts across three main gameplay modes. Saga is the opening story campaign that also serves as a tutorial, Bastion is the core gameplay mode, and the Co-Op mode offers a three-player multiplayer option.

The Facts

What is it?: VR archery wave shooter with roguelike elements.
Platforms: Quest, Steam, Pico (reviewed on Quest 3)
Release Date: Out now
Developer: Rusty Pipe Games
Price: $17.99
Screenshot taken by UploadVR on Quest 3

Saga mode introduces you to the story, guiding you across gameplay by an
authoritative voice that's none other than Odin Allfather himself. This mode is helpful for beginners and provides a good introduction to the gameplay loop.

The voice acting and narration are excellent. There are a few moments of
anachronistic comments from Odin, such as him snarkily saying “Nice shot, Legolas” that make me think Ashen Arrows could have benefited from leaning into the absurdity a bit more. There is a nod in this direction with the upgrade chest, which has a voice that seems designed to be annoying, and the game actually encourages you to fire an arrow to shut it up.

The Norse legends were primarily told in an oral tradition, which made them grow
increasingly epic and ridiculous as they were retold. By the time those myths were written down, they had reached truly wild and wonderful proportions. Ashen Arrows could benefit from a stronger story that draws more on those legends, perhaps with some additional inspiration from the myth-based action shows of the 90s like Xena: Warrior Princess that likewise took an anachronistic and over-the-top approach.

Ashen Arrows screenshot shows a target range
Screenshot taken by UploadVR on Quest 3

Archery tends to work extremely well in VR, and Ashen Arrows is no exception. Bastion mode introduces a new twist to the standard wave shooter/tower defense setup by adding familiar roguelike elements. The maps are procedurally generated for greater variety. The player can select how many enemy waves they wish to face, from twenty on easy right up to sixty on hard.

As you progress through waves of enemies, you earn upgrade points used to enhance weapons, abilities, and defense. For example, you can get lighter arrows that travel further, or buy fortifications to protect yourself. These are randomized each time, encouraging flexibility that dovetails nicely with the random maps to provide plenty of replay value.

Visually, the game looks great. It uses a low-poly look that resembles something from the original PlayStation or SEGA Saturn but with all the crisp, sharp lines of modern technology. It does a surprisingly good job of creating an otherworldly feeling with its soaring snowy peaks, mysterious caves lit by bioluminescent mushrooms, and towering stone castles. The various maps you travel to provide numerous varied environments that keep things visually interesting.

The stripped-down feel of the graphics and flat textures also makes it easier to keep track of your shots, which is particularly important during some larger waves. It also shows how smooth the animations are.

Comfort

Ashen Arrows features several movement options to make things more comfortable. It includes options for teleport movement and snap turning, alongside the default for artificial stick-based movement and smooth camera control. The turn speed and dead zones can also be adjusted. There’s also a left-handed mode and a seated mode for further accessibility.

Shooting arrows is not the only thing you do in the game. Critters such as cats and foxes hang around, and I was utterly delighted when I discovered it was possible to pet them and get an adorable animation where they are surrounded by little hearts to indicate their enjoyment. There also seem to be plans for a fishing minigame, though this was not yet functional in the build I played.

Ashen Arrows screenshot shows an animal being petted with hearts appearing around it
Screenshot taken by UploadVR on Quest 3

Having engaged in a spot of archery myself in the past, I was interested to see how Ashen Arrows would match up with the real-life sport. Unsurprisingly, Ashen Arrows is nowhere near as strict about your arm placement as real archery is. However, taking the time to assume a proper archery stance, does actually improve your performance in the game. It's crafted well enough that if you miss a shot, it is solely your skill, and not any problem with hit detection or motion tracking.

There's a fun and absorbing challenge, and the combination of VR archery mechanics with a roguelike wave shooter is a great match. Like many other popular roguelikes, I found myself getting invested in creating a ludicrously overpowered build and then going absolutely ham on the enemies. Though the Gods are sometimes laughing at you when you cannot find that one upgrade you really want.

Ashen Arrows Review - Final Verdict

Ashen Arrows delivers a welcome blend of roguelike mechanics that adds replay value often missing from many VR shooters, offering a fresh and pleasing visual style with some great voice acting. If it could just ramp up the storyline and add in extra minigames, it could very well become a game I’d regularly come back to. It isn’t that Ashen Arrows feels incomplete, more that it needs a few extra bits to round it out and turn an enjoyable experience into a truly amazing one.


UploadVR uses a 5-Star rating system for our game reviews – you can read a breakdown of each star rating in our review guidelines.