Summer Game Bang: PlayStation VR Spotlight
Written by Will Schulz
Another day, another round of video game news here at the Mega Dads Summer Game Bang! Today, PlayStation has seen fit to share information about seven upcoming PSVR games and NOTHING ELSE. No next-generation PSVR news today, gang. But that’s ok! Video games are frequently cool enough to stand on their own, and these games are more than cool enough to keep my attention. Sony's got a little bit of everything coming down the pipe from stealth games, to puzzle games, and, of course, shooters. Let’s take a look at what we’ll be playing on PlayStation VR in the near future (provided you’re cool enough to own a PlayStation VR, that is).
Arashi: Castles of Sin
The first game out of the gate is Arashi: Castles of Sin from Endeavor One. Arashi is a stealth action game that takes place in feudal Japan. Players assume the role of Kenshiro, an elite shinobi who is the last of his clan. Kenshiro can sneak through grass, use grappling hooks, and more to sneak around enemy encampments before taking out his foes with his bow, surprise sword strikes, shurikens, and more. Don’t fret if you’re discovered, Kenshiro is just as deadly in open combat as he is in the shadows. Accompanied by his faithful wolf companion, Haru (who you can totally pet), Kenshiro will embark on his bloody quest for vengeance this summer.
Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey
Everyone’s favorite color-matching puzzle game on that multi-game arcade machine at Pizza Hut returns with Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey. In typical Puzzle Bobble fashion, players will be confronted with a large mass of colorful orbs that they will then shoot more obs at in an effort to make matches and pop orbs until there’s nothing left. Shots can either be taken directly, or players can use the environment to bank shots onto the back side of the mass of orbs. The orb cluster will rotate and spin in response to matches, making for a very satisfying effect. Don’t worry too much about the rotation keeping you from setting up combos, the ability to manually rotate the puzzle was shown in the announcement trailer.
Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey will feature a variety of modes, including a 1v1 Duel mode, when it comes to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation VR later this year.
After the Fall
20 years after the apocalypse, Los Angeles looks very different. After the Fall takes place in a frozen version of the City of Angels populated with zombies called the Snowbreed. It’s up to you and three of your friends (or three strangers, no judgment) to fight back the hordes long enough to grab the resources needed to keep the final vestiges of humanity going just a little longer. You’ll need to fight together and make the most of your arsenal of weapons and teamwork abilities to make it out alive. The Snowbreed will viciously attack in large packs, often supported by even more aggressive, mutated zombies. After the Fall is coming to PC and PSVR, and will feature cross-platform multiplayer.
Winds & Leaves
Next up, we got a look at Winds & Leaves by Trebuchet. Players assume the role of The Gardener, the last member of an ancient civilization. The world you find yourself in is barren, ruined by catastrophe. It’s up to you to plant and nurse vegetation across this desolate landscape to restore the land to its former glory. The Gardener depends on their plants just as much as the plants depend on them, however, as The Gardener will only be able to move so far away from the forests before being dragged back.
Special devices will help you in your tasks as The Gardener. One such device will distill the energy of the forests into a more portable form, giving you a (slightly) longer leash to explore the world outside of your forests. Speaking of forests, those tend to take quite a while to grow, don’t they? Fortunately, The Gardener is equipped with a Time Mill that speeds up the passage of time in localised areas. You’ll be able to watch the trees you plant grow before your very eyes.
Complex systems of plant hybridization and natural biomes will keep The Gardener’s task from becoming repetitive. Players will need to breed new varieties of plants to survive in various environments as they scour the world for ancient ruins containing clues about how to keep the world from succumbing to another catastrophe. The Gardener’s quest begins on July 27.
Wanderer
The planet has been reclaimed by nature, the world you know and love is gone. There’s only one logical way to deal with this harsh reality: go back in time and make some adjustments. That’s the premise of M Theory and Oddboy’s Wanderer. Players will experience a wide variety of time periods and meet an even wider cast of characters as they pull at the fabric of space and time in an effort to change the future. Wanderer will have players take part in ancient ceremonies, send coded messages in war time, and more to cooperate with significant historical figures. You can also play with an RC car on the moon and play the drums at a major outdoor concert that is definitely NOT Woodstock (wink wink), so it’s not all “fate of the world” stuff. Wanderer will be released this summer.
Fracked
Do you wish there was a VR game made for those of us with stomachs of steel? A game that doesn’t dabble in teleportation, but instead lets you run at full speed in the direction of your choice? Fracked may very well be the VR experience you’ve been waiting for. Developer nDreams has worked hard to keep the movement and overall pacing of Fracked at a blistering pace. Movement is as simple as pointing one of your PS Move controllers, leaving you free to focus on firing with your other hand. Fracked promises interactive environments with plenty of verticality to explore as you run and gun like a hero straight out of an action movie. Do you have what it takes? Find out when Fracked launches this summer, exclusively on PlayStation VR.
Sniper Elite VR
Sometimes you want to experience what it’s like to be a grandfather in VR. To sit in the sun, watch your family play, and have a sandwich. Oh, sorry, that’s just a framing device for Sniper Elite VR. Sniper Elite VR is, as one would expect, a game about shooting people, preferably at a long distance. Leaning into the inherent immersion of VR gameplay, Sniper Elite VR will support the PlayStation VR Aim Controller, really selling that feeling of holding a sniper rifle (or at least something vaguely shaped like a sniper rifle). The more common Move controllers will also be supported, allowing for two-handed reloading actions or just dual-wielding pistols when things get hairy. Sniper Elite VR promises unrestricted exploration across its levels, with a variety of movement methods from teleportation to free analog movement. The X-Ray cam, a staple of the Sniper Elite series that allows you to watch your bullets fracture skulls and explode testicles, will be present in the VR title as well, though exactly how isn’t clear yet. Guess we’ll just have to find out when we take our first nut shots on July 8th.
...aaaand we’re done! Hoo boy, that was a lot of virtual reality gaming. It’s encouraging to see Sony putting this much effort and time into VR again, especially with a new PSVR on the way. There’s something for everyone in today’s batch of announcements, but which one is your favorite? Is it Puzzle Bobble 3D? My favorite is Puzzle Bobble 3D.