This week, like many of the recent weeks, has great variety including a few standout small indie titles, but is once again missing any big hitters. There isn’t a lack of content on the Vive, but as a recent survey shows, there is a bit of a lack of truly compelling content. Hopefully some bigger titles release before the year’s out.
If you missed last week, you can see those new releases here. And don’t forget that UploadVR has a Steam community group, complete with a curated list of recommendations so that you don’t have to waste any money finding out what’s good in the world of VR.
We also have a top list of the absolute best HTC Vive games — which is updated every few months with the latest and greatest options.
Live in Color, from Atakote Studios
Price: $3.99
This is a creative expression VR application that’s designed specifically for children. That’s the intended demographic, but there is certainly enough going on here that it could be worth a look even if you’re not a kid anymore.
Recommendation: Fans of Tilt Brush and other creative applications may want to give this a look.
9Grids VR, from Klexian
Price: $1.99 (Currently Discounted)
Visually, 9Grids VR is quite unique. The muted tones and stylized graphics are certainly fun to look at. It’s a bit glitchy even though it’s supposed to be a full release, but updates are planned. Worth picking up cheaply and waiting until it’s more polished, perhaps.
Recommendation: Gameplay is like a grittier version of Fruit Ninja. Pretty shallow, though. Pass.
SaberSaw VR, from James Oliver
Price: $6.99 (Currently Discounted)
Slice stuff with your sabers that are also saws. That’s really all there is to say about this one. Visually, it’s not that impressive, and it’s in Early Access, but incoming updates don’t seem overly impressive.
Recommendation: Pass.
Fly to KUMA MAKER, from Colopl
Price: $6.99 (Currently Discounted)
This takes the underlying concept of the existing Fly to KUMA that already exists, adds some new modes, and lets you make your own levels finally. Frankly, it seems like this is now finally a more fully realized version of what the original game should have been.
Recommendation: If you ever liked Lemmings, give this a try. Lots of content.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfevyU4vV1I
JUST BAT (VR CRICKET,) from Shashitha Kularatna
Price: $12.99
Apparently the VR cricket game market is more hotly contested than I ever could have imaged, as this is now the second week in a row with a new VR cricket game appearing on Steam. This time, it seems to have lower production values, but is an overall better VR cricket experience if you were holding out.
Recommendation: Better than King of Spin, but still not great.
Robot Incursion, from Shashitha Kularatna
Price: $19.99 (Currently Discounted)
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: it’s a roomscale VR shooter for the HTC Vive in which you control guns with your motion-tracked controllers and fight off enemies. Single player. Inconsistent pacing. High price tag.
Recommendation: Been there, done that. Pass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DNaryN-Lwo
Fair Islands VR, from Lost Bra
Price: $9.99 (Currently Discounted)
Stop me if you’ve heard th-…Okay, just kidding this time, but not really. Amidst a sea of mini games and tech demos, Fair Islands VR bills itself as the “all-in-one mini-games bundle,” but that’s not true because that’s actually just the HTC Vive’s Steam selection itself.
Recommendation: Nothing new, just pass on this one.
Light VR, from MyDream Interactive
Price: $13.99 (Currently Discounted)
Light VR may have an ambiguous title, but it’s actually a pretty simple and clever concept. Take the idea behind VR desktop programs such as Envelop or Virtual Desktop, and add an entire virtual office space around it with more customization features. That’s essentially Light VR.
Recommendation: It’s in Early Access, might be worth waiting. Here’s more info from when we covered it pre-launch.
RollerForce, from Headtrip Games
Price: $4.99
RollerForce is the VR coaster experience you didn’t know you wanted. Conventional wisdom says VR coasters make you sick, but put two guns in your hand and launch you into space and you’ve got a recipe for a great time.
Recommendation: Buy this one, it’s quick and silly fun. Here’s our review to further convince you.
Found, from FoundVR
Price: Free
This game was actually created at the Upload Academy and you can read more about it at this link. In this short narrative experience, you’ll immersive yourself in a beautiful world full of wonder and mystery.
Recommendation: It’s free and fantastical to look at. Check this one out.
Out of Ammo, from RocketWerkz
Price: $19.99
Out of Ammo has been around for quite some time in Early Access, but it’s just now finally reached full release status. It’s a bit of a unique experience, featuring a blend of top-down strategy, with first-person gun gameplay, and even cooperative mission modes. The art style is simple, but the game packs a ton of fun content.
Recommendation: Buy it if you haven’t already.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcdE_zqmtSI
Adventurous Life VR, from JaudaLabs
Price: $19.99 (Currently Discounted)
There isn’t a whole lot to do here, as it’s mostly just an empty sandbox with a few items like a bow and sword. There is multiplayer, so you can hang out with people, but there are already way better ways to do that in a Vive with more actual content at a much lower price.
Recommendation: Pass.
Don’t Let Go, from Skydome Studios
Price: $2.99
A VR scare simulator. You hold a keyboard in both the real and virtual world while things shock and scare you in an attempt to make you let go. It does feel like this concept could be taken much further with position-tracked controls but, alas, no such support.
Recommendation: Cheap, but passable.
Reverence: The Ultimate Combat Experience, from Mantis Studio
Price: $14.99
This initially looked quite ambitious before you realize it’s a gamepad title. It’s a multiplayer medieval combat game played in both first and third person in which you’re apparently given complete control of your limbs. It’s in Early Access and VR isn’t required.
Recommendation: This one is a skip.
https://youtu.be/CZ9w87O6bdQ
Ballanced, from Brian King
Price: $4.99
First on Oculus Home, now on Steam, a ball balancing game in which you’ll have to guide a sphere through a series of treacherous courses. There are 24 different levels to navigate, which should prove quite tricky thanks to a mounting difficulty scale.
Recommendation: Hardly groundbreaking, but might be fun.
VRNinja, from OutOfBounds Software Solutions Inc
Price: $9.99
Train your reflexes with this simple but fun VR dodging game. Step into one of three immersive environments and duck and weave between incoming attacks. The game doesn’t require any kind of controller.
Recommendation: Forgettable fun, but priced a little too high.
ThrounnelVR, from Sunnyview
Price: $2.99
Tetris from up top. You stand looking at a wall far down a corridor from you. Blocks fall towards the surface and you have to correctly position them so as to clear out waves. Played with a keyboard and mouse, oddly enough.
Recommendation: Novel, but throwaway.
Thick Air, from People Gotta Play
Price: $9.99
What do the robots do when humanity is gone and Earth falls silent? Race of course. Thick air is sort of like a drone racing game where you’ll control miniature aircraft and speed them along open tracks. The game’s in Early Access right now and VR support feels like it might be quite sickly.
Recommendation: Only for those with a strong stomach.
Planet Smasher, from George Gilbert
Price: $3.99
This is a bit of a confusing puzzle game which sees you collide earths together. Eventually you make some sort of weird super planet.
Recommendation: Not entirely sure why this one is in VR, looks a bit unfinished.
