VR Gaming

50 Days of PS VR #46: Tumble VR

, & Jamie Feltham

28 August 2016

46 days to go! We’re counting down to the release of PlayStation VR on October 13th by highlighting one game a day for the anticipated headset. Today we’re stacking our blocks with a steady hand in Supermassive Games’ Tumble VR.

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PlayStation Move’s library of games isn’t too fondly remembered. There were a handful of titles that faired better than most, however, including one from Until Dawn developer, Supermassive Games. Its name was Tumble and it served as a simple, effective demonstration of the accuracy of Move’s position-tracked controls, getting players to stack blocks and form a tower without accidentally toppling it to the ground.

A VR version of Tumble just makes too much sense… which is probably why it’s happening. Supermassive is returning to the title for PlayStation VR, bringing all of the original content into the virtual realm along with new challenges that take advantage of the new platform.

Admittedly, Tumble VR might not sound like the most exciting game on paper. It doesn’t have the intense action of an EVE: Valkyrie or the enticing narrative of something like The Assembly. What it does have, however, is a set of rock solid physics that make for a fun Jenga-like title ideal for introducing less tech-savvy people to the world of VR. This is the type of game you’ll want to consider as a potential showcase for your new hardware to go alongside all your story-driven adventures and multiplayer matches.

The game presents you with a number of different challenges which you’ll have to solve using a set supply of blocks, usually by stacking them on top of each other. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not necessarily. Tumble VR can quickly becoming a game about perfect positioning in which slight mistakes can end in disaster. Think of it like a videogame version of Operation, and the tension drummed up by not trying to touch the sides.

Of course, with that build up must also come the fall, and Tumble VR lives up to its name here. Watching towers topple in VR is going to be a lot of fun, given the sense of scale that technology provides.

There are other kinds of game modes too; the trailer above shows a trial in which the player creates a sort of bridge using different blocks, allowing an item to roll from one side to the other. Some of these will be brand new challenges, so even those that have already been through the original experience should have something to look forward too.

Tumble VR also simply benefits in the transition from PlayStation 3 to 4; while the Move controller is supported you can also simply utilize the position-tracked controls on the standard DualShock 4 gamepad. The controller is even replicated within VR to help you truly get lost in the experience.

Arguably the best thing about the game, however, is its price. While a US tag hasn’t been revealed, in the UK Tumble VR can already be pre-ordered from the PlayStation Store for a measly £7.99 (which works out to $10.49). That easily makes it one of the cheapest PS VR launch titles and should make it well worth your consideration.

Tumble VR is due to launch alongside PlayStation VR on October 13th.