VR is going to help the world in a lot of ways, but I never thought it would be able to teach people new skills. That is until I heard about Fairvalley.
This upcoming title from indie developer Dual Good is on its way to both the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift with support for the Oculus Touch position-tracked controllers on the latter. It’s a fairground-inspired experience in which players can explore a virtual amusement park and take part in different mini-games. It’s also a multiplayer piece in which you can hang out with friends and relax as you throw darts or shoot hoops. Perhaps the most intriguing thing about Fairvalley, though, is that it will teach you to juggle.
https://youtu.be/OG9r7rvXAh0
The developer’s Morgan Page and Anna Stoilova revealed as much in a recent Made With Unity blog post. Juggling can be pretty tricky to get the hang of, but in VR Dual Good slows down the speed of the balls being thrown, allowing you to get to grips with the necessary motions. It also makes catching easier and lets you start over just as soon as you’ve dropped a ball, making the learning process much more streamlined. With enough practice, you can really see how this would help someone learn to juggle in real life as well as the virtual one.
That’s not all Dual Good are preparing for Fairvalley; the studio is also working on a rifle shooting range with an environmentally friendly message. While the team initially had players shooting fake animals, the game was eventually changed so that they will instead protect the habitants of the Arctic, Amazon forest, and African Savannah from the dangers of global warming and more. The idea is to create an experience that, while fun on a purely mechanical level, packs ideas that promote a better world. That’s something I can get on board with.
Fairvalley is due for release this summer, which I’d guess would mean a Vive launch first with the Oculus Touch version arriving later down the line when the kit releases. I’m eager to see what else Dual Good has in store for the game.
