It was only a matter of time before the VR game bundles started and it looks like IndieGala is one of the first curators on the case. By combining multiple games together for one low price, it incentivizes mass purchases and a healthy split of revenue for all of the game developers involved. The way bundle sites like this, and most popularly, Humble Bundle, work is they give you options of different tiers of purchasing categories.
In the case of the IndieGala VR Bundle, you have two options. You can pay at least $1.00 to receive three specific games, or pay $3 or more to receive those same 3 games, plus 7 more games. Sometimes prices will change as time goes on for the bundle – such as going up in price, in an attempt to get early adopters in as soon as possible – and sometimes bundles will open up new tiers or expand existing tiers. For this bundle, many of these games are unclear on their Steam pages regarding exactly which headsets they support, but we’ll do our best to define that where possible. Many of these games are also playable in non-VR modes.
Now that you understand how it works, let’s take a look at which games you can get for that pocket change you found in your couch cushions.
Pay at Least $1 to Receive:
Heaven Island – VR MMO
User Reviews: Mixed, Normal Price: $0.99
In what is clearly designed to be a slow-paced and atmospheric experience, Heaven Island – VR MMO is hardly the most intense offering in the bundle. When you purchase the bundle, you’ll also receive the soundtrack which is nice, but since this is an MMO, the community is just as important as the game itself. Sitting with overwhelmingly mixed reviews, it doesn’t seem like the real star of this bundle. But since the base game is typically only $1, it was never meant to be. At the very least, some of the environments are nice to look at and peaceful to explore in VR. Headset support is unclear but the description states: “Oculus VR, Gear VR and (soon) the Steam Vive VR.”
Dungeon Hero
User Reviews: Mixed, Normal Price: $6.99
First-person dungeon crawlers seem to be making a bit of a comeback lately. And now with the advent of VR technology, first-person adventures are even more popular. Dungeon Hero, like its name suggests, has your crawling dungeons and fighting baddies and while the inclusion of VR support is a novel addition, it’s not a very impressive game standing on its own. But when you can get it for so cheap in this bundle, does it really need to be? Headset support is listed as Oculus Rift DK2.
Doorways Chapters 1-3 Collection
User Reviews: Mixed, Normal Price: $15.99
This wouldn’t be a very adequate VR bundle without at least one horror game. The Doorways Chapters 1-3 Collection is the best piece of this $1 tier from a pure dollar value perspective and it may very well be one of the best games in the entire bundle, for what it’s worth. It’s visually pretty with great use of lighting and shadows to set the appropriately spooky mood. You’ll also get access to 3 episodes of the game, providing plenty of content. The only downside is that headset support is only listed as “native Oculus Rift support” and there’s an image of the Oculus Rift DK1 – it’s unclear whether the DK2, CV1, or Vive are supported.
Pay at Least $3 to ALSO Receive:
Nighttime Terror VR: Dessert Defender
User Reviews: Positive, Normal Price: $9.99
This is probably the best game in the entire bundle. Nighttime Terror VR: Dessert Defender is an expanded version of the Proto Award 2015 Award winning Nighttime Terror and requires a VR headset to play, listing both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive as officially supported. It was specifically designed for standing or room scale VR experiences. You’ll be tasked with defending your desserts from dastardly creatures in this unique twist on the tower defense genre. They’ve even put together a great mixed reality trailer showing off the game, which you can watch above. As long as you pay $3, you’re essentially getting this game for a third of the price, plus 9 other games. That’s worth it in my book.
Spells ‘n’ Stuff
User Revies: Mixed, Normal Price: $10.99
Let’s be honest and just say that there aren’t a whole lot of multiplayer VR games out there yet, especially for the Vive. Luckily Spells ‘n’ Stuff is there to scratch that itch a bit longer, even if it’s a pretty simple concept. Essentially, you’re a wizard that shoots spells at other wizards in arena-style combat. Luckily, since it was designed specifically for room scale on the HTC Vive (a VR headset is required here as well,) it can get pretty intense and fun. There are 5 different maps, you teleport by throwing potions onto the ground and shoot your wand with your other hand. Since this game is part of this bundle, that should hopefully mean hundreds, if not thousands, of new players will soon be funneled into the mayhem. Since it’s early access, expect lots of updates in the short and long term.
Tea Party Simulator
User Reviews: Mostly Positive, Normal Price: $9.99
We’ve officially reached that point in the human race where a “simulator” or “tycoon” game likely exists for the vast majority of things you can think of. While Tea Party Simulator is nowhere near as polished or refined as the Vive-bundle Job Simulator title from Owlchemy Labs, it does offer a similar degree of silly fun. There’s not much else to say here – it’s a fun game to play for a bit and show to friends for a good laugh, however, it does not support motion controllers at the moment, meaning much of the novelty of playing Job Simulator will be lost. Headset support is listed as Oculus Rift DK2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CrV9gfZEvM
CAT Interstellar
User Reviews: Mostly Positive, Normal Price: $3.99
CAT Interstellar is one of the more unique experiences on display in this bundle. It’s an early access short story about humanity’s attempt to terraform Mars. What makes it so special though, is just how polished it looks in this early state. Don’t get me wrong – it’s extremely short, despite recent updates – but what’s there has a ton of potential. In particular, the developer has a clever mission of attempting to bring the “science” back to science fiction and I’m on board for where this story goes next. Headset support is listed as Oculus Rift only.
Reflections
User Reviews: Positive, Normal Price: $9.99
This bundle may not feature a lot of VR games the majority of people know about, but it does feature a fantastic level of variety. With Reflections, you’ve got a lot that you won’t find anywhere else. For one thing, the world finds its color based on what you choose to interact with – this is its way of letting you know its part of your character’s memories, and as a result, alters the course of the narrative. It’s won lots of awards, for good reason, and is a great narrative adventure game in its current early access state with Oculus Rift DK2 support.
Gon’ E-Choo!
User Reviews: Very Positive, Normal Price: $1.99
Here’s a game that makes sense to have official Oculus Rift CV1 support simply because it just feels appropriate. By and large Gon’ E-Choo (say it out loud and the name makes sense when you watch the trailer) is just a simplistic arcade-style platformer, but since it’s played from the first-person POV of a user at an actual arcade, it just feels more accurate to be inside VR rather than outside VR. That’s about it, the game is pretty decent, it nails the aesthetic perfectly, and is a decent compromise until NewRetroArcade: Neon releases.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wItNUHKtYe4
DREAMFLIGHT VR
User Reviews: Mixed, Normal Price: $4.99
Unfortunately, DREAMFLIGHT VR is one of the least-recommended experiences out of this bundle, which leaves us ending on a bit of a low note. On the surface, it appears to be similar to Ubisoft’s upcoming Eagle Flight, until you look more closely and notice the ugly textures. There’s nothing wrong with lower quality visuals, but it just doesn’t fit this game stylistically. There isn’t much to do or see, especially for a game that requires a VR headset to play, although it only lists Oculus Rift DK2 support. As one of the user reviews states, “There are much better demos for free,” but if you’re getting this bundle, you might as well give it a shot and see what you think!
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Overall, this is a decent first VR game bundle. It doesn’t have any big-budget heavy hitters, but it has a great deal of variety and pretty solid bang for your buck. For just $3 you get 10 games that total in $75 of content.
