Though Halloween has passed, the horror games continue to come and will likely continue for a long while on the HTC Vive. We also had an influx of early access tower defense games and the most impressive of them blends the two genres. One of the Last is a zombie-riddled tower defense that shows a lot of promise in its early stages and could be a heavy hitter when it releases in full. Don’t overlook The Diner Duo either. It’s one of the most ilonteresting casual games we’ve seen thus far. This week also includes the release of an intriguing social VR application called VRCapture, an easy way to record your VR gameplay and footage to edit and share with friends.
In the meantime, 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.
Robosports VR, from Babeltime
Price: Free-to-play
In Robosports, jump into the arena and choose from a collection of events to participate in. The first available (game is currently in early access) is a form of dodgeball that’ll put your cardio to test.
Recommendation: Already looks solid and future updates could be interesting. Plus, it’s free.
Doritos VR Battle, from Capitola VR
Price: $2.99
Doritos VR Battle is a heavily stylized adventure where you glide through a dark world and collect as many Doritos as you can. A simple FPS with leaderboards.
Recommendation: Though it’s easy to write off branded content like this, it actually makes solid use of HTC Vive gear. Grab it.
Lifeliqe VR Museum, from Lifeliqe, Inc.
Price: Free-to-play
This free educational experience allows players to explore the human body, interact with dinosaurs, and explore prehistoric settlements. The UI also offers detailed information on the things you encounter
Recommendation: Definitely give it a go. May learn something new.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSRaJNTF7cg
MagixHome VR, from SKYOPT
Price: Free-to-play
MagixHome is an interior design experiment that allows you to cycle through furniture, furniture materials, and wall decor while rearranging things to your liking.
Recommendation: Visually striking and could inspire partnerships with furniture companies in the future.
Lord Darydikilkil, from GaelDK, Fabien Spiess, Antoine Rigitano, Serge Sentis, Nicolas Billon
Price: $1.99
This game takes its inspiration from Tim Burton films and the darker humor of video games like MediEvil. There’s a variance of play modes, including endless runner and action adventure, with a narrated story mode connecting them.
Recommendation: Seems incredibly disjointed, but has a unique style and flair. It’s cheap, consider checking it out.
Fancy Tangram VR, from Kazakhstan, AS at The GrandTech
Price: $0.99
Fancy Tangram brings a classic Chinese game to life in VR. Tangram is a geometric puzzle consisting of a square cut into seven pieces and Fancy Tangram has over 40 levels dedicated to the challenge.
Recommendation: Inexpensive and intriguing. Grab it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KowxP-oLvwA
MegaRats. From Red Frizbee Studios
Price: $19.99
This title mixes up 3rd-person adventure with 1st-person shooting in an apocalyptic city showdown.
Recommendation: Not much rhyme or reason to the project right now, but multiplayer is planned. Keep an eye on it as it evolves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg4cCsZzfUc
Staircase of Darkness: VR, from bcInteractive
Price: $3.74 (Currently Discounted)
You’re dropped at the top of a staircase with no light outside of your own flashlight and no idea how far down the exit is…do you have the guts to make it? Staircase of Darkness is an experimental horror title with a seemingly simple premise.
Recommendation: Inexpensive thrill for you and friends.
VRMark, from Futuremark
Price: $14.99 (Currently Discounted)
Is your PC VR-ready? VRMark is a more rigorous test than the text-based option from Oculus and, even in its free version, can show you how many frames are dropped during tests. The advanced version has a few additional features we covered here.
Recommendation: At the least, grab the free version to test your rig. If you’re shooting for more intense VR play, grab the full version.
VRCapture, from XR Team
Price: Free
With VR becoming more and more popular, users will seek out ways to be social and share their experiences. VRCapture embraces that idea and provides a free tool to record your VR footage, edit them, and share.
Recommendation: You should definitely try it.
One of the Last, from Deep Voodoo Gaming
Price: $12.99
You’re not tired of zombies yet, right? Good. One of the Last drops you into a tower defense experience riddled with puzzles as zombies slowly close in around you. Also has a dedicated story mode and 4-player action.
Recommendation: Has a few issues to work out but, even in early access, it’s impressive.
God of Arrows VR, from Reactor Entertainment
Price: $7.99
In this early access tower defense, you face off against 8 different enemy types with your trusty bow. You’ll have to teleport to different towers as the enemy movement paths vary and utilize 4 different elemental arrows.
Recommendation: Not a bad pickup if you don’t already have a solid bow & arrow or tower defense game you’re in love with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od3O2FRGi2A
Willi’s Haunted Hayride, from John Palmer & Jacob Vestergaard
Price: $2.99
Grab your flashlight and hold tight during this haunting hayride through a countryside.
Recommendation: Pass
Warpin: Creation (VR), from Matthew Finitz
Price: $19.99
Recruited by an unknown entity, you’re tossed into the fragmented dimensions between worlds and tasked with purging them of their flaws. You’ll use weapons from different worlds and times, using magic and technology to take on enemies.
Recommendation: Another fairly impressive title that’s still in early access. Grab it.
Siege Hammer, from MyDream Interactive, Inc.
Price: $10.04 (Currently Discounted)
As the tiny, armor-clad protagonist Blip, players engage in an intimate game of tower defense. You’re able to set up your turrets and react as invaders maneuver through a maze you explore on its outer rim. The game is 100% gaze-based gameplay.
Recommendation: It isn’t even the best looking tower defense game of today’s list alone, but is different and casual. On the fence with this one.
VR The Diner Duo, from Whirlybird Games
Price: $11.99 (Currently Discounted)
In VR The Diner Duo, you’re a chef preparing your customer’s orders as quickly as possible. There are 14 recipes to master, 30 levels of difficulty, and asymmetrical multiplayer where a friend can take the food to the patrons as you prepare it.
Recommendation: One of the coolest looking casual experiences in VR thus far.
Whack a Vote: Hammering the Polls, from Subreality Studios LLC.
Price: Free-to-play
Before you turn in your vote this year, jump into the virtual voting booth and exercise your rights. Hit the slot machine to get some funds from the IRS and Federal Reserve to power the Whack-A-Vote machine.
Recommendation: Gotta be more fun than the real thing this year, yeah?
ShotForge, from Alix
Price: Free
Dive into this sandbox, choose from a ton of parts, and create the coolest gun you can come up with in ShotForge.
Recommendation: A wonderful, fun, and free way to burn some time.
3DSunshine, from Vain Media LLC
Price: Free
3DSunshine lets players, utilizing the intuitive and precise controls of VR, create worlds block by block and put them into some of our favorite games.
Recommendation: Currently only Minecraft works with the program but the developers are working on GTAV and more soon. Grab it if you’re into that type of thing.
The Journey, from Mugurel-Adrian Enache & Diana Marin
Price: $7.19 (Currently Discounted)
VR affords us interesting and immersive experiences like no other and The Journey is using the medium to give us an intimate virtual tour of the human body. You’ll search for clues and solve clues as you search throughout of the last known human specimen in that world.
Recommendation: New age Magic School Bus? Sign up.
Project Syria, from Emblematic Group
Price: Free-to-play
Project Syria is a project that was developed back in 2013 and is now being released on consumer VR. Commissioned by the World Economic Forum, this work of immersive journalism aims to inform us about the plight of those living in Syria.
Recommendation: A welcomed change of perspective you can get for free.
Above – VR, from Sachonski, Renato Milanesi, and Sith
Price: $2.59 (Currently discounted)
As an astronaut stranded in space, Above lets us experience the final moments as you look at Earth from this unique perspective and take it all in.
Recommendation: Neat and functional way to demo VR with a cool setting.
House of the Dying Sun, from Marauder Interactive, LLC
Price: $17.99 (Currently discounted)
From the cockpit of your Executor Mk II, take control of this tactical space shooter and hunt the enemies of the Empire. Upgrade your fighter and command other fighters in your fleet as you work toward your goals.
Recommendation: A short experience but a lot of fun. A must have for space shooter fans yearning for single player content.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc-9eqz_HHc
TheWave, from The Wave VR Inc.
Price: Free-to-play
Turn yourself into a virtual DJ and create music in a digital venue. You manipulate music with the motion controls and perform a full DJ set.
Recommendation: A free game that may legitimately produce a new sub-culture. Check it.
Breakroom, from MURE VR
Price: $7.99 (Currently discounted)
With Breakroom, you can turn your VR headset into a multi-monitor unit. Essentially, use it to multi-task in various applications using Windows.
Recommendation: Only worth it if you need a VR virtual desktop. Has a few bugs to work out over time. Bigscreen is already free, though.
Kitten Cannon, from Chris Gallello & Sasha Alexandra
Price: Free
The official description for this game puts it plainly: “Pick up kitty. Pet kitty. Load kitty into cannon. Fire kitty. Amaze”. Load the cute exploding critters into the cannon and fire them at flying horses.
Recommendation: It’s free, it’s fun, and there are kittens. Come on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2_9qrXO900
VR RunningJoe, from ELIOT
Price: $4.99
In this endless runner (driver?) you propel Joe through fantastic worlds as you collect coins and diamonds to add to your high score.
Recommendation: Very pretty endless runner, but only one track. Keep that in mind when buying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7H0Fffj_ZU
Unforgiven: Missing Memories – Child’s Play, from Default Interactive, Broken Dreams and Webb 3D
Price: $10.99
Wouldn’t be an HTC Vive roundup without an escape the room experience and that’s just what Unforgiven is. This particular one drops you into a setting thick with the a family’s emotional trauma as you search for hidden clues and solve puzzles.
Recommendation: Well designed and very pretty. A must for those into escape the room games, if it’s not outside your budget.
Abode, from Overflow
Price: $8.99 (Currently discounted)
This escape the room experience takes you to a futuristic, sci-fi noir apartment. Engage in the usual inspection and puzzle solving of the genre but in a more interesting setting.
Recommendation: Not overly challenging, but fun and it uses a unique setting.
Grave VR, from Broken Window Studios, LLC
Price: $19.99
GraveVR is a psychological horror title where you must utilize light in different forms to protect yourself against an assortment of monsters.
Recommendation: Grab it on a sale.
Draconic Order VR, from Seek n Destroy Studios
Price: $16.99 (Currently discounted)
This RPG survival game tasks you with gather resources, fighting creatures, and finding tomes written in different languages to learn spells.
Recommendation: Currently only the prologue chapter is available. Intriguing early access game to keep an eye on, but don’t dive in just yet.
Nightfall: Eclipse VR, from Zeenoh, 7 Seals
Price: $6.29 (Currently discounted)
Eclipse in an add-on for Nightfall: Escape, a game that puts you in control of a field journalist who stumbles into a nightmare while researching odd disappearances. Eclipse switches the perspective to a news crew that disappeared, which is one of the events the original journalist was investigating.
Recommendation: Interesting premise at a good price, but be ready for some shoddy voice acting.
