The Quest version of climbing game To The Top is now available via SideQuest and itch.io for around $15.
Electric Hat Games originally released To The Top in 2017 for PC VR, then moved to PSVR in 2018 and tried to release on Quest in 2019. The developers, however, weren’t able to make it onto Quest through the strict curation and approval process put in place by Facebook. With SideQuest, though, the developers found another avenue for distribution on the standalone headset.
The Quest version lacks the original game’s multiplayer features but still includes 35 levels with bonus content and a campaign the developers say can last more than six hours.
“It has been a tough time to release this title and finding the best route to make this happen wasn’t easy,” a prepared statement from Electric Hat Games explains. “We see SideQuest as a new avenue to help support independent VR developers make the games they want and push the bounds of what is possible.”
I played some of the game on my Quest and it definitely benefits from the wireless headset allowing you to turn your body more freely in 360 degrees. Some games like Superhot and Beat Saber are a bit more freeing on a wireless headset like Quest and To The Top falls in that category.
For those unfamiliar, SideQuest is the sideloading distribution platform started by Shane Harris last year after his own game failed to win Facebook’s approval. We’ve got a guide on how to sideload content on Oculus Quest as well as a list of some of the best content available via the system. The platform is now home to games like Pavlov Shack, Tea For God, Crisis Vrigade and a patched version of Virtual Desktop that allows Quest owners to play Steam games without a wire. Some hand tracking demos are also available on SideQuest offering people some experiments to test out with the new feature from Facebook.
I interviewed SideQuest creator Shane Harris in VR this week and he said there are more than 200,000 users of the service. He also detailed some of the strategy behind the service. Check out our interview below and you can download SideQuest here to check out To The Top.
