PREVIEW – Action, multiplayer, horror, music, stealth, platforms, narrative games… With an abundant and varied proposal, PlayStation VR continues to offer players virtual reality experiences until the end of the console cycle. And it has achieved with a series of games that will be added soon to the catalog that promise to be the most attractive to date.

PlayStation has mounted a whole room with its next games that will arrive for the virtual reality of PlayStation VR. An assortment of titles that seems very varied and that demonstrates the possibilities of VR in very different ways. From multiplayer action games like Firewall: Zero Hour based on its latest gadget, PlayStation Aim Controller , to horror games, through platforms, stealth and narrative experiences, including the suggestive FromSoftware video game, Déraciné. Only share one thing in common, is that the new batch games seem much more polished, from being a mere experience to offer more complete games and long hours in some cases. This highlights, for example, Blood & Truth, which works as a spiritual sequel to that London Heist, but now offering a long and varied game instead of a demonstration of the possibilities of virtual reality.

We went through the event to test them and tell you our first impressions with each of them, leaving us clear that Sony seeks to offer an experience that satisfies each type of player while maintaining the commitment to expand the catalogue of virtual reality games for PS VR facing the next years. In the event, in addition, a new initiative for education has been presented by Alejandra López-Baisson, president of the 3M Foundation, who through a scientific dissemination project will help students of 1st and 2nd ESO to generate vocations in the STEM disciplines. The presented games of PS4 for PlayStation VR are:

Transference (SpecterVision, Fall 2018)

Ubisoft has teamed up with SpectreVision, a company co-created by actor Elijah Wood, to continue his journey through virtual reality. On this occasion, we will follow the path of a father tormented by his last scientific experiment, capable of transferring himself to other consciousnesses through digital simulations. Like several members of his family, we will have to find out the truth in this psychological thriller that allows us to navigate through different corrupt realities, which we will have to adjust until we solve the mystery. The setting, freedom of movement and the possibility of even playing without VR make it very attractive.

Firewall: Zero Hour (First Contact Entertainment, August 29, 2018)

The best way to understand the concept of Firewall: Zero Hour is to see it as a kind of Rainbow Six: Siege in virtual reality. There is no single player campaign, only four against four, in which cooperation is fundamental. There is a training mode for one player and another in cooperative, but the star mode, Contract Mode, urges us to fight against another team of real players to show who has more skill, tactics and aim. For this last, the PlayStation Aim Controller is an extra incentive, thanks to its precision and handling. Of course, unlike Farpoint, here the movement is completely free, and despite the attractiveness of this, it is also more prone to cause dizziness.

The Persistence (Firesprite, July 24, 2018)

As if the survival horror genre was not terrifying enough, seeing it through virtual reality takes on a new dimension. Games like Resident Evil 7 so testify, and now it is the turn of this The Persistence, which aims to mix the two variants of the genre, such as stealth and action. So, we can try to catch the various creatures that populate this gigantic spaceship unprepared, but if things get ugly, we will always have a weapon to defend ourselves with. In the role of a clone of the security guard Zimri Eder, death will not be a problem per se, because each time we die we can resurrect like a new clone, also inspired by the mechanics of a roguelike.

Astro Bot Rescue Mission (Japan Studio Asobi! Team, release date is unknown)

Astro Bot: Rescue Mission is a nice and colorful platform game that does not hide its clear inspiration in Super Mario, but without forgetting its virtual reality game condition. With a system of fixed cameras like Lucky’s Tale, the game offers us to overcome all the obstacles while we discover their innumerable secrets. For this we will have to use the possibility of looking around with the PlayStation VR to discover more portion of the stage than if we keep our eyes fixed on the action. Thanks to this fixed system and the control with a traditional command, it is a very comfortable title to play and that gives variety to the traditional catalog of the platform, which is not satisfied with being the only proposal of the genre, but shows levels very well designed.

Blood and Truth (London Studio, release date is unknown)

With the announcement of PlayStation VR, the London Studio captivated us with that London Heist that showed perfectly how to transfer an action experience to virtual reality, but when it came in the form of experience in VR World, the game seemed more a demonstration than something complete And that finish is precisely what Blood & Truth has sought to recover the same style, the possibility of using the PS Move for much more than handling a weapon and where all our movements have to resemble reality. To move through the levels without the possibility of dizziness is supported by a system of advance through covers that makes transitions more comfortable without resorting to hated teleportation. It is interesting, because all the actions, such as saving and removing the weapon or recharging, are done directly with our movements.

Déraciné (FromSoftware, release date is unknown)

FromSoftware surprised at E3 with a title dedicated to virtual reality that changes radically with the games that we are used to. Déraciné is practically a graphic adventure in which to investigate a school, embodying a spirit invoked by a young girl. Their puzzles urge us to investigate certain scenes and find the key to continue the story, in a fairly classic structure of narrative games for virtual reality. Now only remains to discover if it really has something to do with his previous work, especially with Bloodborne, that’s why the vials we collect and the type of stage and costumes of its protagonists. What has been seen so far leaves us some reservations, although it is noted that we will have to wait for the full version to draw conclusions. It is directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki himself.

Beat Saber (Hiper Magnetism, release date is unknown)

Rhythm games never go out of style, and this Beat Saber demonstrates that it is born from a basic premise to create an experience as simple as effective. With the two PS Move we will fulfil the dream of having two lightsabers in our hands (one red Sith and another blue Jedi), but that ends the similarity with Star Wars, because the approach leads us to destroy a series of arrows that go approaching in different positions to the rhythm of the music. The different inclinations and places where the pieces can appear create a dizzying combination that will require reflections and coordination. Simple, but addictive.

Tetris Effect (Resonair, end of 2018)

Throughout the history of videogames, an attempt has been made to reformulate the mechanics of Tetris in dozens of different ways. Everything has been seen, from taking the formula to 3D, to another perspective, combining it with other genres … It would not be strange for VR to create its own, right? And yet, Tetris Effect is one of the most classic versions of the formula. At least in the playable, because behind him is Tetsuya Mizuguchi and with him, there is always something special. In this case, his rhythmic mixing of pieces with music is what really makes him stand out, and much, on the rest of the proposals based on Pajitnov’s work. The musical notes are coupled to each of your movements, to rotate or square the piece, and to make a line, so the game urges you to follow a certain internal rhythm. When your movements do not match the song, they do not sound or sound out of tune, but you value going to the music, if only for the sheer pleasure of doing it. Why Tetris Effect? For being based on the theory of seeing pieces in your mind after playing Tetris for a long time. The PlayStation VR will not be necessary, but with them we will further enhance this “effect”.

Track Lab (Little Chicken Game Company, August 22, 2018)

Music has always been linked to video games and there have been few titles that have offered us the possibility to create our own songs and rhythms while we play along the way. This is precisely what Track Lab does, which proposes a virtual environment in which to create in a very visual way different rhythms, passing the tone through different artifacts to create variations. And once we have everything ready, we can go directly to the DJ’s table to remix the track and alter the bass and treble to create an electronic piece of very high quality, if we give the necessary time.

Dark Eclipse (Sunsoft, release date is unknown)

Although for many unknown, Sunsoft has all the history of the game in action, creating jewellery as classic as Batman NES or Blaster Master. Therefore, it is more than striking to see them working on the first MOBA for virtual reality, which aims to change the rules of the game, using your own peripheral vision and PS Move to give orders to your unit. The truth is that the idea is quite ambitious and the result, at least, uncertain, since the MOBA is characterized by the need to perform quick actions to gain an advantage to the opponent. Even so, it will be necessary to give more time to see how it evolves in the multiplayer games.

Intruders: Hide and seek (Tessera Studios, release date is unknown)

Do not be fooled by the first peaceful appearance of the game, as what Intruders proposes: Hide & Seek, one of the PlayStation Talents games that we have been able to try, is much more terrifying. We are a 12-year-old boy who lives in a mansion with his parents. But one night a band of kidnappers enters and captures our family. The good thing is that they do not know that we are there, so our mission will be to use stealth and move around the house to try to free our family. A very interesting idea that won the award for the “Best University Project” of Fun & Serious 2016.

Anyone’s Diary (World Domination Project, release date is unknown)

The other PlayStation Talents game is Anyone’s Diary, an original title that takes us to a world in which three-dimensional environments are mixed with scenes created with cut-out paper. Both his artistic and musical style present a melancholic atmosphere that introduces us into Anyone’s diary while navigating through his internal problems and conflicts. We will do it through a platform game mechanics and puzzles to discover the full personality of this curious being.