PSVR LAUNCH PICKS
REZ I NFINITE Developer Monstars, Enhance Games Publisher Enhance Games
The “ultimate version” of Rez offers the opportunity to witness Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s beguiling world as he originally envisioned it: a surreally beautiful technological space that engulfs the player entirely. And as well as the chance to revisit Rez’s classic levels, Infinite introduces Area X, which frees players from the original game’s invisible rails and lets you explore an expansive, enemy-strewn zone which, according to Mizuguchi, represents what the game might have looked like were he not forced to cram it into the constraints of a 2D screen.
BATMAN ARKHAM VR Developer Rocksteady Studios Publisher Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment
Sales of Strepsils should enjoy a spike after players put on their most gravelly voice to announce that they, in fact, are Batman. Rocksteady Studios’ short-form adventure lets you don the infamous cowl and utility belt, and even be unappreciatively brusque towards Alfred before heading out to track down a serial killer who is targeting other superheroes. Best played with a pair of Move controllers, ArkhamVR is an atmospheric dive into Gotham city that feels all the more dark for letting you inhabit its hero.
HERE THEY LIE Developer Tangentlemen Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment
While we’ll have to wait until February next year to play Resident Evil 7, Here
They Lie offers a shiver-inducing psychological horror experience at launch. Created by a team of industry veterans (including Tomb Raider designer Toby Gard), it’s a creeping, surrealist thriller in which everything moves along at a deliberate pace, and jump scares are replaced with unrelenting dread. The game echoes the dark, isolating breakdowns of films such as Jacob’s Ladder and It Follows as it plays with your perception of the environment and what is real.
THUMPER Developer/publisher Drool
Rez Infinite doesn’t have the monopoly on surreal sensory bombardments, and Drool’s Thumper is an equally spectacular rush of colour and music. Dubbed “rhythm violence” by its creators – both Harmonix alumni – the claustrophobic music game sees you pilot a space beetle along an undulating metallic pathway en route to a final confrontation with antagonist Crakhed. The uncomplicated controls, unyielding pace and deeply saturated colours make it a profoundly good fit for VR, even if the intensity of the experience might not be for everyone.
J OB SIMULATOR Developer/publisher Owlchemy Labs
Already a launch title on Vive (and set to arrive on Rift alongside its Touch controllers), Job Simulator is silly, pure VR fun. Set in 2050 where robots have replaced all human workers, the game allows you to step back in time and experience what it was like to have a job. Gourmet chef, convenience-store clerk, mechanic and office worker are among the initial roles, but Owlchemy will add more in future. The PSVR version isn’t an identical port, however, and drops Vive’s 360-degree environments for 180-degree reworkings better suited to seated VR.
TUMBLE VR Developer Supermassive Games Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment
Tumble VR’s rather clinical atmosphere doesn’t detract from what is otherwise an appealingly playful physics toy. Based on the PlayStation 3 original, Tumble VR tasks players with positioning variously shaped blocks in order to construct towers and bridges, and solve puzzles such as fitting a number of shapes onto a board so they aren’t knocked over by a bar that moves back and forth above. There are co-operative and competitive multiplayer modes, including the option for two players to play simultaneously using the headset and social screen.