Get Ready To Game In VR With These HTC Vive Games
About a week after the launch of the Oculus Rift (our full review here), HTC is coming out with its Vive VR headset (our full review here). As expected, there are a handful of games available on Vive's launch day. For some titles, developers have provided additional information such as the room-scale requirements, or if it's best enjoyed in a seated or standing position.
At the moment, there are 37 titles already available for the Vive, in addition to the 35 games launching on April 5, and the number of titles available could still change before launch. Currently, we expect another 31 titles to launch soon. Speaking to Polygon, Valve's Chet Faliszek said that the company didn't have a definitive list of launch titles as Oculus did. Instead, the main focus was the developers throughout the creation process. HTC and Valve gave developers the hardware, but the developers had the final say as to when their work would launch for the VR platform.
As VR is still a new medium, some developers are releasing their games under the Early Access banner. This means that some titles are still under development, and the developers are looking for additional feedback from players to improve their games.
So without further ado, here is the current list of "launch" titles coming to the HTC Vive on April 5.
Update, 4/5/16, 8:25am PT: Just after we published this article, Valve reached out and hit us with the surprise that it was nearly doubling the number of titles launching alongside the Vive. You can see the list of additional launch titles here.
Beach Ball Valley
The premise of Beach Ball Valley is simple: Just hit the game's many beach balls with your huge pizza paddles. You can also see how many balls you can hit as they roll down a hill, and you can shoot them through a series of hoops. There's also an option to change the balls' overall size or adjust the environment's physics.
At launch, Beach Ball Valley will be an Early Access title. According to developer Paul Eckhardt, this provides an opportunity for you to offer feedback on what you'd like to add to the game. For now, you can just hit beach balls and play a few mini-games, but there's room to add more features such as additional game modes, achievements and other effects to the environment.
Orientation support: Seated, standing and room-scaleRoom-scale requirements: Not specifiedController support: Vive motion controllersGameplay viewpoint: First-personGame modes: Single-player
Capria: Magic Of The Elements
Capria: Magic of the Elements is for the magic fans. You take on the role of a wizard's apprentice who just so happens to own some goats. Each goat has a unique elemental power, and it's up to you to protect your precious livestock against an oncoming swarm of goblins. You can use your staves to hit each goblin, or you can use it to hurl projectiles. You'll also have a set of spells that you can use to easily thwart the goblin horde.
Similar to Beach Ball Valley, Capria: Magic of the Elements is also an Early Access title. The goal is to have the final version ready by the end of the year. Some of the planned features include customizable staves and spells, improved visuals, crafting abilities and a larger world for you to explore.
Orientation support: Standing and room-scaleRoom-scale requirements: Not specifiedController support: Vive motion controllersGameplay viewpoint: First-personGame modes: Single-player
Carpe Lucem: Seize The Light
With multiple backdrops of colorful environments, players will need to make artificial flowers bloom with the help of beams of light. However, you will need to match the color of the flower and the beams in order to make the flower bloom.
In order to manipulate the direction of the beams, you'll have access to various tools such as magnets, mirrors and prisms. Obviously, these types of puzzles work well in the 2D space, but you can add a unique twist for virtual reality. In fact, in Carpe Lucem: Seize the Light there are a few puzzles that surround you in 3D space, which makes the solving process more challenging.
Orientation support: Seated, standing and room-scaleRoom-scale requirements: Not specifiedController support: Vive motion controllers and gamepadGameplay viewpoint: First-personGame modes: Single-player
CDF Starfighter VR
Following in the footsteps of Elite: Dangerous and EVE: Valkyrie is CDF Starfighter VR. As a pilot in the Colonial Defense Force, you have to fight against an enemy that is threatening not just the human race, but the entire galaxy.
This game also joins the list of Early Access VR titles. When you play it on launch day, you'll have access to the first part of the single-player campaign and a Scramble game mode. You can also take on a series of challenges and simulations, and you'll be able to choose from six different ships. A final release is planned for the fall, which will include the entire campaign as well as other multiplayer modes.
Orientation support: SeatedRoom-scale requirements: Not applicableController support: GamepadGameplay viewpoint: First-personGame modes: Single-player, multiplayer
Diorama No. 1: Blocked In And Diorama No. 3: The Marchland
As the name suggests, this experience is less about moving around in the virtual space and more about just observing your surroundings. The first diorama piece from Daniel Ernst places you in a small room full of highly-detailed objects. However, a quick look out the window shows a series of Tetris-like blocks falling from the sky. There doesn't seem to be a main goal other than to the explore the items around you.
The second (er, third, we guess) piece presents a road checkpoint. As the rain pours down, you notice ghostly images of cars passing through the checkpoint. As usual, you can explore various parts of the environment, as there doesn't seem to be a main objective. Both dioramas are available as standalone experiences, but the plan is to link all of the dioramas together through a so-called "Table of Contents."
Orientation support: Seated, standing or room-scaleRoom-scale requirements: Not specifiedController support: Not specifiedGameplay viewpoint: First-personGame modes: Single-player
Fantastic Contraption
Our own Kevin Carbotte tried this game at the Steam VR Developer's Showcase, and the goal is to build your own vehicle to get a pink ball to a goal area. To construct your funny little car, you can use pylons, bars and wheels to create a conveyance that will take the ball to the other side. There isn't one correct schematic for a vehicle, so you can create anything you want with the tools at your disposal.
Orientation support: Room-scaleRoom-scale requirements: 2 x 1.5mController support: Vive motion controllersGameplay viewpoint: First-personGame modes: Single-player
Final Approach
When I played Final Approach at PAX Prime last year, I enjoyed the idea of being an airport god/air traffic controller. With the model-sized version of the airport below, you must guide various aircraft to touch down and take off without causing too many incidents. You'll also have to deal with emergencies such as planes catching fire, a vehicle flying in with low fuel, and potential mid-air crashes.
Orientation support: Seated, standing and room-scaleRoom-scale requirements: Not specifiedController support: Vive motion controllersGameplay viewpoint: First-personGame modes: Single-player
Gumball Drift
Gumball Drift presents itself as a third-person racing game with miniature cars. As you watch from above, you control a single car as it speeds through a track and drifts around corners and collects power-ups to gain the advantage in the race. You can compete against AI opponents, or you can go online to race against your friends on your own private racetrack.
Orientation support: Seated and standingRoom-scale requirements: Not applicableController support: Gamepad and keyboardGameplay viewpoint: Third-personGame modes: Single-player, multiplayer
Gunjack
After its initial run on the Samsung Gear VR, Gunjack made its way to the Rift and Vive last month. You play the role of a gun operator on a mining vessel. Your job is to repel the multiple waves of enemy forces that are attempting to destroy your ship. You'll also have access to multiple types of ammunition for your turret, such as a laser beam and a set of bombs.
Orientation support: Seated and standingRoom-scale requirements: Not applicableController support: Vive motion controllersGameplay viewpoint: First-personGame modes: Single-player
Holodance
If you're familiar with Guitar Hero or Rock Band, then you have an idea of how Holodance works. Multiple orbs (thrown by a dragon) move towards you along three separate lines, which connect to your HMD and the two controllers. You have to hit the correct orbs with the correct controller or HMD in order to get the right notes for high points.
The game will be in Early Access for two to three months. For now, the three levels are playable, but the developers are hoping for a total of 12 levels when development is finished. The team will also continue to work on improving the game's overall visual quality, and depending on feedback, improve or replace the current music for each level.
Orientation support: Seated, standing and room-scaleRoom-scale requirements: Not specifiedController support: Vive motion controllersGameplay viewpoint: First-personGame modes: Single-player
