Titles to discover after marveling at Valve's masterpiece.
A few months ago Valve finally announced the return of its saga par excellence after more than a decade. Many, eager to test the size of the event in the history of the video game, will have acquired one of the many virtual reality viewers on the market, whether it is one of the cheapest offers on the market or Valve's Index model. A dozen hours later they may have started to doubt your purchase. After a first look at digital stores, one may think that virtual reality is made up of adaptations of traditional games, first attempts at small indie studios or audiovisual experiences with little interactivity.
The truth is that over the last few years the virtual reality catalog has been populating with titles of the most diverse nature and ambition. From small one-man projects that have matured to become true playgrounds for the imagination, to complete adventures that already have little to envy to traditional games, we have set out to guide you to cross this new frontier. So, we offer you a series of virtual reality titles to explore after experiencing Half Life: Alyx. Note that this list is about suggestions that have something in common, although this is tangential, with the work of Valve so that they serve as an exploration of the different facets of the latter.
If you want another great story: Lone Echo
Most of you will know Supermassive Games for their remarkable Until Dawn. This title once demonstrated the technical capabilities of the PS4 and incidentally offered an interactive story with claw that many completed at once. What may not be known by most is that the studio is also a pioneer in the virtual reality world. Already on PSVR they released one of the first titles to offer a complete experience, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. This spin-off of Until Dawn put us in front of a terrifying roller coaster as we toured various scenarios, each one more gruesome with a light element of shooting. Although it offered a very intense experience thanks to its excellent visual presentation, it was still a mobile shooting gallery.
But there would not be left here the steps of Supermassive for virtual reality. A year later the company released Lone Echo, a title that until the release of Half Life: Alyx was the largest virtual reality blockbuster so far. Thanks to the use of "reverse kinematics" the study was one of the first to give the player arms that corresponded as much as possible to his real arms. This allowed the player to navigate a zero gravity environment, grabbing onto any object in the environment and using it to propel himself. If to this novel use of technology we add a polished story, excellent motion capture for the characters involved and unforgettable moments, the result is an adventure that you cannot miss. The only drawbacks are its short duration and limited gameplay.
If you liked its oppressive atmosphere: The Walking Dead Saints and Sinners
It's rare that license-based games work, but in virtual reality there's something about diving into our favorite worlds that makes even the least effortful ones behind something special. Games like Batman VR or Westworld: Awakenings do that work but stay on the surface, plunging us into the fictional worlds they represent but for a short time and with limited interactivity. However, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners uses its license as a mere reference to create a complete world, full of interconnected mechanics and systems that ends up being, in our opinion, one of the best virtual reality experiences available.
This title departs from other virtual reality zombie games (of which there are almost as many as undead in any of them) that offer little more than shooting to offer a campaign of more than ten hours in which our decisions can affect non-playable characters and the world around us. Avoid concentrating on firearms or hand-to-hand combat to offer us a pleasant experience in both without ever standing out. In addition, it incorporates a crafting mechanic that allows us to use the elements of the environment to create new weapons and utensils. Of course, this mechanic is incredibly effective in virtual reality when you have to take your backpack off your shoulder and store the objects you find there, giving an additional dimension of depth to the sometimes tedious task of searching for objects. The low light and intensity of the stages make this also one of the most stressful games in virtual reality. Remember, you can always take off your glasses.
If you liked shooting virtual weapons: Hot Dogs, Horseshoes and Handgranades
Anton Hand is one of the most absurdly hard-working video game developers in an industry that stands out for sometimes squeezing employees out of the bill. This young developer began a few years ago to develop a small scenario in which to test weapons in virtual reality, with the addition of a previously unattainable tactility. Whereas in traditional games to recharge we must press a button, here it is a matter of pressing a button to slide the empty magazine to the ground, insert the new one and pull the cylinder head. Little by little Anton was adding features, weapons and game modes to this small scenario until launching it on Steam as Hot Dogs, Horseshoes and Handgrenades (Hot Dogs, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades). Since then it has not stopped adding content to the game until today it has four shooting ranges, dozens of game modes and more than 300 perfectly replicated weapons.
The really attractive thing about this title is the possibility of adapting the experience to what we prefer. We can be practicing in any of the multiple ranges for hours, trying to hone our precision with any of the hundreds of weapons, face two completely different roguelike challenges in which we will face waves of enemies thanks to random weapons or even play one Team Fortress 2 version where all the enemies are hot dogs (there are no human enemies in this game). In conclusion, it is an infinite playground for firearms lovers, constantly updated and full of secrets to discover.
If you missed some rhythm: Pistol Whip
There are several moments in Half Life: Alyx where the soundtrack ramps up its beat. The fingers that pound on the synthesizer drive speed as the shooting increases in pace, forcing our bodies to move to the rhythm of the music in the heat of battle: one step to the right, grenade shot, one step to the left, dodge two bullets , a step to the right, shotgun to the face … If you are looking for a suitable continuation of these moments, or perhaps the natural extension of these, you can look towards Pistol Whip.
This title is part of a buoyant selection of rhythm games in virtual reality and we only include it above the rest given the current theme. And it is that in Pistol Whip we are not going to cut blocks to the rhythm of music or box to the rhythm of music. Let's shoot. The game will take us through colorful scenarios while presenting us with numerous enemies to riddle to the beat of electronic music songs. Unlike other games in the genre, Pistol Whip's stages are specifically designed for each song and although this is its greatest weakness (it makes it difficult to create community stages), it is also its greatest virtue. Accurate shooting is not a must but moving to the rhythm of the music, performing countless squats to dodge sneaky shots from countless enemies while looking for their head with the peephole. An exhilarate experience that you can not play more than fifteen minutes a day without stiffness the next day.
If you are looking for production values: Robo Recall
Valve is not the only great developer who has deigned to create a great game in virtual reality. Before the already historic success of Fortnite, Epic launched the excellent Robo Recall for Oculus devices. A flirtatious arcade game that tends towards simplicity, does not mean that you should let it escape. The game begins with one of the best introductory sequences and then becomes pure action during almost the entire experience.
This is not why Robo Recall is the worst game. Since we learned to reload (throwing weapons against enemies and taking new ones from our shoulders or hips) we realize that much effort has been put into making each of the game's mechanics extremely satisfying to perform in virtual reality. We can thus catch enemies and throw them against others, take bullets from the air and return them to enemies, catch enemies and use their weapons against other enemies, etc. The game quickly goes from being a simple arcade to becoming a kind of death ballet, a dance of destruction where we are the main architects of chaos. Pure fun from start to finish with graphics at the level of great action.
If you were left wanting more physical: Boneworks
Alyx incorporates an excellent physics engine for most objects, allowing us to manipulate almost any element of the stage at our whim. But for Boneworks words like "practically" or "almost" do not exist. In this title we have full control of any element that makes up the playable plane. Here we can not only take objects from the shelves but if we put the weight of our body behind we can throw the shelves on top of enemies, damaging them in the process. If the player was given arms in Lone Echo, in Boneworks the whole body is simulated, from head to toe. This implies, for example, that when using an assault rifle your butt will hit our shoulder. It also implies that to use a two-handed sword we will have to simulate brandishing a heavy object since rapid and sudden movements will hardly displace the weapon. Each of the interactions in the game is governed by a single physical engine capable of adapting to different situations organically.
The title's developers have made the most of this physical engine, equipping the player with new toys to experiment with and weapons to play with in every cubic centimeter on the map. It will be strange to take a step without finding something new to mess with. Unfortunately, in that effort to create the ultimate physical engine, part of the perfection that other titles on the list have lost. A necessary evil in pursuit of extreme innovation that seeks to promote this title, indispensable for those who want to feel the ultimate potential of this technology. Note that this title is only recommended for those who are experienced users of virtual reality or who feel especially comfortable in it.
If you liked hiding: Budget Cuts 2
At Alyx there are several segments that call us to non-violent exploration, to avoid combat as much as possible. Whether it was due to a lack of ammunition or the presence of a superior enemy, it was for many a first glimpse of the tension that virtual reality can generate. In the case of Budget Cuts 2 stealth is the primary need on which the title is based. This sequel to the title that inspired Valve in most of its decisions for Alyx expands on the stealthy teleportation that its predecessor installed, including new tools and the ability to use fluid movement for the first time in the saga.
In Budget Cuts 2 we will use portals to move around the environment trying to elude numerous robotic guardians. For this we will also have offensive tools, whether they are throwing knives or a bow and arrows with which to get rid of our metallic archinemesis. This adventure full of humor is the quintessential title within the very small subgenre of stealth in virtual reality. A small adventure that does not reach the highest levels of the genre in general but that does not have little to offer
