This week we’ve got quite a few new experiences to check out, including quite a few that are free to play. For the creative types, ShapeLab is a tool for you to create virtual sculptures and you have the option to collaborate with a friend online. Kira, on the other hand, is an immersive experience that shows off just what you can accomplish with a fantasy-themed space. It’s only a small taste, but it shows great potential.
In the meantime, if you missed last week, you can see those new releases here. And don’t forget that UploadVR has a Steam community group, complete with a curated list of recommendations so that you don’t have to waste any money finding out what’s good in the world of VR.
We also have a top list of the absolute best HTC Vive games — which is updated every few months with the latest and greatest options.
New HTC Vive Releases on Steam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzamgSRbV3c
RealBX VR (Apocalypse), from Naviworks Cp., Ltd.
Price: $29.99
RealBX, which stands for Real Battle Exercise, takes you across 20 bullet-riddled missions. The experience itself channels the spirit of arcade shooters like Time Crisis and Area 51, but with the immersion of VR.
Recommendation: Looks like a fun on-rails wave shooter, but not quite solid enough to justify the price tag. Wait for this one to go on sale.
Play with Balloon, from Funystone Inc.
Price: $3.95 (Currently Discounted)
This casual fun experience does something a little different with VR multiplayer, having one player wear the headset and use a controller while the other person without a headset uses the other controller so they compete against each other. ( The game includes three different modes for the unique style that involve different shooting games or playing volleyball with balloons.
Recommendation: Clever way to get some local multiplayer going. Grab it if you show VR to people a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUAUtPqk_eg
Boofle’s Home, from Eden Agency
Price: Free
Boofle’s Home is an experience where a repaired stuffed heirloom has come to life and the loveable Boofle has a space where you to engage in a collection of activities. You can also choose from various cards and gift collections to create a Boofle card for different occasions.
Recommendation: A free and fun getaway that’s family friendly. Grab it!
Weelco, from weelco_vr
Price: Free
Weelco is a tool for users to watch, upload, and share 360-degree videos. It includes a speech search with multi-language support and a user friendly interface.
Recommendation: Grab this and put it up against the other video app released this week. See what you enjoy more.
Storm VR, from TeamStormVR, Anrick, UNIT9
Price: $1.99
Storm VR is an introduction to a series that plans to put you through various survival sequences within different types of storms. This intro has you waking up in an intense snowstorm and you must find shelter before freezing to death.
Recommendation: This passion project shows a lot of promise and it could be worth it to invest and support the planned 5 episodes.
ShapeLab, from Leopoly
Price: Free To Play
There are plenty platforms and engines for creators to try their hand at VR development, but ShapeLab is a tool for the non-professional creators and artists. The aim is to bring a joyful, easy, and practical tool together where people can collaborate on projects.
Recommendation: Definitely worth the download. Give it a go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoJ0gnYP1JI
EmbodyMe, from Paneo, Inc.
Price: Free To Play
EmbodyMe lets users play around with holograms created using a single photo and communicate using them in a social environment. Prepare for an influx of celebrities and fictional characters to take selfies with!
Recommendation: Another social experience that introduces a unique feature that could help it stand out. Check it.
LyraVR, from LyraVR
Price: $9.99
LyraVR is a musical experience that allows you to compose and interact with different music sequences. Take advantage of 360-degree audio and play different instruments around you until your ideas come together. You also have an option to import audio samples or export your creations.
Recommendation: If you’re a musically inclined creative, this is up your alley. The price of access may not exhibit the same value to those less talented.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8uRu-is8A4
In Your Face TD, from BitBreak I/S
Price: $8.49 (Currently Discounted)
In Your Face TD is not the football game you probably expected via that title. It’s not football at all, actually, tasking you with utilizing room-scale movement to take down invading monsters in a tower defense (TD) experience. Use a shotgun, laser minigun, or sawblade frisbee to eliminate enemies while building the best maze of towers you can.
Recommendation: You may not find anything worth your interest if you’ve already invested in a few tower defense games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekpovghi0EY
City Rush, from Liam Swetnam and Alex Swetnam
Price: $6.99 (Currently Discounted)
In City Rush, players must swing, climb, and jump around a city on the way to their goal. This is really just an environmental puzzle that could spark a bit of vertigo as you scale tall structures.
Recommendation: Pass for now, but keep an eye on it while it’s in Early Access.
Kira, from Bully Innovation Group, Inc.
Price: Free To Play
Kira welcomes you to a Faerie workshop where you can experience different beats, structures, and magical devices. The experience serves as a taste of what you can get when immersed in a fantasy environment that takes advantage of VR’s unique features.
Recommendation: A free, new world to check out. Grab it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pGCPGa481g
Mech Skeleton, from Heavy Kick Games
Price: $3.99
Piloting a mech is something that VR is certainly built for and Mech Skeleton puts you into that role with a pretty engaging locomotion system that has you swinging your arms to move about quickly. This shooter includes intense action along with stealth segments.
Recommendation: Mech Skeleton has a unique path to creation that we covered recently. The game is pretty fun as well, so grab this one.
Shadow Circuit, from WetWare / Games
Price: $3.99 (Currently Discounted)
Shadow Circuit takes unique physics and gravity mechanics and applies them to a virtual sports experience. Your reflexes and spatial awareness will be tested as you attempt to get the ball into the goal using your gravity whip.
Recommendation: Pretty fun casual concept, but hold off. Keep an eye on it during Early Access to see if it improves and bugs get cleared up.
Vive Video, from HTC Creative Labs
Price: Free To Play
Vive Video is an app that gives you an immersive space to watch 3D, 180-degree, and 360-degree videos. HTC’s Creative Labs have made the controls for this experience as intuitive as possible as you resize and orient the screen with your VR controllers.
Recommendation: Definitely worth the shot for free. See if lines up with other video players you likely have in your library.
Final Rest, from Slipgate Studios LLC
Price: $0.99
Final Rest puts you on the surgery table for a frightening experience where you’ll hear the story of the butcher, a killer that used to roam the halls of the asylum that is now your hospital. This non-interactive experience takes you through a handful of different fears including claustrophobia, needles, and spiders.
Recommendation: If you absolutely just hate your friends, grab this and share it around at gatherings. Keep in mind it’s only a non-interactive, roughly 4-minute experience.
McOsu, from McKay
Price: Free
McOsu is an open-source, circle clicking rhythm game that’s essentially a third party practice client based on the game osu!
Recommendation: Rough around the edges, but if you’re interested in osu! give it a shot.
VR Batting, from Saad Khan, Irfan Abbasi, Hassan Yawar
Price: $14.99
VR Batting drops you into a virtual arena for a cricket simulator. In it, you’ll use real cricket shots and techniques as you climb the leaderboards.
Recommendation: Pass on this for now. Maybe catch it on a sale.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMJ6HTVo-Wc
Princess Kidnapper 2 – VR, from Magic Era
Price: $0.99
The kidnapper returns! Take on the role of the all-powerful villain as you use different archery weapons to fight thru the princess’ army and kidnap her from her dwelling.
Recommendation: Grab this! Good silly fun at this price point.
New HTC Vive Releases on Viveport
Domino Craft VR, from Lusionsoft
Domino Craft lets you set up massive domino chain reaction mechanisms without all the cleanup after. There are three modes including challenge, where you’ll have to work through a series of puzzle levels in a toy world, and creation where you just design your chains. The game also includes an online mode so you can collaborate on your creations.
Price: Free
Recommendation: Free and fun. Give it a go.
