With the pandemic raging across the globe, 2020 was a year of mixed fortunes for the industry. The pandemic affected production and development schedules for virtual reality hardware and apps but the strict lockdown measures subsequently drove more users to immerse themselves in virtual reality thereby driving up demand and growth in the industry. On the flipside, some sectors such as location-based virtual reality entertainment which rely on patrons physically visiting the locations saw a steep decline.

We are expecting 2021 to bring some good tidings for virtual reality games. Here is a look at some of the top VR titles which are slated for release this year.

After the Fall

Platform: PC VR headsets, PlayStation VR

Release Date: Early 2021

After the Fall is the most ambitious project to date by Vertigo Games, the studio behind Arizona Sunshine. After the Fall takes the player to a historically alternative 2005.

In After the Fall, mankind faces dire straits where a designer drug has turned a huge portion of humanity into monsters and a new ice age has dawned on the world at the same time.

Up to four players can team up in After the Fall and fight the ice monsters with weapons, some of which the players will fashion themselves. The developers are promising fans a cinematic story with action-packed battles for both single and multiplayer modes as well as a dynamic game-world which animates permanently to the play.

A Rogue Escape

Platform: PC VR Headsets

Release Date: 2021

In Nauticrawl, players are immersed into an underwater world in an alien planet. Players are on the run and then hijack a giant steampunk machine in order to escape from the reach of a corrupt elite. However, one of your key problems is that you don’t have the slightest idea on how this metal colossus controls itself.

In order to make sense of the enigmatic “nauticrawl”, players have to decipher clues from the former pilots and refugees on the four floors of the machine, flick switches, pull plenty of levels, press buttons and also experiment wherever possible. There are five different control centers than need to be mastered to lift this metallic monster from the sea floor.

The upcoming VR game A Rogue Escape is based on the indie puzzle game Nauticrawl from 2019 and has been redeveloped for virtual reality. With the hand interactions, atmospheric setting and the claustrophobic underwater machine, it should greatly benefit from virtual reality.

Demeo

Platform: PC VR Headsets, Quest platform

Release Date: 2021

Demeo is the next big title from Resolution Games. This is a dungeon trailer that brings the table playing experience into virtual reality. The title enables virtual reality users to immerse themselves into the dungeons while playing together with other PC players.

The developer advertises it as a turn-based and role-playing game that offers you detailed characters and where the roll of the dice will make the difference between victory and defeat. The first teaser does not give us a clear inference on how this VR title game plays out. So we are not sure yet on whether the players will be a part of the game and will battle themselves or if they will simply sit around the virtual gaming tabletop, plan their moves and then throw in the dice. We will find out soon enough this year.

Facebook Horizon

Platform: Rift, Quest

Release Date: 2021

Facebook first announced this Metaverse project back in September 2019. The Facebook Horizon is a portal into the virtual worlds that have been designed by and populated with other virtual reality players.

All the content in Facebook Horizon has been created using a creative construction kit. The kit enables user interactive environments to be created using simple basic shapes. These environments can be created solo or collaboratively with other VR players.

The Facebook Horizon’s alpha test began in the spring of 2020. In August 2020, the developers allowed the press representatives to visit the Facebook metaverse for the first time and give their impressions. Many have described Facebook Horizon as something of a cross between VRChat and Rec Room and have been impressed by its creative potential. A beta for the Facebook Horizon is slated for the coming weeks.

The official confirmation for Facebook Horizon is still pending but it is highly likely that we are going to see its launch in 2021.

Hitman 3

Platform: PSVR

Release Date: January 20, 2021

Hitman 3 is already available in all the major 2D gaming platforms and is the ultimate in the World of Assassination trilogy.  It even allows players to import locations from the two earlier Hitman 3 episodes. Anyone with a PSVR headset is able to experience over 20 missions for the first time via the bald protagonist. It isn’t clear whether the VR mode of Hitman 3 will also be available in other platforms, beyond PSVR, in the future.

Jurassic World Aftermath (DLC)

Platform: Quest Platform

Release Date: 2021

In Jurassic World Aftermath, the player assumes the role of a hacker and smuggler named Sam who is travelling to the infamous dinosaur island of Isla Nublar. The player is tasked with stealing valuable research results from the ruins of a park. The plan will, of course, go awry when your plane crashes in the middle of the research facility and you now have to find your way back to civilization alive while surrounded by dinosaurs.

The first half of the Jurassic World Aftermath had already been released in late 2020 and proved quite impressive with its stunning cel-shading graphics, the successful VR implementation along with its exciting sneaking passages. However, there was a cliffhanger interruption after a few hours of play.

The second part of the Jurassic World Aftermath is now planned for 2021. We can’t wait to establish whether the second half of the game will vary the game mechanics and introduce new terrifying dinosaurs.

Lone Echo 2

Platform: Rift

Release Date: 2021

Lone Echo is a space adventure that was first released in 2017 for Oculus Rift. Lone Echo was regarded as a milestone in virtual reality gaming due to the character representation and the hand interactions in the game. The sequel is, thus, expected to be a lot better. Lone Echo II will seamlessly tie up with the first title. The player slips back into the role of a robot AI Jack and will be exploring a strange spaceship alongside their human colleague Olivia Rhodes. Lone Echo II is also expected to be much more extensive than the original one.

LOW-FI

Platform:  PC VR

Release Date: First quarter of 2021

LOW-FI will be the spiritual successor to the earlier virtual reality indie title Technolust. Like the erstwhile title, it is also heavily inspired by the cyberpunk genre, particularly Ridley Scott’s film Blade Runner. The player will slip into the role of a policeman who patrols a futuristic city. The city is reminiscent of the Los Angeles in the classic cyberpunk film. LOW-FI features some impressive environments and backdrops although it lacks playful elements. The LOW-FI project was successfully financed on Kickstarter in 2019 and will deliver plenty of game mechanics and various other content by the time the game is released.

Maskmaker

Platform: PC VR, PSVR

Release Date: 2021

If you loved the magical and philosophical virtual reality game A Fisherman’s Tale, then you will certainly love Maskmaker, which has been made by Innerspace, the same small studio behind the mind-bending VR hit

Maskmaker is about a mysterious mask maker known as Prospero whose true identity remains unknown. You are cast in the role of an apprentice and must learn the craft of mask-making from him. The masks made transform the wearer and imbues them with magical abilities. In the course of the game, you will research different biomes and embody different characters. Virtual reality players will have to switch between different masks and identities on the fly in order to solve the various puzzles. Maskmaker will provide you with a much more extensive virtual reality adventure than the shorter A Fisherman’s Tale.

Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual!

Platform: Not Yet Confirmed

Release Date: 2021

Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual! is made by the studio The Happy Giant. The game features some of the well-known comic characters as well as the protagonists that were in the point-and-click adventure by the same name from the early 1990s and brings them to life in virtual reality. VR players will join the Freelance Police and support detectives in their work. From the initial trailers released so far, it looks like the title will feature the typical Sam & Max humor.

The comics creator Steve Purcell was also involved in the development of the game which guarantees authenticity not just in terms of the game design but also in the character creation and the story. The studio also hired the original voice overs for Sam & Max so you can expect a great deal of authenticity in the game.

Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge (DLC)

Platform: Quest

Release Date: 2021

The Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge is the second major Star Wars adventure following Vader Immortal to be built into virtual reality from ground up.

You will land on the planet Batuu where you have to recover valuable cargo. You will be hunted by space pirates who are also after the same treasure. You will also encounter some of the well-known Star Wars characters such as C-3PO and R2-D2 along with the charismatic bartender Seezelslak. Players will relive the many episode-like stories from the Star Wars universe, but now in virtual reality.

There are many campaigns in the Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge including a Yoda episode which appeared in late 2019. It also features additional episodes that have been announced for 2021, all of which should deepen the gaming experience.

The Climb 2

Platform: Quest

Release Date: 2021

The Climb 2 is a sequel to the famous climbing game from Crytek but now it includes 15 new improvements. Players will immerse themselves into various settings including snow-capped mountains, skyscrapers and deserts. The sequel will also include online leaderboards for the nimbler and more ambitious climbers.

Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife

Platform: PC VR, Quest, PSVR

Release Date: Early 2021

Wraith is a new VR title by Fast Travel Games, the VR studio that is also behind Apex Construct and The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets. Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife is its first attempt at the horror genre.

The Afterlife has been inspired by the role-playing universe World of Darkness and is a template for various pen and paper and live role-playing games as well as the PC game Vampire: Masquerade. Wraith: The Oblivion is also the title of a well-known pen and paper role-playing game from the same universe that was first released in 1994.

This VR rendition takes the same scenario and transforms the player into a ghost moving through some kind of an underworld parallel universe and exploring the Barclay Mansion which is said to be so terrifying that even the ghosts fear it!

Sam OchanjiGamingTechnologyWith the pandemic raging across the globe, 2020 was a year of mixed fortunes for the industry. The pandemic affected production and development schedules for virtual reality hardware and apps but the strict lockdown measures subsequently drove more users to immerse themselves in virtual reality thereby driving up demand...VR, Oculus Rift, and Metaverse News - Cryptocurrency, Adult, Sex, Porn, XXX