Cloudhead Plays: Summer Edition

While we’re heads down and working on our next high-octane title, it’s not all work and no play. We like to keep our finger on the pulse of the VR industry – and what better way to learn about some fun VR games than by asking our very own people?

Welcome to our first Cloudhead Plays blog, where we asked fellow Cloudheadians what their current VR game roster looks like. Not only did we find out a lot about our team, but we also discovered some games we wanted to try ourselves! 

Close Quarter Combat

To the surprise of no one, most of whom we spoke to immediately (and enthusiastically) mentioned playing as the Dark Knight himself. Developed by Camouflaj and published by Oculus Studios, Batman: Arkham Shadow won Best VR/AR at The Game Awards for a reason - it’s fun as hell.

Source: Batman: Arkham Shadow Meta Horizon store page

We asked Cloudheadians what made this game so exciting, and the answer was clear:

“You play as The Batman” shared Tej, one of our Senior Engineers, “It also brought back memories of playing Batman Arkham series on PC.”

“The fighting in Batman is so fun.” Austin Dwyer, an Intermediate Engineer added. 

Austin also had great things to say about another action packed title:

“I love the look and feel of Dungeons of Eternity.” 

Developed by Othergate, Dungeons of Eternity (now with 4 player co-op!) boasts a high action, fantasy setting with an immersive atmosphere that makes you feel unstoppable. Have you ever lobbed an axe across a map while making direct contact with an enemy’s face? 

Yeah. That kind of unstoppable.

Source: Dungeons of Eternity Meta Horizon store page

Blood-pumping PvP

Sometimes you just want to jump in, play a few rounds, and jump out. Our 3D Modeller, Matt Lyon, has been playing Population One and Hyper Dash - excellent choices for quick, in-and-out action to keep you busy over the weekend.

Population One is a VR Battle Royale developed by BigBox VR on Meta Quest and uses a unique Vertical Combat system - flying, climbing, and building are essential parts of the core game loop. 

Source: Population One Meta Horizon store page 

On the more team oriented side of things, Hyper Dash, developed by Triangle Factory, offers familiar PvP game modes such as Capture the Flag, Team Death Match, and Control Point. Hyper Dash relies on the player strategically dashing (makes sense, it’s in the name), sprinting, walking, and rail grinding to traverse the arena and take out the opposing team.

Source: Hyper Dash Meta Horizon store page

When asked what makes these particular games so compelling or exciting as a Game Dev, Matt mentioned that not only are they free to play but also “their simplicity, relatively quick game time and the occasional new skin drops”.

Touch Grass and... Space?

Unless you live in a place where weather conditions are only ever perfect, getting out to the green isn’t always possible. Our Lead Engineer, Mike LeSauvage, gives Golf+ a glowing recommendation for rainy days:

“Golfing in VR brings the beauty of world-class courses into my living room without me worrying about upsetting the players behind me. And it's more than realistic enough for my taste! I was slicing my shots terribly. A short YouTube video taught me what I was doing wrong and now I'm (mostly) sending shots straight down the course! Fore!”

Source: Golf+ Meta Horizon store page 

Another Cloudheadian, Luiz, prefers to wind down with story-driven puzzles in Red Matter, developed by Vertical Robot. Playing as Agent Epsilon, you’re immersed into a gripping story and captivating puzzles as you uncover secrets buried within the facility you’re exploring.

“The puzzles are very good,” Luiz shared, “and the scenarios are very well made – it feels like I am really there.”

Source: Red Matter Meta Horizon store page 

And of Course, Pistol Whip

Many of our colleagues of course mentioned Pistol Whip…but we’re a little biased – not only did we love making it, but we still find ourselves getting lost in that unstoppable feeling of taking out baddies in our favourite Scenes, (if we can actually decide on which of the 40+ Scenes we want to play).

But we’re curious, have you played any of the games mentioned above? Alternatively, tag us on social media with what you’re currently playing on VR – we’d love to check out your suggestions!