Tag Archives: meta quest

Experience the Spooky VR Narrative of Titanic: A Space Between

February 13, 2024 josechurape Leave a comment

I was sent Titanic: A Space Between for free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

If you’re looking for accessories for your VR headset, like magnetic prescription lenses or a high-quality charging cable, get it at ZyberVR. Use discount code CHURAPE for 15% off.

What is Titanic: A Space Between?

Titanic: A Space Between is a horror VR game playable on Steam VR, Pico, and the Meta Quest 2 and 3. Play as a time traveler investigating the disappearance of a woman named Diana on the famous ship as it sinks. Solve puzzles, follow clues, and survive the most famous shipwreck in history. But there is something strange that lurks in this past. Can you solve the mystery and make it back to your own time alive?

Gameplay

This is an exploration horror game where players move through the narrative by searching for clues and solving puzzles as the ship sinks. The version I received is still in development, and was still a bit too unstable to be enjoyable.

Thoughts

The game isn’t done and this puts me in an awkward position. On the one hand, the concept is interesting, and I am invested in finding out what happened to Diana. On the other, the build of the game I received is unplayable.

The game is buggy, and a few of the games broke the game. I tried to record a video, but that made the game more unstable. I got to a point in the game where I wasn’t able to advance because the mechanics didn’t work and I didn’t want to start over. I am willing to excuse bugs and glitches, but here it felt like I was fighting with the game more than I was enjoying it.

Poor performance aside, Titanic: A Space Between is a cool concept for a game. It has an interesting story, it looks good, the voice acting is fantastic, and I love the flavor. The game also has some solid horror baked throughout. With a few more patches, I can see myself returning because I want to know what happened to Diana, but in its current state, I can’t recommend it.

The game releases on the Meta App Lab on February 13th, pick it up then if you’re looking for a spooky Titanic adventure and don’t mind playing through the bugs.

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Terra Alia: The Language RPG That Almost Could

January 12, 2024 josechurape Leave a comment

I was sent Terra Alia for free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. If you’re looking for accessories for your VR headset, like magnetic prescription lenses or a high-quality charging cable, get it at ZyberVR. Use discount code CHURAPE for 15% off. You can also always buy me coffee.

Terra Alia is a VR RPG game for the Meta Quest that teaches players a new language. The game supports 10 languages: English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Brazilian Portuguese. Players are put into a world full of magic, but the only way to use it is to learn a new language.

There is a story to this game, but it doesn’t feel important. At least it didn’t hook me enough to care. The main draw to this game is the grind to learn a new language. The game does this through exploration, puzzles, and combat.

I felt like exploration was the main loop for this game. Players pick up new vocabulary and phrases through exploration. To pick up a new word, you point at the word, listen to the translation, and pronounce it properly. The game offers a prerecorded pronunciation and uses the Quest’s mic to check yours. Players use the words and phrases they learn to solve puzzles, beat challenges, and cast spells.

For the most part, the prerecordings are fine when it comes to single words, but they fall off when it comes to prerecordings. The recordings of some of the phrases were incoherent, and I found myself stuck because I couldn’t hear the pronunciation. Challenges are a pain because you can’t repeat the pronunciation of phrases. You can listen to single vocabulary words all you want, but you only get a quick shot at phrases. This made learning phrases difficult, and the challenges annoying to complete.

Combat in this game is where this game could have stood out more, but it falls flat after the novelty wears off. After a couple of battles, I found myself actively avoiding them because they felt like a chore. To cast a spell, players have to translate a word to their chosen language within the time limit. The system gives players a word like a dog and two options, and players must pronounce the correct word properly. It’s a fine system, especially with this kind of RPG, but nothing exciting. It also doesn’t always work which is a bit frustrating.

Terra Alia is good at teaching players new words in a different language, but don’t expect to become fluent. I found that the repetitive grind helped me pick up new words quickly, and I rarely needed to look up a resource. Unfortunately, once the novelty wore off, I didn’t find much reason to play. If you have young kids, this is a solid came to throw them into. It has a cute cartoonish style, the loop is simple and easy to follow, and it’s a nice intro to a new language. Anyone more hardcore about RPGs will find the experience lacking. It is a cool idea and I hope they can make it better, but in its current state, I can’t recommend it.

You can pick up Terra Alia for the Meta Quest for $19.99.

video game reviews

Realm Protector VR: A Unique take on the Tower Defense Genre

December 8, 2023 josechurape Leave a comment

I was sent Realm Protector for free as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

Realm Protector is a creative tower defense game for the Meta Quest 2 and above. As a Realm Protector, players build towers to stop hoards of monsters from getting through the portal and wreaking havoc on humanity. Where other games in the genre let you sit back and watch, Realm Protector places players in the towers. Do you have what it takes to keep the realm safe from evil?

Realm Protector’s gimmick is that players can control the towers in a first-person mini-game after building them. While unmanned towers do auto attack, towers controlled by players do more damage. Each tower has a unique quirk for combat. The Ice Tower has a drum mini-game to cast ice spells, which might be a reference to Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Arcane lets players blast away monsters with a minigun, the Flame lets players explode them with fireballs, and the Electric tower lets you shock them with chain lightning gloves. The key to this game is to plan accordingly and switch between towers efficiently.

I like that each level lets you see the monster’s stats to give players a chance to plan their tower placement. I love that selling towers doesn’t ruin you financially. There is enough strategy involved in this game to keep players engaged, but its interactive mechanics are what sets Realm Protector apart from other games in the genre. That said, the game still feels like a tower defense, and unless you enjoy the genre, it’s going to be a hard sell. You’ll enjoy it for what it is, but whether or not you play it for the long term depends on how much you enjoy the genre.

I like the game, but I enjoy the genre. I find the repetition soothing, but enjoy the change of pace the game brings to the genre. The art is on the cartoony side, but it shouldn’t matter when it runs fine. I never had issues switching between towers, changing upgrades, or doing combat. The strategy involved is a lot more intense than the art and flavor imply, but manageable even for the most casual of gamers.

Realm Protector is fine for what is, and for $7, you can’t go wrong. It’s a little short, but again, $7. You can pick up Realm Protector on the official Meta Quest store.

video game reviews

Ziggy’s Cosmic Adventure for VR is a wacky good time

November 10, 2023 josechurape Leave a comment

I was sent Ziggy’s Cosmic Adventure as a review code, and while I am very grateful for the opportunity, this will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. If you need accessories for your VR setup, like a high-quality charging cable or a set of magnetic prescription lenses, get them over at ZyberVR. Use discount code CHURAPE at checkout for 15% off your purchase.

Ziggy’s Cosmic Adventure is a silly arcade game available now on Steam VR and Meta Quest. Brave the darkness of space in a ship you have to keep in working order. You’ll have to fly your ship, fight enemies all while fixing your ship, and keep Ziggy fed. If you are looking for a silly good time without the commitment, this game is for you.

The game has a short and delightful story. I kind of wish the game was longer, but I like that it doesn’t overstay its welcome. The game looks great with its silly cartoonish aesthetic to fit its theme. My only complaint about the design is that I wish they didn’t make Ziggy so cute. Spoilers: You’re going to have to kill a few. Dead Ziggy’s aside, this is a solid VR title with an amazing cast of voice actors and fun gameplay. If you are susceptible to VR sickness, this game will get some getting used to. Play it in small bursts.

The game has a slow start, but it’s worth getting past the initial tutorial hump. Once this game gets going, it’s going to get sweaty. Ziggy’s Cosmic Adventure is a very involved game of Bop It with some casual space flight simulation. You’ll get warnings of the different failures of the ship, and you’ll have to make sure you bring them back to working order. You’ll have to hammer stuff, spin stuff, twist stuff, press stuff, and make sure your Ziggy is always fed. If you aren’t flailing around wildly in the middle of your living room, you aren’t doing it right. There is combat, but it’s been understandably simplified. This game would be impossible if players had to maintain the ship on top of dealing with the realism of space travel.

I was about ready to write this game off until the chaos kicked in, and I became addicted. It was a little stressful because I am not the best at multi-tasking, but I didn’t know how much I loved that stress until I played this game. This game is perfect for kids, and even better if you want a silly good time without it being a huge commitment. You can pick up for the Meta Quest and Steam VR, and for $19.99, I’d say it’s worth it. It is currently on sale for $17.99 on Steam until November 16,

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The ZyberVR Multipurpose 3-in-1 sticks for the Meta Quest 2 are a neat accessory you might want

October 8, 2023 josechurape Leave a comment

ZyberVR sent me their Multipurpose 3-in-1 sticks for the Meta Quest to review and made me an affiliate. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the product.

The multipurpose sticks are accessories for the Quest 2 motion controllers that provide users with added immersion while gaming. They are usable in three modes: Dual handle, golf handle, and long handle. The dual handle is designed for games with swords, like Beat Saber. The long handle connects the two handles in the middle and is perfect for games like Kayak VR. The golf handle is self-explanatory.

The kit comes with two color-coded handles, two clearly labeled motion controller clips, two thick wrist straps, two clear plastic halo casings, and a tube to connect or extend the handles. The accessories are built from good quality plastic, the foam is comfortable, and there is no way the controllers are slipping off during play. The instructions are in Mandarin, but the pictures are easy to follow. Instantiation and switching between the accessories is fast and simple.

What I appreciated most about this product are the added protective accessories that come with it. The kits come with thick and sturdy wrist straps to replace the ones included with the Quest 2. The straps are easy to install and aren’t coming off. The kit also includes clear silicon casings for the motion control halo. These are easy to install and don’t interfere with tracking. They aren’t going to keep your controllers from breaking after a large impact, but they will keep them from scratching and scuffing from the lighter ones.

The only game I own to test the stick on is Beat Saber, and it worked perfectly. They provided a more immersive experience, a comfortable grip, and slip protection from my overly sweaty hands. Playing with the sticks felt more accurate, and I saw an improvement in my performance. One issue I had was that anything that involved the buttons or triggers became awkward. This might be something you can get used to, but I never did. This accessory is best when you don’t need comfortable access to any of the buttons.

If you spend a lot of time in VR and need the extra emersion, this is a fantastic accessory. Unlike the ZyberVR Prescription Lenses, the Multipurpose 3-in-1 sticks aren’t something you need for your setup, but it is something you will appreciate having once you use them. The kit goes for $34.99 on the Zyber store and is currently $8 off. If you buy anything from the ZyberVR store, don’t forget to use my discount code CHURAPE at checkout for an extra 15% off.

video game reviews

Pixel Ripped 1979: The meta simulation game with fun flavor, but very little substance

June 14, 2023 josechurape Leave a comment

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I was sent Pixel Ripped 1978 as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, this will be my honest review.

The evil Cyblin Lord is back! This time he has gone back in time to change the course of history and make himself the hero. It is up to Dot to go back and stop him before it is too late. With the help of Bug, a programmer for Atari, Dot must fight familiar enemies, find the time crystals, and fix bugs along the way. Can they stop the Cyblin Lord before it is too late?

Pixel Ripped is an interesting concept for a VR simulation game. It is a meta experience where gamers play a game within a game that pays homage to classic eras in gaming. Thanks to the official partnership, this game pays homage to the Atari era of gaming. In Pixel Ripped 1978, players switch between the two characters, each offering a unique experience.

As Bug, players pick up an Atari controller and play through a classic game in order to find bugs to fix. As they play, they will encounter real-world distractions that offer a different level of difficulty than the platforming. Bug has to deal with coworkers, answer phone calls, and deal with people blocking the tv screen while she is trying to beat the game. This mechanic is neat until the novelty wears off. If you are good at classic platformers, the distractions only pose minor inconveniences. But if you aren’t, the loop of distractions becomes tedious.

Don’t get me wrong, the distractions are fun and an interesting mechanic. The interactions are quirky, silly, and there are some fun little easter eggs sprinkled throughout. My issue isn’t that there aren’t more kinds of interactions because that isn’t feasible. My issue has to do with my skill level. Because I am not good at platforming, the interactions become an annoying taunt that got worse the longer I was trapped in the level. If you are good at platformers, this might not be an issue.

As Dot, you get to travel into the game and fix bugs. The world is vibrant, colorful, and cool. But as I mentioned before, once the novelty wears off, the gameplay feels a bit one note. Dot walks around the game world, shooting enemies and breaking pots. It isn’t a bad experience, but there isn’t anything special to it either. Combat is point-and-shoot, the movement is slow, and while I appreciate the humor involved in the melee attack, it isn’t any more fun. It’s okay for the first few minutes, but nothing that you should be rushing to try.

The boss fights are where this game earns some of its charms back. Boss fights start with playing a classic Atari title that will suddenly turn to life in a cool AR-like experience. Now players must beat a special level of the game by defeating the evil Cyblin Lord at the end. This introduces new mechanics. Players must control Dot through the level while dealing with real-world obstacles. For example, on one level, players have to throw paper balls at the boss while controlling Dot. I appreciate the creativity of the boss fights, but I wish the rest of the game had this level of energy.

It’s hard to recommend because once the novelty of the experience wears off, the game falls flat. The graphics are great, the music is fantastic, and the game runs smoothly, but the gameplay isn’t there for me. As platformers go, unless you have nostalgia for the Atari era, it isn’t great. As a VR experience, it has its moments, but there are certainly better titles. It isn’t a bad game, but it isn’t something I would be rushing to.

You can pick up for the Meta Quest, Steam VR, and PlayStation VR on June 16.