INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
gaming community and keeping that niche (mostly) happy
While a couple of big titles have gotten some halfway-decent ports to VR, for the most part VR users are confined to whatever indies can
build or whatever Oculus can fund.BigBox VR has been trying to capture attention in the space by not building solo adventures that lead
from GSR Ventures and Pioneer Square Labs Ventures
The team at BigBox VR got its start with a cartoonish shooter title called Smashbox Arena; the small team has been really interested in
I got my ass kicked a couple times, but then they let me win at some point, which I admit I was pretty okay with.To say the game shares some
similarities with Fortnite is an understatement
Not only is it a battle royale title with a shrinking environment, but certain mechanics like gliding in at the beginning to scrounge for
That being said, battle royale titles have exploded in the wake of PUBG and they seem to all share a lot among each other
For BigBox, VR is the distinguishing feature, with motion controls and the general feeling that everything is life-sized and in your
control.To be honest, a lot of it really does work
Every surface in the game is climbable (by physically grabbing surfaces with the controllers and then doing the arm-work to scale) but more
fluid than teleporting around
There are certainly mechanics which could have felt smoother, but this is a private beta game with a lot of room to finesse
One of the really powerful things about the game was what happened after I was repeatedly sniped and killed off early on in the first couple
There are companies in the VR space working exclusively on this, but for a gaming audience obsessed with streamers, adapting traditional
games with a VR spectating workflow or doing so natively seems like a huge opportunity.Battle royale games remain white-hot, and VR game
studios have been trying to find the right way to get a slice of the pie
Perhaps the key is knowing where to innovate while also realizing that the multi-platform grandiose of Fortnite has yet to find its way to
VR, so maybe finding a title that scratches that itch is the best place to start.
