September 2020’s Best Releases for the Oculus Quest
Now that we know the Quest will be discontinued for its younger, sleeker, cheaper successor, creatively named the…uh…Quest 2, this almost seems like a fruitless exercise. But we can console (no pun intended) ourselves with the fact that there are roughly 700,000(source) Quest users out there, hungry for new fodder.
Cubism
by Thomas Van Bouwel
Release Date: September 17th, 2020
Essentially a series of Tetris-like puzzles in 3D, Cubism scratches that itch for puzzles that are both thought-provoking and relaxing.
The compulsive need to fit blocks together will have you “playing” this on your inner eyelids as you’re falling asleep, long after you’ve taken off your headset and put your controllers away, but the clean, pastel color scheme and gentle piano score will keep you relaxed enough that your waking Cubism dreams will be a pleasant experience, not a lingering effect of psychological trauma.
Falcon Age
by Outerloop Games
Release Date: September 3rd, 2020
Falcon Age was a pretty cool indie game release, but it clearly always wanted to be a VR title. That has now become…er…reality. We love the story, the setting and the central concept here. As a young revolutionary on a dying planet, it’s your job to fight against the oppressors and bring freedom to your people.
It’s not all grim and political, though, because you have a bird friend, and you can put a hat on the bird!
In all seriousness, Falcon Age really does do a wonderful job combining cute bits – the falcon uses her beak to put the hat on! Sometimes she also wears glasses! – with sci-fi Western robot-fighting action, and the combat, which involves both falconry and an electric whip, is more innovative and interesting than the typical double-wielded pistol VR developers usually settle for. Also, learning increasingly nuanced behaviors that you can teach or understand about your Falcon creates what feels like a true relationship with the avatar.
Sphere Toon – VR Comic
by Studio HORANG
Release Date: September 10th, 2020
Just in time for Halloween, Sphere Toon is here to offer you loads of scares. This free program acts as a platform for the animated supernatural horror comics of Studio HORANG in Korea.
There are currently eight short, sweet web-comics available in English, weighted toward ghost stories with titles like Ok-Su Station Ghost, Bongcheong-Dong Ghost and Ghost in Masung Tunnel, plus loads more Korean-language material.
Holopoint: Oculus Edition
by Alzan Studios
Release Date: September 10th, 2020
Holopoint was a game that we returned to over and over again on the now-venerable HTC Vive. Now, on the tether-less Quest, it all makes so much more sense.
If Beat Saber is a physically active game with Star Wars influences, Holopoint takes things back to one of George Lucas’s original Jedi inspirations: the venerable Samurai epic. In fact it predates Beat Saber!
You’ll barely have time to appreciate the minimalist but beautifully presented Kyudo dojo, though, because you’ll be firing arrow after arrow, hoping to defend yourself against that last wave of swordsmen before keeling over with exhaustion.
Void Racer: Extreme
by Coplanar Games
Release Date: September 17th, 2020
Look no further than Void Racer: Extreme to get your fix of arcade hoverbike racing action…if you’ve got the legs for it.
Inspired by franchises like Wipeout and F-Zero, Void Racer features over a hundred levels, a dozen tracks – with individual comfort ratings, if you’re the type who gets motion-sick while riding hoverbikes – plus multi-player modes.
And of course, there are weapons to take out rival racers, if speed alone isn’t quite giving you the adrenaline rush you need.
What were your favorite new Quest releases in September 2020? What did you think about Facebook Connect? Will you buy a Quest 2? So many questions….
