Tag Archives: best Oculus games

Order Up game screenshot courtesy Steam

Top 5 Oculus Releases – July 6th-20th – From Whimsical to Scary and In-Between

Another two-week list, our top Oculus releases from mid-July include a variety of games for all platforms, from innovative horror games to whimsical puzzles.

GNOG

from KO_OP

GNOG game screenshot courtesy Oculus
GNOG – screenshot courtesy Oculus

Originally released on mobile platforms but now optimized for VR, GNOG is a whimsical and award-winning puzzle game inspired by real-world toy designs.

Combining the surreal playfulness of games like Machinarium – each of its nine levels involves solving puzzles within a giant toy head – with an art style that evokes Loot Rascals as well as contemporary design brands like GAMAGO, this release is tactile enough to feel “real” but so kooky that virtual space is its perfect delivery mechanism.

Oculus Rift | 2 GB | $9.99 from Oculus or from Steam
Oculus Go | 1.03 GB | $4.99 from Oculus
Gear VR | 1.03 GB | $4.99 from Oculus

Stifled

from Gattai Games

Stifled game screenshot courtesy Steam
Stifled – screenshot courtesy Steam

Winning multiple awards at game shows in Asia, Stifled is a stealth horror game that relies on a fairly unique echolocation mechanic: in order to discover your surroundings, you need to make sound using your microphone. The more noise you make, though, the more you broadcast your location to unseen horrors stalking you in the darkness…

This is a cross-platform game that doesn’t have to be played in VR, but the extra immersion makes things all the more terrifying.

Oculus Rift | 6 GB | $19.99 from Oculus or from Steam

NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism

from Hyphen-Labs

NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism game screenshot courtesy Oculus
NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism – screenshot courtesy Oculus

An interactive film combining cyberpunk science fiction with commentary on the African-American experience – and in particular the connection between hair and identity – NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism has been featured at the likes of the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW and the Tribeca Film Festival.

It’s also free on all Oculus platforms, so even if you don’t have an immediate personal connection to the subject matter, there’s no excuse not to check this out.

Oculus Rift | 1.6 GB | FREE from Oculus
Oculus Go | 452 MB | FREE from Oculus
Gear VR | 452 MB | FREE from Oculus

Bring to Light

from Red Meat Games

Bring to Light game screen shot courtesy Steam
Bring to Light – screen shot courtesy Steam

Solve 3D light puzzles a la The Talos Principle as hideous monstrosities stalk you through abandoned subway tunnels in a game that will stress both your brain and your heart rate.

That last bit is literal, by the way – if you’ve got a compatible heart rate monitor, Bring to Light can actually use your heart rate data to adjust the intensity of its scares!

Oculus Rift | 6 GB | $19.99 from Steam

Order Up

from Gambit Games Studio, LLC

Order Up game screenshot courtesy Steam
Order Up – screenshot courtesy Steam

If you’re a fan of the frantic multi-tasking of restaurant simulators and cooking games, Order Up should tickle your taste buds, so to speak.

Adding to the stress of getting your meals put together right and keeping your diners happy, this designed for room scale, so make sure to put on your hairnet – all that running around will have you sweating.

Oculus Rift | $11.99 from Steam

Budget Cuts game feature image courtesy Steam

Top 5 Oculus Releases – June 9th-15th – Sneaking and Watching

Stealth and murder are the watchwords for this week’s best Oculus releases, so solve murders, work your way through puzzles, and hide from robots with our top picks:

Budget Cuts

from Neat Corporation

Budget Cuts game screenshot courtesy Steam
Budget Cuts – screenshot courtesy Steam

The biggest release of the week, Budget Cuts combines stealth, robots and a satirical portrayal of corporate capitalism that reminds us a bit of Job Simulator with a side order of Sir, You Are Being Hunted.

Sneak around office environments while dodging the watchful eyes of the android H.R. department. Clever setting and obvious business world metaphors aside – the phrase “office drone” has never been quite so literal – Neat Corporation has created a solid stealth combat game for room scale VR.

Oculus Rift | 6.6. GB | $29.99 from Oculus or from Steam

Dead Body Falls

from Black River Studios

Dead Body Falls game screenshot courtesy Oculus
Dead Body Falls – screenshot courtesy Oculus

An excellent interactive story from Black River Studios, developers of last year’s thoughtful, science fiction-themed Angest, this murder mystery told from multiple perspectives is compelling and atmospheric with just a touch of David Lynch-inqpired weirdness.

Dead Body Falls is also totally free, so mobile VR users have no excuse whatsoever not to visit its haunted hotel hallways.

Oculus Go | 461 MB | FREE from Oculus
Gear VR | 46 MB | FREE from Oculus

Orb Labs, Inc.

from Next Friday Interactive

Orb Labs, Inc. game screenshot courtesy Steam
Orb Labs, Inc. – screenshot courtesy Steam

A futuristic stealth and puzzle game, Orb Labs, Inc. cleverly combines its puzzle-solving mechanic – throwing “orbs” to redirect and avoid laser defense systems – with its movement system to create an experience perfectly suited for VR.

Oculus Rift | 8 GB | $8.99 from Steam

Gunheart

from Drifter Entertainment

Gunheart game screenshot courtesy Steam
Gunheart – screenshot courtesy Steam

Now out of Early Access, Gunheart is an expansive multi-player action RPG. With its ugly aliens, multiple weapon modifications and high-speed combat – both co-op and PVP – it reminds us a little of Borderlands for VR.

Oculus Rift | 4 GB | $29.99 from Oculus or from Steam

My RC Buggy! VR

from Chun Y.

My RC Buggy! VR game screenshot courtesy Steam
My RC Buggy! VR – screenshot courtesy Steam

A low-priced RC car racing simulator from a one-man development project, My RC Buggy! VR stands out for its realism – customizing and assembling your cars part by tiny part is just as much a part of the experience as actually racing them.

Oculus Rift | 550 MB | $0.99 from Steam

Top 5 Oculus Releases – June 2nd-8th – Of Mice and Men

With all the big news coming out from E3, you might need a break to catch up with the week’s top five Oculus releases slipping in under the radar:

Moss

from Polyarc

Moss - screenshot courtesy Steam
Moss – screenshot courtesy Steam

The winner of multiple awards – including Best VR game at least year’s E3 – Moss is an action adventure involving an adorable mouse in a fantasy world.

Released last year for PSVR and out this week for Oculus Rift, this is a must-play, especially for fans of the Redwall books or comic series like Mouse Guard and Mice Templar.

Oculus Rift | 12 GB | $29.99 from Oculus or from Steam

Astraeus

from E McNeil

Astraeus - screenshot courtesy Steam
Astraeus – screenshot courtesy Steam

E McNeil is quickly developing a reputation for well executed, futuristic strategy games for VR. Astraeus continues that trajectory with minimalist neon graphics and polished RTS mechanics of previous releases like Skylight and Darknet, this time in service of a game about using drone fleets to mine asteroids.

Oculus Rift | 1 GB | $14.99 from Oculus or from Steam

Lila’s Tale

from Skullfish Studios

Lila's Tale - screenshot courtesy Oculus
Lila’s Tale – screenshot courtesy Oculus

Don’t be fooled by the images of dungeons and dragons; Lila’s Tale isn’t an RPG, but rather a beautiful puzzle adventure for mobile VR featuring cleverly designed puzzles, a gorgeous cut-out art style, and a charming story appropriate for all ages.

Oculus Go | 352 MB | $4.99 from Oculus
Gear VR | 352 MB | $4.99 from Oculus

Drops: Rhythm Garden

from Particle Inc.

Drops: Rhythm Garden - screenshot courtesy Steam
Drops: Rhythm Garden – screenshot courtesy Steam

VR is an ideal method of teaching non-musicians about musical concepts, as Drops: Rhythm Garden does with polyphonic rhythm. Use a series of shapes and sounds designed by DJ and remix artist Patrick Russell and avant-garde composer and guitarist Patrick Higgins to create intricate rhythms within a meditative semi-abstract landscape.

Oculus Rift | 500 MB | $6.99 from Oculus or from Steam

Funny Farm

from VRtual Games

Funny Farm - screenshot courtesy Oculus
Funny Farm – screenshot courtesy Oculus

Previously released for Oculus Rift, the pastoral mini-games on offer from Funny Farm seem particularly well-suited to the more casual platform of mobile VR.

Oculus Go | 197 MB | $1.99 from Oculus
Gear VR | 197 MB | $1.99 from Oculus