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
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
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
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
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
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