How indie games developers are trying to give a new dimension to VR.

A sequence of Johnny Mnemonic movie (1995).

All the VR devices launching this spring are marketed to reach the “WoW effect”. It’s the easiest way to convince the players that virtual reality is a real disruptive technology — more than 3D televisions, connected watches… And as the price will probably be high to get a virtual headset (if your are not into Google cardboard), Oculus, Sony and HTC have to justify it.

Same old recipes for a new piece of hardware launch... The first games using VR headsets will be polished technical demos. And if “immersion” is the key word, prepare yourself to see hundreds of rollercoaster games and thousands of adrenaline-based horror stories.

And finally, successful developers on mobiles or consoles wiIl also try to port their games on these news platforms. That can, of course, make sense, the game can get a real gameplay upgrade sometimes. But when a game like Temple Run is on Oculus Rift, it’s hard to see how innovative it can be…

Maybe, that is what the player wants, when he comes to his new virtual store : adrenaline and “new” versions of old games… Maybe not… Fortunately, some game developers try to find new ways of using virtual realities.

Super Hot, will be released at the end of february. The first prototype of this low poly game, litteraly based on the “bullet time” effect, was created during a 7DFPS jam, in 2013. The an Oculus version of the game was available at Amaze festival in Berlin and at the E3 of Los Angeles, the following year. It seems more than a commercial opportunity as the slow motion gameplay is really enhanced with the headset.

For some studios, investing in virtual reality can be a strategic move to attract early adopters. After their success on mobile devices with Monument Valley, Ustwo decided to go VR, with Land’s End. If the player will have to solve puzzles, the creators insist on the storytelling.

For some developpers, it’s also important to bring new themes. Oculus organized a game jam a few months ago, and some interesting projects emerged. For example, the game developer Louis Eveillard prototyped Panopticon “a warden simulation”. He’s also the creator of Along the trail, making the player navigate through his own personal datas... With no classical interface and it’s black and white aesthetics, Naissancee for its part, wants to break the codes of immersion.

Virtual reality can also bring new playing modes : and not only because some games are compatibles with remote controllers. It’s a mistake to think that VR headset are only useful for first person games.

See the HTC Vive’s version of Fantastic Contraptions. At the beginning, this fun construction game was available in the browser. With the VR headset, the game gets a new dimension. When the player try to solve the puzzles, his moves can be watched on a screen. So this game can also be seen as a performance by the other people surrounding him.

With Disconnected, Thorsten Wiedemann, organizer of Amaze festival, went further, using virtual reality as an artistic performance : he stayed 48 hours in a virtual world.

With popular tools among indie developers, like the game engine Unity, supporting VR, we should see a lot of new innovative games. The question is : can the business models be the same as on mobile or console platforms ? The creator of the game Darknet chose to temporarily give his game for free, as the payment system wasn’t fully implemented on the virtual store. “It’s a risky game for a risky platform with a risky launch strategy”, explained his creator, E. McNeill on Polygon.