The creepy ambiance of POOLS will see official VR assist later this 12 months on Steam.
The challenge from Tensori carries “overwhelmingly constructive” current critiques and the sport’s writer reached out to UploadVR with information of the discharge window for the VR model on PC. The group revealed at the moment with UploadVR that POOLS VR is coming later this 12 months. We premiered a trailer on the UploadVR YouTube channel and requested the builders for an announcement about their general intent.
On Steam, POOLS is described as “an artwork gallery the place you go searching and hearken to the sounds. There are only a few issues to unravel, virtually just a few mazes. Typically the sport can problem your navigation abilities. However principally you are simply… there.”
Whereas visiting POOLS would possibly create a sense of unease in gamers, the builders are cautious to notice there aren’t any monsters or leap scares within the challenge, although “the sport can really feel oppressive.”
“POOLS performs on fears of getting misplaced, the darkish, and tight areas.”
POOLS launched extensively on Steam in April this 12 months and was adopted by a Steam Deck replace in June, together with a collaboration with indie sport label UNIKAT.
I requested POOLS’ builders what it was like to truly go ‘there’ for the primary time in a VR headset. This is the assertion from three of the creators despatched to us over e-mail:
Antti: I personally think about POOLS largely an train in ambiance. Since there are nearly no conventional gameplay components, we may focus nearly solely on the ambiance itself = producing a really immersive expertise, stuffed with element and distinction. And the sound design; the quantity of effort we spent on footstep sounds alone is lots, I imply completely different toes, completely different surfaces, stairs, completely different depths of water, room dimension and so forth produce barely completely different sounds, and as well as there’s refined randomness to it too. When preserve pondering in the identical course – what may we probably do to push this immersion / ambiance even additional? VR looks as if a logical conclusion.
Sami: Throughout the preliminary VR exams for this sport, I used to be most impressed by how VR enhances the dimensions of the environments. VR felt like an apparent and a pure extension of the sport and for the sensation of being current. As to why carry the sport to VR? For me personally, one in all my objectives in sport improvement is to construct and launch a VR sport. I’m a fan of VR gaming. Bringing POOLS to VR was an awesome alternative to build up new abilities and experiences. Our sport additionally felt like an ideal match for VR – each as a sport and as our first check case of VR improvement. Additionally, our gamers have been asking for VR ever since we launch our demo earlier than the sport has come out.
Joni: After I first time hopped within the VR mode, Sami had already been working with it for a short time so I obtained to attempt the just about totally practical model. I keep in mind simply pondering that the VR mode actually is its personal full expertise and I genuinely need to play it even after all of the hours spent taking part in and testing POOLS. It offers the sport an all new really feel.
You possibly can try POOLS now on Steam for extra data and the challenge is listed as on the way in which for PlayStation VR2 headsets as nicely.
