Earlier than moving into my Rival Stars Horse Racing: VR Version demo at Gamescom this 12 months, I am going to admit that I wasn’t the largest fan of horses. They’re huge, scary and unsurprisingly very sturdy, so I couldn’t perceive why individuals exit of their method to journey them. Nonetheless, after spending time with these monstrously-sized creatures in digital actuality, I’m lastly beginning to see their attraction.
Based mostly on the PC and Cell sport Rival Stars, the VR Version adapts many current techniques like breeding and coaching. As an alternative of tapping a display screen or clicking a mouse, you step proper into the saddle and interact different riders throughout a sequence of high-intensity race programs. Success within the subject rewards you with money, which you’ll feed again into your ranch and develop your four-legged household. This easy system feels nicely suited to VR resulting from its grounded themes, and exploring the small however well-designed cartoonish grounds of my fake farm is surprisingly stress-free. The mushy soundscape stands out, due to its soothing winds and chicken calls.
I can’t benefit from the sunshine perpetually, although; inevitably, it is time to face my fears and see a horse up shut. The stature of the digital foal instantly struck me upon getting into the barn. Regardless of the environment trying so static, I am pleasantly stunned by how lifelike my new steed is with its waggling ears and random snorts.
Getting into the pen greets me with numerous grooming and snacking items that I can optionally use to construct the connection between the creature and myself. Naturally, I fed them apples till cute hearts appeared, signifying that my horse acquaintance was now my horse buddy. In these moments, Rival Stars Horse Racing: VR Version jogged my memory of early ’00s video games like Barbie Horse Adventures and Nintendogs, which leverage the liberty of digital pet possession with honest bond-building. Whereas they work advantageous on a flat display screen, I really feel unusually current with my horse in digital actuality. Tending to their wants and indulging within the meditative means of brushing down their coat is a delight.
With the horse fed and its hair brushed, I headed for the monitor and used our new bond to my profit. Traversal all through the farm makes use of approachable teleportation however racing is fluid locomotion. You are feeling every flip and pace increase because the visuals contained in the headset mimic the horse’s movement. Whereas ready for the race buzzer, I took a couple of minutes to be taught the fundamentals of jockeyship. Gaining pace requires you to grip the controllers and waggle your arms up and down.
This agency grip is important to filling up the increase gauge, which requires aggressively rocking the controllers forwards and backwards. Steering is fortunately easy, pulling again with my left or proper arm to tug the reins in my desired path. Quickly sufficient, I belted out the beginning gates and regardless of my coaching, I started flailing like a wacky inflatable tube man, gasping and grooving to get forward of my opponents. Regardless of my goofy, overexcited strategy, Rival Stars’ motion techniques finally really feel intuitive as my physicality blends with the visible shift between a tempered trot and a fierce gallop.
Cross Nation maps are way more precision-focused, courtesy of tight corners and dressage-esque obstacles. Right here, I struggled in opposition to the pure pull of my steed as I gained the pace wanted to make the mandatory calculated jumps and turns. Wrestling my horse for management will be annoying, although the sensation of resistance made the expertise of touchdown jumps extra reliable and rewarding.
One apart price mentioning, although, is that whereas I’ve earned my VR sea legs, the fast-paced and immersive traversal in Rival Stars did garner small bouts of nausea. With out an alternate motion fashion for the racing portion of the sport, the depth of Rival Stars Horse Racing: VR Version may take some getting used to when you’re susceptible to movement illness.
As my time with Rival Stars got here to an in depth, I dove into the breeding portion of the sport, which helps you to match up horses by shade and talent to create bespoke foals that match your wants. Inside 30 seconds of creating my very own choice, a child horse materialized earlier than me, and I discovered myself besotted with the pint-sized racer. This facet remains to be a piece in progress, so solely time will inform how these techniques can develop. Whereas lovely, it is unclear how they’ll work within the full sport, particularly contemplating issues like useful resource administration.
It’s nonetheless early days for Rival Stars Horse Racing: VR Version, however there’s a lot to like already. The brilliant pastoral world is quaint and rendered fastidiously, summoning a becoming panorama for tending to horses, and this mixture of ranching and nurturing duties creates a surprisingly stress-free environment. The spotlight was, in fact, the racing, which, regardless of any bouts of movement illness on my half, felt approachable resulting from its easy management scheme. I’m eager to return to the saddle and take a look at my luck once more quickly.
Rival Stars Horse Racing: VR Version is coming to PC VR and the Meta Quest platform in Q2 2025. It is also confirmed for Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional.
