If there is one genre that Virtual Reality has really bonded well with, it’s horror.
The gameplay format really lends itself to fully experiencing the jump scares and immersive gore that horror is famous for. It’s no surprise really as horror has always been an early adopter of new technologies. Look back to the ’70s and ’80s when movies like “Andy Warhols: Flesh for Frankenstein” used 3D to see body parts and internal organs being thrown at the screen and then later Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3D which really tested the limits of the red and blue glasses.
Now that VR is more commercial thanks to user-friendly products like the Meta Quest 2 and Playstation VR we are seeing more and more horror experiences on the devices and that means the fun of being scared is even more immersive than ever before.
Some of the more notable titles are the VR Resident Evil games, Five Nights at Freddie’s, The Walking Dead and one of my favourites Hello Puppets (If you haven’t played this yet, its a really fun title that reminds me of the puppet episode of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off TV show “Angel” in Season 3 called “Smile Time“.
Grab Hello Puppets on Steam VR
Note: I play those Steam titles on my Meta Quest 2 via the wireless link.
About Afterlife VR
One title that is in development at the moment from the studio “Split Light” is Afterlife VR. The team say this “is a deeply immersive horror game that will let you experience the true essence of terror”.
Play as Adam Bernhard, a young rookie police officer on a routine night patrol, who receives a call that will change his life forever.
What is really lurking behind the door of a well-known mental facility, where Adam’s younger sister, Allison, was recently sent? Is there any connection between missing patients and hospital workers and the groundbreaking study about the Indigo Children phenomena?
Uncover the secrets hidden deep within the Black Rose mental hospital walls, where most of the patients pose a threat to themselves and to others. Look into the eyes of pure madness intrinsically linked with this place and its history.
Sounds familiar right? To me, it sounds like it has all the boxes ticked for a great horror experience. In a Mental Hospital with a Rookie Cop on night patrol, what could go wrong?
Be warned there is a strong mature content warning on this title. As the team puts it:
This Game may contain content not appropriate for all ages, or may not be appropriate for viewing: Frequent Violence or General Mature Content
Afterlife VR contains scenes of violence and blood:
– shooting at enemies,
– appearing blood when shooting,
– jumpscares,
– dead people and embryos,
– mutant animals
– bloody clothes of characters
– indoor blood
– ghosts and dark characters.
While the game is in development and available for a short time on early access, the full version is expected to launch with German, Spanish, Italian, French, and Russian translations, modified mechanics of escape from the ghost, enabling of find, collect, and storing the notes in player inventory, features/improvements suggested by players.
Afterlife VR is available to use on Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality.
A Bit about Split Light Studio
Split Light Studio specializes in creating VR movies and games, as well as 3D and 360 movies probably most known for their “Solar System” VR experience which is an educational VR journey through space. They are currently also working on a VR Pirate game.
