Gaming is one of those industries that’s full of fads. Things seem like a really good idea for about five minutes then get completely forgotten about as soon as the next half-baked appears. These can be anything from collectible figures that spend more time sitting on your shelf than they do connected to your console (if you don’t know what an Amibo is you didn’t miss much) to the Kinect: all of it. Every now and again, though, one of these ideas goes above and beyond and turns into a staple that with a little nurturing will only get better. In this particular case, I’m referring to VR and all the wonderful things that can still be done with it. Today we’ll be looking at Carly and the Reaperman: Escape from the Underworld. This game looks really cool, especially if you like playing with your mates.
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Carly and the Reaperman: Escape from the Underworld is a co-operative VR game from Odd Raven studio and Perp Games, coming physically to PSVR on March 6th here in the EU. Those of you thinking that a co-op VR title sounds somewhat expensive with the need for a second headset and all must fret not. There will only be one player in VR land at a time while their companion plays along in good old fashioned real reality. If, like me, you have a healthy aversion to people you can play on your own too, so no problems there.
In this puzzle-platformer, you’ll find yourself changing roles between the titular Carly and the block building and throwing Reaperman. The two of you will need to avoid pitfalls, solve puzzles and build your way through various obstacles if you are to survive your fifty level adventure and escape the underworld.
Something that makes this game particularly cool is that those of you playing in multi-player will see something entirely different. What is going on in the VR helmet for the player assuming the role of Reaperman will not be the same as what’s occurring for Carly on the TV screen. This obviously means you’ll have to work together to succeed. This will involve rotating levels, gathering cubes and planks for stacking and earning collectibles along the way.
It’s nice to see a VR game where co-operative play isn’t just an afterthought, rather something that’s encouraged if not vital. There are several ways to complete a level and co-operation and out of the box thinking is something that’s rewarded.
Of the announcement of Carly and the Reaperman: Escape from the Underworld‘s physical release Johan Högfeldt said, “Doing a physical release of Carly and the Reaperman is truly a childhood dream come true! If you add the fact that we were doing it with Perp Games, who have a long and successful history of launching VR games on the physical market, we couldn’t be happier. We hope that this will allow more people to discover the magic of sharing a VR adventure with someone else.“
Rob Edwards of Perp games loves the emphasis of co-operative VR play in Carly and the Reaperman and stated, “Working together to solve puzzles with increased difficulty and new challenges emerging, Carly and the Reaperman is an exciting example of how effective co-operative gaming can be in Virtual Reality, and we’re delighted to be working with Odd Raven on their groundbreaking debut title.“
Personally, I’m a big VR fan and this looks like something I’d like to have on my PS4. Even better … I can play along with my friends without having to look at them. The world is full of little bonuses. Those of you who, like me, think owning a copy isn’t such a bad idea won’t have long to wait.
