During our last VR Game Roundup, there were a few interesting games highlighted including some new rhythm games, cooking game Rags to Dishes, and Off the Chains Disc Golf. This week is once again on the slower side, although for what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. While there aren’t that many games to highlight, PowerBeatsVR is one of the most interesting fitness titles to be released in 2020 and sure to be a new mainstay in the genre, plus there are new Star Wars and Tarzan games as well.
PowerBeatsVR
Kicking off this week’s VR Game Roundup is PowerBeatsVR, which is finally leaving Early Access. This active rhythm game has been a favorite of ours before it was fully out and now it’s even more polished and feature-rich. New features include a second sound pack adding 12 songs, a sky environment, playlist support, and endless & endurance modes that give you more replayability than ever before. It’s also just $11.99 on Steam for the next five days, so definitely pick it up before the sale ends.
Fitness Potential
While many VR fitness games only really work out your arms, PowerBeatsVR targets your entire body. You will be punching objects, ducking, and doing squats to dodge obstacles, so you will be using every inch of yourself. With multiple difficulty modes and 50 custom-designed workouts, this has everything you could want in a fitness game.
The rhythm game was a finalist in three of our 2019 VR Fitness Awards including Best VR Fitness Game of the Year, Best New VR Fitness Game of the Year, and Best Arm Workout VR Fitness Game of the Year, so there’s no doubt that it’s an excellent workout
Developer and Publisher: Five Mind Creations
Release Date: November 18, 2020
Compatible With: Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality
Price: $11.99 ($19.99)
Link: Steam, Oculus Store
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge
The most high-profile release of the week is Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge, which is exclusive to Oculus Quest. This action-adventure features some recognizable and iconic characters like R2-D2 and C-3PO, plus some villains to go up against. There are different missions to go on and even Yoda appears. You’ll get to enjoy Galaxy’s Edge, which is based upon the Disney theme park attraction, and travel to Batuu to participate in your own Star Wars adventure.
Fitness Potential
While this isn’t the most active game, the combat sections can be quite eventful. There’s plenty of environmental coverage to use for ducking and squats, plus you can punch enemies to get some cardio boxing in as well. It’s recommended you play on the hard difficulty so you have to focus more on dodging enemy attacks in order to stay active. For even more on how you can get a workout in by playing Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge, check out VR Fitness Insider’s in-depth review.
Developer and Publisher: ILMxLAB and Disney Electronic Content, Inc.
Release Date: November 19, 2020
Compatible With: Oculus Quest
Price: $24.99
Link: Oculus Store
Tarzan VR – “The Great Ape” and “The Jagged Edge”
The first two episodes of Tarzan VR are out with a third concluding episode set to release soon. You’ll get to play as the famous ape-man and explore the jungle in this VR adventure. You’ll get to swing around the dense environment, fight enemies with multiple weapons, and climb & swim around the world as you attempt to rescue Jane. From early reviews, the gameplay is pretty fun but the overall package is light on content. So it might be worth waiting for the third episode and a price cut to arrive before jumping in if you dig Tarzan.
Fitness Potential
Due to how short the game is it doesn’t seem like the greatest workout since it can be completed in just 20 minutes. While visually impressive, the arm movements are quite simple and combat is said to be rather sloppy, so replayability doesn’t seem all that high. A patch might be able to save this with episode three, but this might be better off avoiding in its current state.
Developer and Publisher: Stonepunk Studios and Fun Train
Release Date: November 17, 2020
Compatible With: Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality
Price: $14.99 for “The Great Ape,” $9.99 for “The Jagged Edge”
Link: Steam
That will finish up this week’s VR Game Roundup. Let us know in the comments if you are picking up PowerBeatsVR or any other releases this week.
