Island 359
This is your opportunity to get dropped on an island to shoot and kick some serious dinosaur tail. Find loot drops and collect guns, bats, fire and anything you can get your hands on to kill raptors, stegos, triceratops, and the mighty T-Rex. Use Vive Trackers for full body tracking with this game, especially if you’re a VR caster.
Fitness Potential
Island 359 is a room scale and first-person action and adventure shooter that can also be viewed in the 3rd person. Swinging around melee weapons as you fight prehistoric reptiles is going to give you an upper body workout, while lunging and squatting or even fighting and making your way around a 6-mile island in Survival Mode is going to work your bottom half.
If you like action VR games that will have you using weapons for exercise try playing: DMD Mars Mission and SURV1V3.
Developer/Publisher: CloudGate Studio, Inc.
Release Date: February 26, 2018
Compatible with: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, tracked controllers, and Vive Trackers
Price: $19.99 to $24.99
Link: Island 359
Blasters of the Universe: VR Bullet Hell
Blasters of the Universe is getting it’s PSVR release this week after already having a Vive/Oculus release on Steam in August 2017. This first-person shooter will equip you with over 130,000 weapon combinations as bullets rain down and you take on a virtual overlord.
Fitness Potential
Shooting at mechanized baddies that are shooting waves of bullets at you in different shapes, speeds, and locations is going to work the upper body. Dodging out of the way of bullets and other attack traps is going to be great for your legs and core. Playing their changing Challenge Mode will shake things up if you’re looking for something fresh. Wear a weighted vest for additional drag that can fire up the metabolism.
Are action packed first person shooters your jam? Play: Superhot VR, REGENESIS Arcade DELUXE, and Holopoint.
Developer/Publisher: Secret Location/Archiact Interactive Ltd.
Release Date: February 27, 2018
Compatible with: PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, with tracked controllers
Price: $14.99 to $13.49
Link: Blasters of the Universe: VR Bullet Hell, Blasters of the Universe: VR Bullet Hell
Throw Anything
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=26&v=HKQQyhzj4aw
The title says everything! Pick up anything, including a Nintendo Switch, and throw it out the window or at whomever and whatever you want. There’s going to be some zombies, monsters, and even some fight scenes that require you to shoot. Have a rough day and want to blow off some steam? Have a great day and want to laugh? Throw stuff and destroy zombies while you’re at it.
Fitness Potential
This is a dominant upper body game from all the effort behind throwing motions. Wearing weighted gloves could beef up the intensity of the game and give virtual objects some weight as well. With 5 stages, 4 mid-bosses, and 5 impressive main bosses to throw stuff in, there’s a ton of fun to be had! Throw Anything is a fun and silly introductory game to share with beginning VR users.
Wanna get out frustration and get some exercise in? Try out: Rage Room, Knockout League, and BOX VR.
Developer/Publisher: Visual light
Release Date: February 28, 2018
Compatible with: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, with tracked controllers
Price: $16.99 (Early Access)
Link: Throw Anything
Hyper Arena VR
This PvP (player vs. player) and multiplayer VR and esport game will have you throwing, hitting and dodging virtual orbs/balls against other players in live competition. Once in the arena you’ll be using weapons like disc launchers and blasters with special power-ups to enhance your attack. 2 balls will be bouncing around at the same time, so keep an eye on yours!
Fitness Potential
Throwing orbs/balls back and forth and blocking before your challenger hits you and racks up hit points is going to work the upper body. Ducking and dodging the oncoming attacks is going to activate the lower body and core. Playing in single player mode can improve your overall gameplay and fitness if you wear a weighted vest, so game time isn’t so difficult.
Want to throw or hit around virtual orbs/balls in a VR sport for exercise? Check out these active titles and experiences: Sparc, Racket: NX, and HADO (Mixed Reality).
Developer/Publisher: Hyperbook Studio/Blue Technology Sp. z o.o.
Release Date: March 2, 2018
Compatible with: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, with tracked controllers
Price: $Unavailable
Link: Hyper Arena VR
Tombo Breaker VR
Tombo Breaker is a first-person action and parkour around a dungeon game. Scale walls, jump off and fight ghoulish bad guys looking to kill you. Use a sword to slice and maim skeletons and guns to shoot them. Avoid falling into spike pits or making a wrong turn into some lava.
Fitness Potential
Gameplay demos online show players swinging their arms and moving in the game. Their Steam page does not say this or much about the game as a whole which makes me think that this is actually an Early Access game. If players can move in Tombo Breaker by moving their arms this would be a good fitness game. The climbing or “parkour” lends itself to upper body conditioning, while dodging arrows and sword/shield attacks will target the legs and core.
Are dungeon and combat VR games something you want to play more of? Play: In Death, Crypt Hunter, and Sword Master VR.
Developer/Publisher: CentVire
Release Date: February 27, 2018
Compatible with: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, with tracked controllers
Price: $9.99
Link: Tombo Breaker VR
Yozakura Wizard VR
You’re on a mission to save Japan from demonic forces and spirits that you need to defeat and then seal inside weapons. You’ll use your wizardry to collect different weapons like a magical amulet, bow and arrow, and sword and then use those weapons to defeat large monsters. Slowing down time in Yozakura Mode and attacking the enemy will give you a precision advantage over them.
Fitness Potential
Using the sword and bow and arrow are going to give you the most upper body exercise here (if you put in the speed and force), while using the amulet will not. Dodging and maneuvering away from attacks in room scale will work the lower body and core, but using teleport will take away from this.
Is slicing and taking names your VR exercise go to? Try out these games: GORN, Conquer, and Zanshin.
Developer/Publisher: ProntiatVR
Release Date: March 2, 2018
Compatible with: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, with tracked controllers
Price: $Unavailable
Link: Yozakura Wizard VR