Garden of the Sea
Our planet is quickly dying and the place you’re currently living will probably end up uninhabitable. Fear not, however, because Garden of the Sea gives you an entire magical island to do with as you see fit. You’re free to gather resources in the water nearby, harvest plants, or interact with the cute critters you encounter. Want to spend an hour petting a cow? No one can tell you otherwise.
Fitness Potential
Garden of the Sea features many different gameplay mechanics with a variety of fitness interaction. The primary one you can do involves using your tools to harvest resources. You can till the soil to prepare it for planting, or chop down a try to gather its wood. You also have a planting device that you must aim properly in order to organize your seeds and eventually get beautiful crops.
Developer/Publisher: Neat Corporation
Release Date: June 10, 2019
Compatible With: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
Price: $5.99
Link: Garden of the Sea
Thieves of Gold
If you’re and tired of no-good pirates taking the treasure you’ve worked hard to collect, then try Thieves of Gold. Set on a treasure-filled island, you must defend the people from a king and his military hoping to take it for themselves. With your shooting skills and resolve, you can keep the treasure from falling into the wrong hands.
Fitness Potential
Thieves of Gold is a fast-paced shooter that makes use of the Vive Focus’ “six degrees of freedom.” This allows for a smooth gameplay experience, and with monsters and pirates charging toward you, you’ll need to be very fast with your weapons. Enemies will also appear in the air, demanding that you aim up, and you’ll have to spin around to see all targets.
Developer/Publisher: 陌聚互娱/Moju
Release Date: June 13, 2019
Compatible With: Vive Focus
Price: $4.90
Link: Thieves of Gold
Virtual Reality Emergency Response Sim
If you’re ever wanted to know what it’s like for emergency first-responders, then Virtual Reality Emergency Response Sim can do the job. Beginning in a fire station, you can speed to the site of an accident in your truck and begin addressing the emergency. Put out fires, cut open doors, and escape through a window after you’ve saved the day.
Fitness Potential
Virtual Reality Emergency Response Sim is a room-scale game that uses the tracked motion controls. To move through a window, you must stick your arms in from of you and grab onto the frame. These controllers are also used for aiming the hose to put out fires and for driving the truck and operating its buttons. You’ll need to use them for acquiring and putting on your gear ahead of time, as well.
Developer/Publisher: CodeBlue Entertainment
Release Date: June 12, 2019
Compatible With: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality
Price: $8.99 to $9.99
Link: Virtual Reality Emergency Response Sim
Shattered Lights is an atmospheric horror game – a classic genre for virtual reality – but it has a twist. The game’s world uses “non-Euclidean” geometry, which allows the game to simulate movement with you needing to use your controllers. It’s the latest step in turning the VR horror genre into something that can be far more terrifying than traditional gaming.
Fitness Potential
You need a large play area for Shattered Lights, because you will be physically moving around your play space to move in the game. With one arm, you’ll control a flashlight that is often your only source of vision in the game. The other can be used to interact with objects, such as switches or grates that can be dislodged. Your heart rate is also sure to be pumping from the scares, themselves.
Developer/Publisher: Team Morbid/Bred University of Applied Sciences
Release Date: June 11
Compatible With: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
Price: Free
Link: Shattered Lights
Swords of Gargantua (Full Release)
Available now after previously being in open beta, Swords of Gargantua delivers intense and frantic sword combat with other players. You can play with up to three others in online cooperative mode, or take on the baddies by yourself. Your eventual goal is to reach the titular Gargantua and eliminate him, but are you up to the formidable challenge? Despite technically releasing last week, we had to include it.
Fitness Potential
Swords of Gargantua uses haptic feedback to make its sword combat feel as engaging and realistic as possible. Your swings and clashes should feel like you’re actually wielding a sword, and there are dozens of weapons to use. With cross-platform support, you can enjoy it with more players, and Quest functionality means it can be played just about anywhere.
Developer/Publisher: Yomuneco Inc./gumi Inc.
Release Date: June 6, 2019
Compatible With: Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality
Price: $19.99
Link: Swords of Gargantua
