Phinnegan’s Factory Launches in VR!
It’s no secret that the beating heart of the VR/AR movement started pumping several decades ago, and that it all began with video games in mind. From Sega’s Master System 3D glasses in the early 1980’s, to Nintendo’s Virtual Boy back in 1995 — VR has been in the woodworks for a long time before it could take the shape we see it in today. The Oculus Rift didn’t pop into existence in a vacuum.
Games too, have come a long way since then. Given an injection of today’s technological advantages, a beautiful story can leave highly memorable experiences by having you, the player, influence the outcome of the story. If there’s any “The Last of Us” fans out there, you’ll know that games can have an impact, a meaning and a purpose, and that graphics is only one side of the coin when evaluating the quality of an experience.
Let’s be honest folks. A large number of these first-generation VR games while impressive, have a tendency to feel a little rough around the edges. Today we will take a look at a game that is everything but!
Phinnegan’s Factory
On the 28th of July, the Oklahoma-based developer studio Steelehouse released their anticipated “Phinnegan’s Factory” game.
It successfully utilizes the technological benefits of VR with a surprisingly high production-value, almost similar to that of traditional top-grossing PC/Console franchises.
Phinnegan’s Factory is a polished shooter game that brings great gameplay to the table, adds beautiful cel-shaded graphics to the mix, and tops it all off with a unique atmospheric touch. The visuals of the concept in particular is off the charts. The artists behind the game sure knew what they were doing. Let’s hope we get to see more from them soon.
Phinnegan’s Factory is built for the HTC Vive, and demands some room for you to really get into it. To get an optimal experience out of this, the developers recommend that you use a play area of at least 2m x 2m.
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Even though this gem has only been in development a few months (since April this year), it sure doesn’t looks or feels like it. The visuals of the game are well-polished, and thematically it aligns very much with the steampunk franchise that is Bioshock: Infinite.
“Phinnegan’s Factory is a frantically fun action shooter for the HTC Vive. Jump, dodge, duck and shoot your way through endless waves of mechanical monstrosities and multiple levels of madness.”
Features
- BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED — You’ll experience a immersive world that is wholly unique, both in tone and style. Every detail has been painted and placed for players to explore.
- FRANTICALLY FUN GAMEPLAY — This isn’t a game you can win by standing or sitting still. You’ll need to duck, dodge, shimmy and leap out of danger.
- DUAL GAME MODES (Coming Soon) — Once the game is complete, you will choose between two modes of gameplay. Endless Mode will pit you against wave after wave of enemies. Adventure Mode will provide multiple levels with objectives you must complete.
- COLLECTIBLE ART & UPGRADES (Coming Soon) — As you progress, you’ll unlock concept art or cosmetic items. You’ll also unlock more powerful devices to assist you in the Factory.
- LOCAL LEADERBOARDS — Everything is more fun with friends, especially winning.
- IMAGINATIVE ENEMIES — You will face waves of mechanized monstrosities. Every robot is unique in design and function — each enemy has its own attacks and weaknesses.
- EPIC BOSS ENCOUNTERS (Coming Soon) — Adventure Mode will introduce exciting encounters with giant bossbots. You’ll need your wits as much as your Farraday Model 53 to claim victory.
End Notes: VR Gaming — Where are we heading?
The video gaming community is the face behind an industry not to take lightly, and one that has a lot of financial power behind it. According to the Entertainment Software Association — In 2014, the industry sold over 135 million games and generated more than $22 billion in revenue.
More than half of those purchases, were digital downloads, meaning that they did not depend on a physical distributor to make the sale. What this means for businesses is that there’s a huge market for individuals and studios wanting to try to make games and experiences themselves. Combine that with the current surge of virtual and augmented reality technology, and you have the recipe for a market boom.
- Digi-Capital forecast that AR/VR could hit $120 billion revenue by 2020.
- In an article from Forbes, research firm Tractica proposes that more than 200 million consumer virtual reality head-mounted displays (HMDs) will be sold worldwide by 2020
- According to Bloomberg, China’s Virtual Reality Market will grow to $8.5 billion in revenue by 2020.
In summary: Our industry isn’t on it’s way out anytime soon. Stay tuned for more updates and insights here at VR Today Magazine.
What’s Next?
If you would like to learn more about SteeleHouse and “Steampuff: Phinnegan’s Factory” you can visit their website, check out their Facebook Page, Twitter Profile as well as their presence on YouTube.
