"Zen AR gaming experience" about respecting the environment while also dodging hellish numbers of bullets.
April 27, 2022
[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Game Developer and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press]
Author: Valo Motion
New tracking technology makes this modern “under-the-sea” take on the original “bullet hell” dodging video games a new possibility for AR climbing walls
Helsinki, Finland (April 27th, 2022) Valo Motion’s ValoClimb has launched its first AR climbing wall game this year called Plankton. In it, players navigate an undersea fantasy world in which they help a vulnerable sea creature navigate dangerous passing creatures.
“A lot of our VR climbing games are high action and intensity. We wanted to create something a bit different that brings you into deep focus mode while you’re also getting exercise. This gives the game more of a zen feeling than you would get from many traditional AR gaming experiences. One of our goals at Valo Motion is to get people to enjoy movement, and also to provide a variety of different types of experiences for different kinds of players, people, and mindsets.” says Raine Kajastila, CEO of Valo Motion.
Developers were inspired to create a new type of AR climbing game experience. They liked the idea of building the climber’s confidence, tackling new technology, and encouraging respect for the environment.
“The game was originally designed due to a love of old school style “bullet hell” video games like Ikaruga, The Touhou Series, and Cuphead. We thought it would be fun to bring this kind of concept to the climbing wall, but up until recently, we didn’t have the technology to make it happen. The new tracking technology follows the player's head smoothly, and this means our vision could become a reality. The game is not only fun to play, but also fun to watch. To the viewer, it looks really hard. However, from the player’s perspective, it is actually manageable. So we also liked the idea of creating something confidence-boosting that looks almost impossible to the viewer, yet the player manages.” Says game developer, Lassi Vapaakallio.
Viral videos of ValoClimb have reached over 200 million views and have been featured by popular media all over the world. ValoClimb games were played over 2.5 million times during 2021.
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