Develop:VR Announces Eight Games to Feature in First VR Indie Zone

Early Bird rate ends Friday 14 October

12 October: Develop:VR, a brand new one day B2B conference and expo dedicated to Virtual and Augmented Reality, today announced the eight games to be on display as part of the Indie Zone.

The Indie Zone is an area within the expo at Develop:VR showcasing some of the most exciting indie VR/AR projects around. Selected by three judges who are making huge strides in VR and AR development – Solomon Rogers (Rewind:VR), Sam Watts (Make Real) and Steve Jelly (Hammerhead VR) – these eight games were chosen based on a criteria that all the projects must be independently developed, that the studio is smaller than 12 members and the budget was less than £1 million.

“It was a tough decision to make being a judge for the Develop:VR Indie Showcase with so many excellent submissions with exciting, fun and technically competent titles to choose from,” commented Sam Watts.

“However we feel that the final selection gives a fantastic broad overview of a range of types of games available, with VR powering new experiences from genuine small teams without publishers or large-scale financial backing. I wish all the participants the best of luck and hope they have a great show!"

Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events added, “These eight projects demonstrate the high level of creativity the indie scene can bring to VR and AR projects. I’m really looking forward to testing this section on the expo floor.”

The shortlisted games for the Indie VR Zone (in no particular order):

The Circle by Manos Agianniotakis

The Circle is a 1st and 3rd Person VR game that utilises the yet unreleased Oculus Touch Controllers. The game is played through the eyes of Alex, a transgender woman recovering from a devastating transphobic attack.

Video Link: https://vimeo.com/183574370

Korix by StellarVR

Korix is a PlayStation VR title that places the player somewhere deep in space, fighting for race’s survival after their home world is destroyed. Korix is retro styled real-time strategy crossed with tower defense elements to provide old-school gameplay reminiscent of RTS's from the late 90's. Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2n6-f25QCc

Tin Hearts by Rogue Sun

In Tin Hearts the player takes on the spirit of a renowned yet reclusive toy maker, as he investigates the circumstances that led to his apparent death. This is done by helping magical toy soldiers navigate the rooms of an eccentric mansion - workshop and gather clues. Tin Hearts is Lemmings meets Pixar with a Tim Burton-esque aesthetic.

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-L8tMj-X0s

Ctrl by Breaking Fourth

Ctrl is a compelling drama which follows the story of a young gamer embroiled in a e-sports competition in the midst of a war at home.

Video Link: https://www.oculus.com/experiences/gear-vr/766782270092581/

Pierhead Arcade by Mechabit

Pierhead Arcade is a classic arcade simulator based in VR. Players can play any game in the arcade as many times as they want by themselves or invite friends into the arcade and play together. All games use intuitive 1:1 hand motion to play. Throw a ball by throwing it!

Video Link:

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Windlands by Psytec Games

A first person grappling hook exploration game. Soar through the ruins of a fallen world and discover the secrets of the ancients. Designed with full Virtual Reality support for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3GsKETKUic

PaperLander VR by ThisWayUp Games

PaperLander is the “grandson” of Lunar Lander born in Little Big Planet.PaperLander is a fragile rocket made out of paper. PaperLander's mission is to find and collect Proto-Stars, pass through the Sectors using the teleporters and bring them to the Anti-Storm Ion Cannon in time to save the Galaxy.

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7d74dO0Vqk

Candy Kingdom by GameplaystudioVR

This standalone version features 18 levels, each with its own difficulty setting and bonus level to upgrade the weapon. It also has an online leaderboard to see scores with other players.

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSi07kL10kg","https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSi07kL10kg