Asgard's Wrath 2

Last updated

Asgard's Wrath 2
Asgard's Wrath 2 cover.jpg
Developer(s) Sanzaru Games
Publisher(s) Oculus Studios
Engine Unreal Engine 4 [1]
Platform(s)
Release
  • WW: December 15, 2023
Genre(s) Action role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Asgard's Wrath 2 is an action role-playing game developed by Sanzaru Games and published by Oculus Studios for the Meta Quest series of virtual reality headsets. It is the sequel to Asgard's Wrath (2019). The game was released worldwide in December 2023 and was included for free as a launch game for the Meta Quest 3.

Contents

Gameplay

Players control a Norse god who possesses mortals who have important destinies. After being betrayed by Loki in Asgard's Wrath , the protagonist is freed from bondage and sent to Egypt. There, players interact with gods from Egyptian mythology and seek a way to get revenge on Loki. Players can explore the open world; possess four characters, each of whom has their own story and skill tree; talk to non-player characters; play minigames; solve puzzles; and engage in combat with enemies and bosses. Players are assisted in combat by followers, who also have their own stories. [2]

Development

California-based [3] studio Sanzaru Games began development on Asgard's Wrath 2 shortly after Asgard's Wrath's release in late 2019. [4] As a result of Meta's commitment to its standalone devices and its discontinuation of the non-standalone Oculus Rift family of heasets, the sequel shifted platforms, no longer requiring a headset connected to a Microsoft Windows computer and instead becoming exclusive to standalone Meta headsets.

Following the original's success, developer Sanzaru Games was acquired by Meta's Oculus Studios in 2020. [3] Asgard's Wrath 2 was announced alongside the Meta Quest 3 during the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase on June 1, 2023, as a launch game for the new headset. [4]

Oculus Studios released Asgard's Wrath 2 for the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, and Meta Quest 3 on December 15, 2023, to be bundled with all Meta Quest 3 purchases until January 27, 2024. [5]

Reception

Asgard's Wrath 2 received "universal acclaim" on Metacritic. [6] IGN gave it a perfect score and made it their editors' choice, writing that it "sets a new gold standard for VR" and competes with the best role-playing games on any platform. [2] UploadVR said it "offers Quest players more than ever, on an uncharted scale". In their review, they praised what they felt was epic gameplay but said the game was let down by adopting the conventions of non-VR role-playing games. [8] NPR 's reviewer said Asgard's Wrath 2 had become his new favorite VR game and wrote that "the gameplay, pacing, and story are a gift from the gods". [9] Siliconera called it "a genuinely cool, well-crafted endeavor" and said the only drawback was that the graphics were limited by the Meta Quest 3 compared to non-VR platforms. [10]

Awards and Nominations

YearCeremonyCategoryResultRef.
2024 13th New York Game Awards Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best AR/VR GameWon [11] [12]
27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Immersive Reality Game of the Year Won [13] [14]
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement Nominated

Related Research Articles

nDreams Video game company

nDreams is a company that develops and publishes virtual reality video games. Based in Farnborough, Hampshire, UK, it was formed in August 2006 by former SCi and Eidos creative director, Patrick O'Luanaigh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanzaru Games</span> American video game development company

Sanzaru Games, Inc. is an American video game development company that was founded in Foster City, California in 2006. Sanzaru also has a satellite studio based in Ottawa, Ontario called Kitazaru, as well as an office in Dublin, California. The company name is based on the three wise monkeys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reality Labs</span> Virtual and augmented reality products company

Reality Labs, formerly Oculus VR, is a business and research unit of Meta Platforms that produces virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) hardware and software, including virtual reality headsets such as the Quest, and online platforms such as Horizon Worlds. In June 2022, several artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives that were previously a part of Meta AI were transitioned to Reality Labs. This also includes Meta's fundamental AI Research laboratory FAIR which is now part of the Reality Labs - Research (RLR) division.

Oculus Touch is a line of motion controller systems used by Meta Platforms virtual reality headsets. The controller was first introduced in 2016 as a standalone accessory for the Oculus Rift CV1, and began to be bundled with the headset and all future Oculus products beginning in July 2017. Since their original release, Touch controllers have undergone revisions for later generations of Oculus/Meta hardware, including a switch to inside-out tracking, and other design changes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual reality headset</span> Head-mounted device that provides virtual reality for the wearer

A virtual reality headset is a head-mounted device that uses 3D near-eye displays and positional tracking to provide a virtual reality environment for the user. VR headsets are widely used with VR video games, but they are also used in other applications, including simulators and trainers. VR headsets typically include a stereoscopic display, stereo sound, and sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes for tracking the pose of the user's head to match the orientation of the virtual camera with the user's eye positions in the real world. AR headsets are similar to VR headsets, but AR headsets enable the user to see and interact with the outside world. Examples of AR headsets include the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3.

Virtual Desktop is remote control software for Android-based virtual reality headsets. It allows users to control a PC over a wireless LAN from the headset, including the ability to stream VR games and software.

<i>VRChat</i> Virtual reality social platform

VRChat is an online virtual world platform created by Graham Gaylor and Jesse Joudrey and operated by VRChat, Inc. The platform allows users to interact with others with user-created 3D avatars and worlds. VRChat is designed primarily for use with virtual reality headsets, being available for Microsoft Windows PCs and as a native app for Android-based headsets such as the Meta Quest, Pico 4, and HTC Vive XR Elite. It is also usable without VR in a "desktop" mode designed for either a mouse and keyboard or gamepad, and in an Android app for touchscreen devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oculus Go</span> Untethered virtual reality headset by Oculus VR

The Oculus Go is a discontinued, standalone virtual reality headset developed by Meta Reality Labs in partnership with Qualcomm and Xiaomi. It is in the first generation of Facebook Technologies' virtual reality headsets, and the company's first device in the category of standalone VR headsets, which was a new category at the time of the Go's release. The Oculus Go was unveiled on October 11, 2017 during the Oculus Connect developer conference, and released on May 1, 2018. Xiaomi launched their own version of the headset in China as the Mi VR Standalone on May 31, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oculus Quest</span> Virtual reality headset

The first-generation Oculus Quest is a discontinued virtual reality headset developed by Oculus, a brand of Facebook Inc., and released on May 21, 2019. Similar to its predecessor, Oculus Go, it is a standalone device, that can run games and software wirelessly under an Android-based operating system. It supports positional tracking with six degrees of freedom, using internal sensors and an array of cameras in the front of the headset rather than external sensors. The cameras are also used as part of the safety feature "Passthrough", which shows a view from the cameras when the user exits their designated boundary area known as "Guardian". A later software update added "Oculus Link", a feature that allows the Quest to be connected to a computer via USB, enabling use with Oculus Rift-compatible software and games.

<i>Asgards Wrath</i> 2019 video game

Asgard's Wrath is a 2019 action role-playing game developed by Sanzaru Games and published by Oculus Studios for the Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset. In the game, the player assumes control of a Norse god who must guide several mortal heroes to fulfill their destinies. The game received generally positive reviews. Asgard's Wrath 2 was released on the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3 in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quest 2</span> Virtual reality headset

Quest 2 is a standalone virtual reality headset developed by Reality Labs, a division of Meta Platforms. It was unveiled on September 16, 2020, and released on October 13, 2020 as the Oculus Quest 2. It was then rebranded as the Meta Quest 2 in 2022, as part of a company-wide phase-out of the Oculus brand following the rebranding of Facebook, Inc. as Meta.

The Meta Quest, initially the Oculus Quest until 2022, is a line of virtual reality headsets with augmented reality capabilities produced by Reality Labs, a division of Meta Platforms. The first-generation Oculus Quest was developed by Oculus and released on May 21, 2019. Since then, Facebook has released new Quest models and Quest OS updates. As of February 2023, over 20 million total Quest headsets have been sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meta Quest 3</span> Mixed reality headset

Meta Quest 3 is a standalone virtual reality (VR) headset developed by Reality Labs, a division of Meta Platforms. It was unveiled on June 1, 2023, and released on October 10, succeeding the Quest 2 as the third generation of the Meta Quest line.

<i>Assassins Creed Nexus VR</i> Virtual reality adventure game

Assassin's Creed Nexus VR is a virtual reality action-adventure game developed by Red Storm Entertainment and published by Ubisoft for virtual reality (VR) headsets Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, and Meta Quest 3. Played from a first-person perspective, the game stars Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Connor, and Kassandra as its protagonists. It is the first VR game in the Assassin's Creed series and was released on November 16, 2023.

Synth Riders is a virtual reality rhythm game developed and published by Kluge Interactive. It involves players touching spheres ('notes'), tracing lines ('rails'), and avoiding obstacles that move towards them.

Meta Horizon OS, previously known informally as Meta Quest Platform or Meta Quest OS, is an extended reality operating system for the Meta Quest line of devices released by Meta Platforms. Initially developed for the embedded operating system on the Oculus Rift and Oculus Rift S, the platform has been based on the Android operating system since the release of the Oculus Go in 2018. It first supported augmented reality via grayscale camera passthrough upon the release of the Oculus Quest in 2019, and has supported color passthrough since the release of the Meta Quest Pro in 2022.

The Meta Horizon Store, known from 2013 to 2015 as Oculus Share, 2015 to 2022 as Oculus Store and from 2022 to 2024 as the Meta Quest Store, is the main video game and app store digital distribution service and storefront developed by Meta Platforms for the Meta Quest and its successors, as well as for Meta Horizon OS-based devices.

YouTube VR is a software application which offers an interface for YouTube made for VR headsets.

Meta Quest 3S is a standalone virtual reality (VR) headset developed by Reality Labs, a division of Meta Platforms. It was unveiled on September 25, 2024, and released on October 15, 2024, as part of the third generation of the Meta Quest line, serving as a cheaper option for budget vr players.

References

  1. ↑ Sutrich, Nicholas (June 1, 2023). "Asgard's Wrath 2 is the VR Zelda I've been waiting for". Android Central . Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Northup, Travis (December 14, 2023). "Asgard's Wrath 2 Review". IGN . Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Valentine, Rebekah (February 25, 2020). "Facebook acquires Sanzaru Games". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "'Asgard's Wrath 2' Is Coming to Meta Quest 3 + 2: Everything You Need to Know About the Epic RPG". Meta. June 1, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  5. ↑ Baker, Harry (September 27, 2023). "Asgard's Wrath 2 Releases December 15 For Meta Quest Headsets". UploadVR . Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Asgard's Wrath 2". Metacritic . Fandom (TPG Inc.). Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Asgard's Wrath 2 Reviews". OpenCritic . Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  8. ↑ Baker, Harry (December 14, 2023). "Asgard's Wrath 2 Review-In-Progress: Godly Scale, But At What Cost?". UploadVR . Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  9. ↑ Mitchell, Will (December 14, 2023). "In Asgard's Wrath 2, VR gaming reaches a new God mode". NPR . Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  10. ↑ Lada, Jenni (December 14, 2023). "Review: Asgard's Wrath 2 Brings a Console Quality Action-RPG to VR". Siliconera . Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  11. ↑ McEvoy, Sophie (January 5, 2024). "Baldur's Gate 3 leads New York Games Awards 2024 nominations". Gameindustry.biz . Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  12. ↑ McEvoy, Sophie (January 24, 2024). "Baldur's Gate 3 wins big at New York Game Awards 2024". Games Industry.biz.
  13. ↑ "27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  14. ↑ Chandler, Sam (February 15, 2024). "The D.I.C.E. Awards 2024 winners & finalists". Shacknews . Retrieved January 16, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.