PlayStation VR has great titles, but they haven’t been explored beyond a game yet. Exclusive franchises could help recognize the hardware.
Since its release in 2016, PlayStation VR has shown how virtual reality can do more than place its players in fantasy worlds where anything is possible. In fact, it has the ability to tell amazing stories that literally put players in the protagonist’s boots. Unfortunately, however, their titles have rarely explored this possibility.
Most PSVR games have been small demonstrations of how the controls work that allow players to interact with the world without any goal. However, some have condensed stories set in established worlds, such as Batman: Arkham VR. What is missing, however, are exclusive franchises that explore their own stories or expand their existing IP. This worked well with Until dawn: Rush of Blood, which translated the horror and excitement of the original into a new RV story.
PlayStation is best known for its innovative exclusives and telling heartfelt stories, such as God of war i Without exploring. Still, their virtual reality headsets have no franchise that continues a story, though some do have the potential to do so.
Blood and truth is a first-person shooter that tells a story reminiscent of a Guy Ritchie movie. The action of the game is top notch and its narrative is taken seriously while allowing players to have fun in the environment. Unfortunately, despite ending up in a cliffhanger, no sequel has been announced. Still, continuing this story will show that PlayStation VR has the potential to tell powerful stories across multiple games, just as traditional PlayStation hardware has.
So far, PSVR has introduced new franchises and released games based on well-known characters. For example, Astro Bot: rescue mission continued to receive a sequel to the PlayStation 5 pack-in game Astro games room. The system also received Iron Man VR, which opens up the possibility of new Marvel VR titles. Chasing these franchises through games with their own narratives and content could prove that headphones are more than a fantastic trick, but the future of games.
Virtual reality has a lot to go through if you want to match (or even succeed) traditional gaming platforms, but that doesn’t diminish its potential. It could be a great avenue for storytelling and exclusive franchises would give developers a chance to pursue such a thing. This could be what ultimately pushes virtual reality to the forefront, making it an essential part of the medium that deserves to be taken seriously.
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