Hybrid VR puzzle-platformer Carly & The Reaperman out
da cooperation z0ne
Ever since I got to play around with a Vive headset last year, I've been setting aside money for a VR setup of my own, along with a list of games I want to play on it. Carly and the Reaperman: Escape from the Underworld by Swedish indie outfit Odd Raven Studios launched today, and just from a quick peek at the launch trailer within, I knew this was making The List. It's a charming gothic co-op puzzle platformer, with one player on PC with a regular gamepad, and the other one manipulating the world from above in VR as a giant floating skull and hands.
I've got some vague memories at the back of my mind telling that I've seen a few games of similar concept before, but Carly and the Reaperman is immediately the most charming implementation I've seen. There's just something about an enormous friendly skeleton buddy with glowing purple eyes that makes me grin - perhaps it's overexposure to the likes of friendly internet skeletons such as Mr Skeltal and da share z0ne's Admin, but I find it immediately charming.
It doesn't look half bad mechanically, either. Whoever is controlling neon-haired kid Carly gets to experience it as a pretty standard 3D platformer, but almost every situation requires at least some intervention from your looming (and highly fashionable) skeleton pal, who can pick up and move platforms and blocks and interact with highlighted puzzle elements. While the trailer shows the skellybuddy player standing, it does apparently support playing while sitting or even roaming around in room-scale mode, if you've got a full Vive setup.
Carly and the Reaperman is out now on Steam for £17.09/$22.49. You'll need a VR headset (Vive, Rift and Mixed Reality are all supported), a gamepad and a friend with a skeleton. Boneless buddies need not apply.