Fantastic Contraption (2016 video game)

Fantastic Contraption is a room scale virtual reality video game for the HTC Vive and PlayStation VR in which players construct machines from building materials to meet challenges. It was released at the HTC Vive's launch on April 5, 2016 and was released for PlayStation VR in July 2017.

For the 2008 Flash game, see Fantastic Contraption (2008 video game).

Fantastic Contraption
Developer(s)Northway Games, Radial Games
Publisher(s)Northway Games
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 (PSVR)
Release
  • WW: April 5, 2016
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Fantastic Contraption is a puzzle game in which players use the motion controls to construct machines from building materials in order to meet challenges.[1] Using basic components such as beams and wheels, players can design a machine from scratch to suit the needs of the puzzle. Many puzzles require the machine to move across the environment; the player cannot steer the machine after they have completed it, so navigation needs must be built into the design of the machine.

Development

The game was co-developed by Radial Games and Northway Games. The developers helped lead a lot of the early thinking around UX and design in modern VR, including how to capture traditional UI elements, such as menus, saving and loading games, sharing content, et cetera, when a flat-screen menu is not an option. As an example, the team used a virtual helmet to help the player transition from the play space to the "menu world" in which the player could share creations and adjust in-game settings. Much of the team's work centred on how VR is unique when compared to flat games, including developing and sharing design and industry best practices for VR. The team is also well known for pioneering the first mixed-reality trailers to help portray the experience of VR without requiring one be in VR at the time. This approach was used extensively in the Fantastic Contraption trailer.[1] Fantastic Contraption was released as a bundled launch title with the HTC Vive's launch on April 5, 2016[2] and is scheduled to release for PlayStation VR in 2017.[3]

Fantastic Contraption was originally released in 2008 as a 2D, free-to-play Flash game before it was rebuilt for virtual reality.[4][5][6]

Reception

The Gizmodo Australia reviewer wrote that Fantastic Contraption was easily his favorite launch title, as he found none of the other titles interesting.[7] Polygon wrote that the development team's "mixed reality" video stream (which shows the player within the virtual reality environment) made the medium "social".[8]

References
  1. "This Is How Vive Beats the Rift: Games and Packed-in Motion Controls". Polygon. February 2, 2016. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  2. "The HTC Vive Review". Polygon. April 5, 2016. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  3. Stephen Gray. VR Puzzle Game Fantastic Contraption Coming to PS4, playstation.com, December 15, 2016.
  4. Bryant Francis (September 2015). "Gamasutra - Bringing a 2D puzzler to VR in Fantastic Contraption for Vive".
  5. "Immerse yourself in Vive's VR with two mixed-reality videos". Engadget. AOL.
  6. "Fantastic Contraption Coming To The Vive VR Headset". Rock Paper Shotgun. August 26, 2015.
  7. Michael Nunez (April 11, 2016). "HTC Vive Review: A Beautiful Machine Waiting For Games".
  8. Ben Kuchera (February 3, 2016). "How Fantastic Contraption has made virtual reality social". Polygon.

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