Mint Virtual Reality

Hitman 3 already offers plenty of content for VR fans, but there might be more in store; Hitman 3 DLC is a go.

In an interview with The Gamer, IO Interactive executive producer Forest Swartout Large confirmed that the studio will “definitely” do DLC for the just-launched game, but don’t expect new maps and bonus missions. “I think for now we are not looking at new maps like the bank and the island,” Large said.

Hitman 3 DLC Confirmed

“We’re more looking at using existing locations and reimagining them, twisting them. And this time around, we can use the whole trilogy. We can look back at Hitman 2016 maps, Hitman 2 maps – we have all the locations.”

Of course, there’s no guarantee that this DLC will definitely support PSVR on PS4 — the bonus missions in Hitman 1 and 2 don’t — but we’ll keep our fingers crossed. Looking further forward, Large said: “We’re continuously working on Hitman so we are already looking to the future.”

We thought Hitman 3’s PSVR support was pretty great, even with some limitations, awarding the game 4/5 in last week’s review. It’s currently exclusive to Sony’s headset (and only available in the PS4 version of the game, not PS5), but there is some hope IO could bring it to PC in the future.

Elsewhere, IO is working on a James Bond game, too, but there’s no word yet on if that could support VR. Again, keep those fingers crossed.

What do you hope to see out of Hitman 3 DLC? Let us know in the comments below!

Here’s an interesting one – VR roguelike Star Shaman gets an update today that optionally stops it being a roguelike. Or less of one, at least.

The Balancing Update, as it’s called, includes a Boss Checkpoint mode that saves your progression once you’ve beaten one of the game’s towering enemies. The original version of Star Shaman (which can still be played) saw players gathering resources before taking on bosses and moving to the next level to rinse and repeat. The number of resources needed continues to grow and death takes you right back to the start.

New Star Shaman Update Goes Live

But in Boss Checkpoint mode, dying will take you back to the last boss, making it much easier to get through a run. The game’s combat has also been further balanced, and you refill health when regenerating a planet.

Elsewhere there’s a new spell that shoots out a rippling shot that ricochets and 14 new moons added to the levels. Finally, there are 11 new achievements to earn, if that’s your thing. If you haven’t already picked the game up then it’s currently the Daily Deal on Quest, too, going for 20% off.

We thought Star Shaman’s core mechanics were brilliantly fluid but agreed that progression in the original version moved at a crawl. Developer Ikimasho has clearly done a lot to address this since launch; this is the second update the game’s seen since launch, with the first adding new weapons and 90Hz support.

Will you be checking out today’s Star Shaman update?

Baobab Studios has become one of the premier creators of animated content for virtual reality (VR) headsets, from 2017’s Invasion! to the more recent Baba Yaga. Its next project is Namoo, a poetic tale due for release this year and now there’s a trailer to give you a teasing glimpse.

Namoo is being directed and written by Erick Oh (Heart, How to Eat Your Apple), with the word meaning “tree” in Korean. This is the central theme for the project, taking you on an emotional journey that follows the defining moments of one man’s life. Inspired by the life of Erick’s grandfather, from a seed the tree grows and eventually fully matures collecting significant objects that represent both good and bad memories within its branches.

The launch of the teaser trailer coincides with Namoo’s premiere during the Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontier programme this week. So you can watch Namoo now if you like alongside all the other VR content by purchasing the Explorer Pass for $25 USD. Or you can always wait for the official release which takes place this year on Oculus Quest.

For that entry price you can also enjoy works including Tinker, a live performance piece about Alzheimer’s disease by director Lou Ward. Prison X, Chapter 1: The Devil and The Sun, stepping into Bolivia’s infamous San Sebastian Prison or even an AR project called Fortune!

Created using Oculus’ real-time VR animation tool Quill, from what’s been shown so far Namoo looks very different from the rest of Baobab Studios’ work. Recent pieces like Baba Yaga, Bonfire and Crow: The Legend have included ever-increasing amounts of interaction to connect you with the story. Namoo seems like a more traditional animated experience.

If you’re after more animated content then take a look at VRFocus’ roundup of titles worth checking out. For further updates from Baobab Studios, keep reading VRFocus.

It’s a busy week for new Oculus Quest releases – a new Japanese archery game called Bow Man just hit the platform.

Bow Man is developed by DMM and is on sale for $14.99. As the name suggests, the game hands you a bow and arrow and puts it to use across 80 levels. There are plenty of VR archery games out there already, of course, but Bow Man uses a Japanese bow called a yumi.

With it, you’ll shoot targets and enemies, making sure to dodge incoming attacks. It’s a test of skill, requiring precise aim (though there is a target reticle to assist) and quick reactions. There’s also a duel mode against a single opponent, though it’s only against AI – there’s no multiplayer to speak of. Check it out in the trailer below.

Bow Man Oculus Quest Trailer

Bow Man originally launched on SteamVR back in 2019, where it curiously did feature multiplayer support for its duel mode. There isn’t any visible explanation for why the Quest version of the game doesn’t include the multiplayer support.

The game rounds out a week of multiple releases for Quest. Yesterday also saw the launch of the long-anticipated Quest version of Gorn as well as VR swinging game Yupitergrad and a brain training platform called Reakt. Quite a lot of variety for a single week, then.

Will you be checking out Bow Man on Oculus Quest? Or does one of the platform’s other releases have your attention this week? Let us know in the comments below!