2076 - Midway Multiverse

Exploring retro games or retro gaming experience in virtual reality is something I love to delve into, and not just me as it turns out, 'Ivanovich Games' offers us after a small series of VR transformations of classic arcade game genres now a firm VR version of 2D flying bullet hell shooters!! Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeztpfyWUDU This way you will endure the busy action through different VR & 3D perspectives including first person straight from the cockpit! In terms of challenge you will also be pleasantly surprised because it is easy to notice that the levels are just as hard to pass as we remember from original bullet hell games. All the better for the VR experience, TOO easy isn't really enjoyable either. Endurance and perseverance are rewarded with upgrades that allow you to shoot down enemies even more powerfully and effectively. The game can be played as a story or arcade mode, in story mode you will have to be able to complete a long series of levels while in arcade mode you can expect a more arcade like gameplay style.

I loved 1976, but 2076 feels so much better than 1976. The Graphics are really great (a video cannot transport how good this looks in VR), and the Gameplay has so much R-Type vibes plus Hand-Interaction with the envirnoment that is only possible in VR. The Immersion Zones feel great too (switching from sidescrolling to a Cockpit-Perspective).At the moment of writing i am stuck at the endboss of level 2, the traffic kills me everytime. Maybe i have to practice more, or is it too much traffic? ;) As a guy in the 50s who grown up with the Oldschool Arcade Games this was a Nobrainer to me.. 10/10

UPDATE (cuz the Game was updated) The latest update fixes all of the problems mentioned in my review below. No longer are you tasked with controlling the ship with one hand, and the orb-thing in the other. No longer do you need to have an eye on either side of your head to keep track of both. The only downside is that the update seems to have sacrificed the in-cockpit - first-person view (I could be wrong - and often am!). This is a bit of a shame *but* the devs have wisely delivered this update as an optional/additional mode - so, you can still launch into the madness of the original. Thinking about it, this gives the game an enormous amount of content - and it was by no means short on content anyway. But now, you can play through the new mode from start to finish - then do the same in the (more difficult) original mode. Fantastic value for money! This is now the studio's best game, and a must buy for players who like a bit of retro fun brought to life by the magic of VR. A Solid recommendation. [original review below - remember, my issues with the game are now resolved!] The first game I bought from this team was Warcade - a really fun game (still is), but the graphics were pure ass. It is a testament to the gameplay that even with these crude graphics - I still play it. The next game was Touring Karts - still a pretty good cart racer (and better after a bit of post-release tweaking). The most obvious thing to me was just how far the graphics had improved. Next up (for me) was 1976 Back to Midway - by this point, it is clear that the studio was sinking all of it's profits into hiring graphic artists. To me, this is still their top game - it looks fantastic, and the gameplay is really tight and solid. So, pretty excited for this game. On the plus side - there is another big bump in graphics. This is the most graphically ambitious game from the team to date. Really - it looks so beautiful. However - the gameplay has come loose at the seams on this one. Too many ideas crammed in at one time There is just too much going on in multiple directions. For example, I am moving crates around with my right hand, while the ship in my left hand is totally out of site and just crashing into the nearest obstacle. To play this game, you really need to be some kind of a fish - with an eye on either side of your head! A minute of this and you are thrown into a new perspective for a few seconds, and then into yet another - by this time, I have no idea what I am doing and am left just dizzy and confused. What was a fun mechanic in the previous games, is just jarring here. So, why the thumbs up? Mainly because it is such a great game to look at - so much so, that I will continue to go in and see if it is humanly possible to complete stage three (where my craft just keeps banging into a crate until I loose all lives). Also, others may get more out of the gameplay, and may be better at multitasking than I am. - and they may well be blessed with eyes on either side of their heads - so, that wold work. I am also hoping for a post-release patch that makes it more playable. Something that would bring back the sense of knowing what the hell you are doing - that still makes 1976 the superior game. I don't want to sound so negative for a team who have bought so many great games to VR - a team where I really look forward to what their next release will be.... A team I love ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. I really hope that the next game continues the great formula they have established, and keeps to the very high graphical standard they have achieved here - but guys - less speed in the coffee next time - huh?

Once again, Ivanovich Games did an awesome work !! Graphics, art design, musics, sound fx, the gameplay, all is well done. A fantastic use of VR !! I would say EPIC !!

クラシカルなシューティングをVR用にゴージャスに盛り込んだ作品。 ゲーム内のお金で自機を強化する長期的な育成要素があり、ゲームオーバーになってもお金は貯まる親切設計。 注意点として一部のステージで酔うかもしれないので、まずは体験版をお勧め。2ステージ遊べて本編にデータを引継ぎます。※データ引継ぎで低レベル用の実績が解除できなかったのは気になった。(恐らくクリア済みステージを再プレイするか、本編で進行度リセットすればOK) 追記　ストーリークリアとお金稼ぎ（自機レベル上げ）で合わせて3.6時間で実績コンプリートしました。

The EPITOME of what VR shooters should be, nuff' said. The first foray was a homage to the classic 80s hit "1942", the second Operation WarCade, was a celebration of what the Mounted gun shooters gave us in the late 80s and now we have a proper Homage to the classic Japanese bullet-hell shooters from the decade after (the 90s) This series does EXACTLY what it originally set out to do. It puts us RIGHT THERE, INSIDE THE CABINET. You can't top that immersion. So far they've brought us SKULL FIRST, directly into the oasis.... this series is Perfect

I love shooters and this game is beautiful and adds a lot of new mechanics to a old genre. Nice presentation, funny and good replay with the challenges and upgrade system.

::edit #2:: I tried this game out again, but the player's POV is just too close to the plane. You can't really trick the Quest Guardian to allow extra viewing room b/c the game resets the POV/pilot seat (where you sit in game while playing 2076) every time the game changes between 2D, 3D, immersion missions, and on-the-rails style. I just feel like I'm sitting inches from a tv screen trying to play a shmup which is funny to say b/c I literally have two screens millimeters from my eyeballs playing this in VR. Sad to say, I'm gonna have to slap the Do Not Recommend tag back on this one. ::edit: #1: I feel I have perhaps judged this game too harshly. At the sale price, it's worth a go around, and I will repurchase to support the developer, and get over my annoyance of the POVs and tacky VR-hand implementation devices.. ------ OG: I was fan of Midway's 1976 VR. At one point, I even held half of the top scores...maybe I still do???, so I went into this one with expectations that this would be another round of moderate fun. My issues with this game surround the jarring angles and the awkward requirement to use my left hand to move objects in game. Concerning the angles, you have enemies coming at you from all angles & directions, and many enemies are out of reach with the beginning setup. It's not hard but it's annoying as you are stuck on a 2D playing field with objects placed outside of that 2D, linear path. Example, level 2's boss requires you to move through a lot of traffic that is coming at you perpendicular, and it is just awkward. Your view is 3rd person from behind the plane... You must load missiles that are at ground level, then you must look left as you move upwards and go through a stream of moving vehicles (losing sight of your plane while doing so) to get to the boss. It's not really hard just awkward. Next, I'm not a fan of needing to use the opposing hand to press buttons and move objects. I suppose b/c it breaks the momentum of a shooter game and feels like unnecessary filler actions. Also, your left hand is a shield for some enemy projectiles. Definitely cheapens the experience for me. The game looks nice tho. Feels very R-Type. The in-game "immersion zones" still suck because you move like molasses. The professor is back. He's still a bit annoying and clever. The writers continue the zaniness from before. Going to go ahead and return this one for now. There are new ideas here, but personally, I don't feel like they are implemented well. I would still encourage everyone semi-interested to give a chance.

The game is quite charming but it simply doesn't play well. The overall design is convoluted and tries too many things at once while doing all of them poorly. The good ideas are held back by bad execution and amateurish design choices, especially when it comes to a shmup. The constant attempt of introducing new mechanics to every boss is exhausting and the game gets interrupted way to frequently by an avalanche of gimmicks in every level to justify the use of the second hand with puzzles that often fail to work as intended. This game needed a lot more time in development and it's quite clear they skipped any playtesting and feedback.

Für mich ist ein kleiner Traum wahr geworden! Mein erstes Computerspiel war Katakis, ein Sidescroller, der jedoch eine 3D-Ansicht auf dem Cover hatte. Ich hatte mir das Spiel damals wegen der Verpackung gekauft und war ein bisschen enttäuscht. Aber Midway Multiverse kommt dem schon ziemlich nahe, was ich mir damals vorgestellt habe! Sie haben es geschafft, den Sidescroller in VR zu bringen und machen dabei vieles richtig! Gerade die Spielmechanik ist in VR oft der kritische Punkt - und das ist hier sehr gut gelöst. Auch die Abwechselung mit der In-Cockpit-Ansicht ist super gelöst. Man fliegt 3D durch einen Tunnel und hat dabei das Sidescroller-feeling, ohne dass es zu schwer oder komplex wird. Einziger Wehrmutstropfen ist die Rahmenhandlung, den die ist absoluter Schrott, aber sie stört nicht und man kann sie überspringen.