Room-scale puzzle Eye of the Temple (2021) is finally in development for Quest 2, which seems like a smart move for one of VR’s most clever room-scale games.
Released on SteamVR headsets in 2021 by indie developer Rune Skovbo Johansen, Eye of the Temple is a unique puzzle that we haven’t seen before or since.
The game’s innovative locomotion style lets you explore a massive temple complex with your own two feet, ushering you to jump onto moving platforms of all shapes and sizes, which importantly takes place within a 2×2m physical space.
I played @eyeofthetemple and it’s such an amazing use of Mixed Reality and full room scale VR! 😍 pic.twitter.com/yErRYjsLXu
— Naysy (@Naysy) October 18, 2021
What results is a mechanically pleasing and immersive experience that teleportation or even joystick-controller smooth locomotion simply can’t provide. We liked it so much at the time, we even gave it Road to VR’s 2021 Excellence in Locomotion award.
Skovbo Johansen says the secret to the unique locomotion style is keeping the player in the center of the play area, which he says are “all about how the platforms are positioned relative to each other.”
Take a look at how it works in the explainer video below:
While most PC VR tethers provide enough slack to get around the required 2×2m play area, the amount of turning and jumping you’ll do in the physical space really pushes the user’s ability to ‘tune out’ the cable to the limit, as you have to unwind yourself and hop over the tether constantly—something you might not notice as much in less physical games.
There’s no word on when we can expect Eye of the Temple to release on Quest 2, which critically removes any cable faffing woes you may have.
In the meanwhile, catch the trailer below, and follow along with Skovbo Johansen on Twitter where he regularly posts updates on the game’s development.
