Instead of manipulating traditional flippers, players wield large circular paddles to bounce balls through these dynamic spaces. It’s an ingenious reimagining that manages to both honor pinball’s timeless appeal while revolutionizing how we interact with it. The game presents four distinct environments—a Western town, haunted mansion, space station, and pirate ship—each functioning as its own unique playfield while maintaining the core principles that make pinball engaging.

Paddle to the Metal

Bounce Arcade wastes no time getting players into the action, with an efficient tutorial that demonstrates the fundamentals without overstaying its welcome. Each environment serves as a living pinball table, complete with objectives highlighted in yellow (turning green when activated) to guide players through the experience.

Where the game truly shines is in its creative integration of VR-specific interactions. Rather than simply hitting targets, players engage in environment-specific mini-games that break up the traditional pinball flow. The Western town erupts into shooting galleries where players must carefully target bandits while avoiding civilians. The space station challenges players to mine asteroidal resources while dodging hostile defensive systems. These moments aren’t mere distractions but rather clever expansions of pinball’s bonus round concept into full VR experiences.

The fundamental mechanics work flawlessly, with responsive controls that feel natural and intuitive from the first minute of play. Multi-ball sequences, target hits, and special events all trigger smoothly, creating a polished experience that successfully translates pinball’s core appeal into VR. Traditional pinball elements like bonus multipliers and target sequences are present but reimagined through the lens of each environment’s theme.

However, the game’s pacing often works against its creative ambitions. Ball physics feel notably sluggish, with gravity seemingly set too low, resulting in balls that float lazily toward the player rather than maintaining pinball’s characteristic frenetic energy. This leads to unusually long rounds—sometimes lasting 20 to 30 minutes—that feel more like endurance tests than tests of skill. The inability to adjust difficulty settings for individual tables further compounds this issue, with inconsistent difficulty ratings that don’t always match the actual challenge level.

Bounce and Shine

The game adopts a stylized visual approach that prioritizes clarity and character over photorealism. Each environment boasts its own distinct personality, from the warm tones of the Western frontier to the ethereal glow of the haunted mansion. While the graphics may not push the Quest’s hardware to its limits, the cohesive art direction, smooth particle effects, and fluid animations create an inviting and readable playing field that serves the gameplay well.

The visual design emphasizes readability without sacrificing atmosphere, ensuring players can track balls and objectives while remaining immersed in each environment’s unique theme. Special effects during multi-ball sequences and bonus rounds add satisfying visual feedback without overwhelming the player’s view.

Sounds of the Silver Ball

The fundamental pinball sound effects hit all the right notes, with satisfying impacts, chimes, and mechanical feedback that ground the experience in arcade authenticity. Each environment brings its own themed audio flourishes, from creaking floorboards in the haunted mansion to the metallic echoes of the space station. The sound design successfully reinforces the feeling of being inside a living pinball machine while maintaining clarity during hectic sequences.

The musical accompaniment provides distinct themes for each environment that, while competent, tend to fade into the background rather than enhance the experience. The tracks serve their purpose without being memorable, offering appropriate atmospheric support without drawing attention to themselves.

Rolling Returns

The game’s staying power largely depends on your appetite for high-score chasing and leaderboard competition. While the variety of mini-games and VR interactions provide initial entertainment, the game’s limited selection of just four tables and absence of progression systems or customization options constrain its long-term appeal. Without announced DLC plans, dedicated players may find themselves wanting more content after mastering the existing environments.

The game’s relatively low difficulty curve affects its longevity as well. During pre-release testing, it was possible to top global leaderboards without exceptional skill, suggesting that serious pinball enthusiasts might find the challenge lacking. The emphasis seems to be on extended play sessions rather than the quick, intense rounds traditional pinball fans might expect.

Bumper to Bumper

Technical performance remains consistently smooth, with responsive controls and stable framerates even during chaotic multi-ball sequences. However, the game’s core design choices present more significant hurdles. The slow ball physics and generous difficulty drain the urgency from the experience, while the inability to customize difficulty settings for individual tables limits player agency.

The difficulty ratings for each environment often feel arbitrary, with some “easy” tables presenting more challenge than those marked as difficult. This inconsistency, combined with the generally forgiving gameplay, means that success often comes down to patience rather than skill or quick reactions. These issues, combined with the modest content offering, hold Bounce Arcade back from achieving its full potential.

Final Tilt

Bounce Arcade represents an imaginative leap forward for VR pinball, successfully translating the genre’s fundamental appeal into an immersive new format. Its creative mini-games and polished mechanics demonstrate the unique possibilities of virtual reality gaming. The initial impression is genuinely impressive, with many players likely to be wowed by their first few sessions.

However, pacing issues, limited content, and restricted customization options prevent it from becoming a true classic. While it offers an entertaining diversion for casual players and VR enthusiasts, its longevity suffers without more substantial content or progression systems. The lack of challenge may particularly disappoint hardcore pinball fans looking for that classic arcade difficulty.

For now, Bounce Arcade serves as a phenomenal proof of concept that doesn’t quite stick the landing. With additional content, mechanical fine-tuning, and better difficulty balancing, it could evolve into something truly special. As it stands, it’s worth a look for its innovative approach to VR pinball, even if it may not hold your attention for extended play sessions.

One of the standout titles in the lineup is Trombone Champ: Unflattened, which will be the first-ever VR adaptation of the original trombone-based rhythm game Trombone Champ. Set to launch in Fall 2024 on Meta Quest, PlayStation VR2, and Steam VR, this adaptation will allow players to experience the game’s unique blend of music and humor in a fully immersive environment. Trombone Champ: Unflattened will feature over 50 tracks, customizable trombones, and mixed reality gameplay that blends the virtual and real worlds.

In collaboration with Strategy First, Flat2VR Studios is also bringing the FlatOut series to VR. Known for its demolition derby and high-octane racing gameplay, FlatOut has built a dedicated following with nearly 3 million units sold worldwide. The VR adaptation aims to enhance the chaotic and destructive elements of the series, allowing players to experience the action from the driver’s seat.

Another title in the lineup is Roboquest, a roguelite first-person shooter set in a dystopian future. Partnering with Starbreeze Publishing, Flat2VR Studios is adapting Roboquest for VR, where players will navigate dynamic environments, battle mechanical enemies, and customize their characters. The game’s fast-paced action and comic book-inspired art style will be amplified in the VR version, offering a more intense and immersive experience.

Additionally, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is being adapted for VR by Flat2VR Studios in collaboration with Team Beef and 3D Realms. Powered by the Quake engine, this first-person shooter is inspired by classic 90s shooters like Doom and Quake. The VR adaptation will bring the dark, atmospheric world of Wrath to life, allowing players to explore non-linear levels filled with ancient horrors and deadly traps in a fully immersive environment.

Flat2VR Studios is also set to showcase Trombone Champ: Unflattened at the Home of XR megabooth during Gamescom 2024, alongside other upcoming titles. The event, taking place from August 21-23 in Cologne, Germany, will feature 18 playable experiences from 13 participating studios, making it the largest VR presence in Gamescom history.

About Laser Dance Laser Dance is a mixed-reality game where players move between two buttons on opposite ends of their living room, navigating a sequence of laser patterns that adapt to the room’s size and layout. The gameplay is easy to learn but hard to master, making it an ideal party game for both newcomers and seasoned VR players.

Key Features:

• Transform your living room into a laser obstacle course.
• Intuitive gameplay perfect for newcomers to VR.
• Levels adapt to your living room’s size and layout.
• Dance, dodge, and crawl your way to victory!

For those with a Quest Pro or Quest 3, playtesting opportunities are available. Sign up here.

About the Developer Thomas Van Bouwel is a former architect turned XR developer, known for his critically acclaimed VR puzzle game Cubism. His new title, Laser Dance, continues his tradition of innovative and accessible game design.

About Creature Creature is a video game studio and label focused on releasing games on new and innovative platforms. The studio supports independent developers by offering business development, production consulting, and release strategy services.

With the game’s initial launch in English, Joy Way plans to extend its reach by adding text localization in seven languages, including Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Spanish, and Italian, aiming for a broader global engagement by February 23.

The game distinguishes itself with dynamic mechanics such as grapple hooks for advanced movement, strategic combat enriched with ragdoll physics, and randomly generated biomes offering unique trials and rewards. It promises a versatile gameplay experience through over 80 buffs and numerous player builds, anchored by a narrative that delves into themes of love, sacrifice, and the duality of AI.

The introduction to new platforms comes with tailored enhancements, leveraging the specific capabilities of each device. The version for Pico headsets mirrors the Meta Quest build, operating at 72Hz, while the PlayStation VR 2 and Steam VR versions are optimized to deliver a more immersive experience at 90Hz. This decision follows a revision from the initially proposed 120Hz due to unforeseen technical challenges.

Joy Way invites players and media representatives to explore Dead Hook further through the provided press kit links and encourages communication through email or Twitter for additional information or inquiries.

Have you dived into the world of Dead Hook on any of the VR platforms, or are you intrigued by the upcoming language options? Your experiences and anticipations are welcome in the comments below.