3 Amazing & FREE VR Horror Games from Brazil’s Black River Studios
Marcos Codas
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We love indie game developers here at Dread XP. And it’s not only because we are indie game developers. That came after. We started as a publication dedicated to covering indie horror games because we love them. Simple as. And very few things embody the indie dev experience like Hispanic and Latinx game development. In fact, you could say our countries make it so that we’re indies at living life. So, if independent game development is swimming against a current, then Latinx and Hispanic game development is swimming up Yguazú Falls while being continually shot in the face with a Magnum pistol. You get the idea. It’s hard. So, whenever I see a studio around here pushing the envelope of game development, I perk up and pay attention. That is the case with Black River Studios, an indie development outfit from Brazil. What I love about BRS is that a lot of their titles are not only horror, they are VR horror. And they are FREE! To me, horror and VR is a natural fit. So, let me tell you a bit about the studio, and present you three of my favorite BRS games.
MEET BLACK RIVER STUDIOS
BRS is a relatively new company, even by Brazilian standards. They started operating in 2015, but have already released a plethora of mobile and VR games to huge acclaim. This is a double big feat, as developing anything to critical acclaim is already hard, but doing VR games is, if possible, even harder. There’s a smaller audience, the industry niche is still very new, and there are very real hardware limitations.
But BRS have been able to not only overcome those limitations, they have implemented the “big fish in a small pond” effect to become one of the best horror game developers in the mobile VR space. As a personal note, I adore that they also put out games on Tizen, Samsung’s failed attempt at an Android and iOS competitor. To me, that shows BRS have always been willing to be different, come what may. And what things have come, indeed! Let’s talk about some of my favorite Black River Studios games, shall we?
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Rococo VR
This is BRS’ first foray into VR development is still fantastic, highly stylized, and free. Available on Gear VR and Oculus Go, Rococo sees you attending the party to end all parties, only to realize you’ve been poisoned. As you start slowly dying, you must find the culprit, discover the reason, and seek revenge.
You can get Rococo VR on the Oculus Store or on your Gear VR and Oculus Go headsets. Did I mention it’s free? It is free.
ANGEST
Perhaps not directly pitched as a horror game, Angest is still definitely scary. You play as Valentina, a cosmonaut aboard a ship in the company of Konstantin, the AI that oversees and takes care of you while you do your tasks. Inspired by genre masterpieces such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Angest holds a near-perfect rating after 1,388 reviews on the Oculus store.
You can go and get it there, once again, for Oculus Go and Gear VR. It is also free!
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Dead Body Falls
Completing the trio of amazing and free VR horror games is Dead Body Falls. The last VR game put out by Black River Studios so far, Dead Body Falls is probably the closest of them all to what would usually be considered a horror game. It’s a story-driven game, where a single event is told from 3 different perspectives. Dead Body Falls is also the most mature BRS offering in terms of story-telling. So, if you’re hankering for some good VR atmosphere and spooks, look no further.
You can get Dead Body Falls for free on the Oculus Store, and it’s available for Gear VR and Oculus Go.
Black River Studios Continues To Flow!
This is by no means an exhaustive list of all BRS games. Feel free to drop by their official website to get the full picture. Though not really horror, other standout games from BRS include Conflict0: Shattered, Conflict 0: Revolution and Rock & Rails. They are all free. All of them. So, go download a few, support Black River Studios, and I’ll see you next time!
Categorized:Editorials
