Steam Greenlight has become an extremely useful way for many independent virtual reality (VR) developers to get their projects noticed, particularly when they’re titles that offer an experience that’s slightly less traditional in terms of content or gameplay than other more commercially appealing titles. One of the latest titles to fall into this category appearing on Steam Greenlight is casual exploration simulation Rainbow Jellies.
Rainbow Jellies is described by its developer as “an immersive walk around virtual reality softbody experience” for the HTC Vive headset that allows players to fluidly interact with colourful jellyfish using the HTC Vive controllers. As players interact with them, the jellyfish will change colours and make sounds as they move around the in-game 3D space. Jelly spheres and gummy rings also populate the videogame’s environment where they’ll interact with the jellyfish, but players will also be able to grab and manipulate them. The developer states that Rainbow Jellies has very natural grab and release interactions which “allow you to pick up objects with either or both controller(s), transfer and manipulate objects between controllers, and precisely place any object wherever you want in the environment.”
It’s easy to leave the experience, too, as if at any point during it the player has to return to the real world they simply have to turn on the videogame’s “window” using the W button on one of the controllers, which will activate the HTC Vive’s front camera and “provide and window into the real world.”
Rainbow Jellies doesn’t have any particular gameplay goals for players to achieve or missions to complete, rather it offers an interesting exploration of the VR’s ability to provide of natural interactive environments that are simultaneously real and surreal.
VRFocus will keep up to date with the Rainbow Jellies Steam Greenlight campaign and will report any news as it happens.
