We downloaded each of the recommendations for Halloween and had our staff try them... largely to poor results. Most games couldn't hold their attention for five minutes or left them feeling yuck.
It's important not to push a poor product in front of customers just because it's "on theme". It's also important to remember that arcades are a social environment, and that people are paying per minute. So a slowly developing personal narrative is... not ideal.
Still, we wanted to market Halloween and have a menu of options.
Here's what we made at Redline VR
Shooters
Arizona Sunshine - the best zombie shooter
Sneaky Bears - surprisingly fun
Zombie Training Simulator- passable
Experiences
Westworld Awakening - big named title, but really only good for solo players
Richie's Plank Experience: 666 - the best one of the bunch and they recently cut the boring ending
Affected The Manor - meh, we'd not offer it if not on theme.
Ghost Town Mine Ride &; Shootin' Gallery- hard to get people into the experience, but worth it to many once there. Difficult opening menu
Escape Rooms
Escape Bloody Mary- not great but on theme.
Submerged: VR Escape Room- free on Steam and perfect! single player escape room. Easy to add to Springboard yourself.
Tales of Escape: Sleepy Hollow- the best escape experience for the holidays
Here's a breakdown on what Springboard recommended- and our reasons for disagreement at Redline VR.
Dreadhalls : graphics quality is poor. You'd not want to spend more than five minutes in this game, though there are some fun moments within it. I've got extreme VR legs and I felt funny after doing it using a Vive Pro in a very short time.
The Brookhaven Experiment :
Round one is slow and boring. Elaborate menu of guns that don't matter cause confusion. Round two adds one monster. People won't want to play again after they die. 5 minutes max
LA Deadzone :
No stakes. Easy. Repetitive. Another Arizona Sunshine wanna be, only way way worse. Bored after 2 minutes.
Jinxed :
Some very artful moments. Truly beautiful Halloween artwork Tim Burton would approve of... but motion sickness is a problem and we had no desire to last more than 5 minutes.
Westworld Awakening :
ART! but to a fault. In the first 20 minutes, the game makes you feel the way the show does- sad and gross and hopeless. It's a major work of art and skill, but people will feel quiet and haunted. It's a personal experience you don't want your friends watching. Bad energy for arcade. Still, it's a huge title and we will include it.
Sweet Escape:
It';s pretty bad. The graphics and gameplay feel pointless and low-end. I can't see someone enjoying this at all, let alone for an extended time period.
Kobold:
We still can't install it. The trailer looks like there might be some promise.
