cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

A Wake Inn - Alone In the Dark VR confined to a wheelchair - awesome Steampunk VR horror/adventure!

RuneSR2
Grand Champion

 

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1383690/A_Wake_Inn/

 

After games like Hinge I wasn't expecting much from A Wake Inn, but for now I've been positively surprised. Note that the the game was made for Rift CV1 (the devs constantly show CV1 hmds in their making of vids - and all in-game controller pics show CV1 Touch, even when using Index controllers, lol), but the devs did not support native Oculus (SDK) drivers. Quite annoying as this game is very dark and could benefit from ASW 2.0. I have just written to the devs and asked for native Oculus driver support. 

 

So it's basically a Rift CV1 game which for some strange reason only is sold on Steam (for now), sadly. 

 

In short, it's a horror game. VR Focus and Upload VR rated the game 3/5, and maybe it is, but I was impressed using the Index (for now feels more like 4/5 rating to me, maybe even more if I get native Oculus driver support). Index controllers worked fine and you have full locomotion (in a wheelchair). Devs say it'll take at least 5 to 6 hours to complete the game. 
Textures are very detailed even using res 100%, and I've never tried using a wheelchair before - quite a strange and disturbing experience. For this reason the game should be played sitting on a chair, not in a couch, as you need free space for your arms to manually move the wheels on the wheelchair. It's not the worst and most scary horror game, even if it seems inspired by the Saw movies - then again, I have not completed the game, maybe devs are saving the most scary parts for last... 😱 Another inspiration for the game clearly was Steampunk.

Black levels looked great using the Index. The dynamic shadows are pretty awesome too. The price seems quite fair too - you'll get 15% off until March 4.

Performance was fine using my oc'ed GTX 1080 (which for comparison performs exactly like MRTV's RTX 2070 Super in OpenVR Benchmark). I'm using High, not Ultra, as the bloom effect seemed too much on Ultra. Had a few dips below 90 fps, but motion smoothing helped nicely. 

 

Going to play it more tonight, when the kids sleep... 

 

1.JPG

 

5.JPG

 

4.JPG

 

2.JPG

 

6.JPG

     

 

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"

11 REPLIES 11

RuneSR2
Grand Champion

Just had time to investigate more why UploadVR only gave the game 3/5, and it seems they had problem due to using a hmd with lackluster tracking, namely the Quest 2:

 

"Since you have to put your hands down by your sides sometimes my Quest 2 wasn’t able to see what they were doing so well. Naturally, an outside-in headset like an HTC Vive, Index, or Rift CV1 would avoid this issue."

 

I really had no such problems with the Index, and of course the cameras on hmds without proper tracking may have severe issues when the cameras can't see the controllers, like when looking straight-ahead while using your hands to turn the wheels on the wheelchair. Maybe this truly is a CV1 game after all, lol 😉

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"

RuneSR2
Grand Champion

The game has just been patched, now Index controllers should work perfectly, and performance should be much improved:

 

https://www.roadtovr.com/unassuming-one-man-vr-project-gorilla-tag-sees-42k-players-in-first-two-wee...

 

Devs have problems with the Oculus drivers, but they said they are working on fixing native Oculus driver support.

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"

RuneSR2
Grand Champion

Not really sure the latest patch did much - I didn't feel any better performance, but I didn't measure it. It's quite rare that devs by some magic trick can greatly increase performance in just a few days. Index controllers are better supported, but still you cannot point with one finger, so controller support could still improve.

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"

Luciferous
Consultant

Graphics look impressive.

Graphics are great/nice/better-than-the-usual-stuff - but also demanding, we're not exactly talking Alyx optimization level here, lol - but it's not bad either (like Hinge). That's why I hope they get native Oculus drivers - I'd really love to experience this dark game with oled and ASW 2.0. For now I only use the Index.

 

If found that 120 Hz was a lot smoother than 90 Hz - but that's because 90 Hz in my case (high graphics setting) means 45 fps, while I mostly get 60 fps in 120 Hz. That's equal to 33% more performance. 

 

Maybe I should try that in Squadrons too - many say that game is optimized for 60 fps, but that's another story...

 

Btw, I did give Hinge a bad review - devs just offered me a free copy of the full game, if I'd consider trying the game again, I'm weak and easily bribed... 

RuneSR2_0-1615039114388.png

 

 

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"

RuneSR2
Grand Champion

kg4k7vhiktl61.jpg

 

Actually not a bad game, and Index now has full finger tracking - and performance is fine. Still waiting for native Oculus drivers, I'd greatly appreciate using oled + ASW 2.0. Follow any updates here:

 

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1383690?fbclid=IwAR3_k9WQxz-MmVUx1-wzpjaKRBkN_pi2RUp6Smt3tg0...

 

Btw, this feels more like a dark adventure game - at least I haven't been much scared yet... Knock-on-wood...

 

Some nice art:

 

1383690_screenshots_20210303150619_1.jpg

1383690_screenshots_20210307224558_1.jpg

  

 

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"

RuneSR2
Grand Champion

 

Demo has arrived on Steam:

 

"YOU CAN PLAY THE A WAKE INN DEMO ON STEAM RIGHT HERE: 

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1383690/A_Wake_Inn/

 

The demo lasts around 45 minutes and shows the very beginning of the game. It gives players a taste of the game’s puzzle mechanics, the wheelchair-like movement system, and it teases the “what the heck is going on here!” story.

 

“We noticed that A Wake Inn is like Dr Pepper, liquorice, or olives - you either love it or hate it. So instead of people buying it and then hating it, we’ve let people get a taste of A Wake Inn first. If you have an adverse reaction, well, at least you can say you gave it a go. But if it tingles your taste buds, then the buy button is right there!” - said Pawel Sikora, the Art Director of VR Bros.

 

The demo comes right after major updates to the main game itself, which includes much, much, improved performance, finger tracking on Oculus Touch and Valve Index, and loads more.

 

To get more info about the full game itself, visit A Wake Inn’s Steam Store Page, thanks for reading! "

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"

RuneSR2
Grand Champion

A Wake Inn just got a new patch, and using High graphics settings and SteamVR res 150% the game is starting to play really well with my GTX 1080. And the game looks better than ever. 

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"

RuneSR2
Grand Champion

I got slightly stuck in Myst last night and coincidentally ended up playing some A Wake Inn. Also got the performance right with the RTX 3090, as the Nvidia Series 30 seems to cause some periodic stuttering in the game - but this little trick seems to work great:

 

"When I first played this game, it ran fine. It started developing a serious performance issue somewhere along the way that could very well be the stuttering you're talking about. It's possible it began when I upgraded from 2070 to 3080.Here's what I found fixes my issue. Taking the focus away from the game on my main monitor (can simply press the Windows key) made it run smooth again."

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1383690/discussions/0/3060743663469559343/

 

This game is an overlooked gem and may have the very best lighting ever done in VR. And there're true ultramersion textures just like Alyx and Boneworks too - who can ask for more? But this is VR horror, although so far not as scary as Jeff, lol. A better name for this game might indeed be:

 

Alone In The Dark VR - Wheelchair Edition 😎

 

Just as it's cumbersome to use a wheelchair in the real world, it's not easy too in the game - but after an hour I'm getting quite good at it - I think... The wheelchair does make this game a very unique VR experience, meant in a positive way.

 

I took some shots to show the game in all its glory - or hopefully close. All images were shot using Index res 300%. Click on an image to enlarge. To save bandwidth images are reduced to about 25% of the Index res and the game looks even more detailed in VR. I'm using the highest in-game graphics settings (=Ultra). This game is demanding, you will need a high-end gpu to fully enjoy it. I'm using 90 fps (90 Hz) and a RTX 3090.

 

a4.JPG

I've never seen better dynamic lights and shadows in VR, hands down

 

a8.JPG

My flashlight combined with a lamp - but check out the textures on the door, not bad, right?

 

a1.JPG

Some ultramersion textures - and my flashlight. You'll need to recharge the battery, light isn't free in this game 

 

a2.JPG

Volumetric lighting shining through a window

 

a6.JPG

Check out the high-res shadows on the wall

 

a7.JPG

Zooming in on the above shot to really see the awesome shadows resolution - no dumb and low-end blob shadows in this gem of a game!

 

a25.JPG

Maybe this looks like a boring image, but see the text on the back of the Walkie Talkie? That's awesome 4k-ish ultramersion textures - and let's see the full Index res 300% image quality:

 

a26.JPG

Textures are extremely high-res in the game - just like in Alyx and Boneworks. You can easily read the text and letters/numbers in VR 

 

a5.JPG

Light shining on metal - and light reflections

 

a18.JPG

My hand with ultramersion textures and bathed in light - there's full Index finger tracking in the game

 

a22.JPG

My kind of lamp 😍 - and levels of polygons are remarkably high! 

 

a23.JPG

Volumetric light, but more condensed here

 

a25.JPG

The light is simply jaw-droppingly beautiful and never seen better in VR. Check out the amazing wooden textures - and textures on the walls etc. 

 

a21.JPG

Light reflections on metal surfaces

 

a24.JPG

More volumetric light shining through a window

 

a9.JPG

Maybe boring to some, but such awesome walls greatly enhance immersion and make the experience feel real

  

a19.JPG

Peeking out of a window - I haven't gotten down there (yet) in the game - but looks great!

 

a3.JPG

More ultramersion textures on the tool you use to pick up items

 

a16.JPG

Even the mantle piece looks awesome 🙂  

a10.JPG

Just some finer details - see the cobwebs, in the game they gently move and it looks great

 

I'll have trouble deciding between playing Myst or A Wake Inn later today 🤓        

 

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"