Fantastic Contraption was originally launched as a non-VR building game back in 2008 that millions of fans played and created over 12 millions contraptions. Although the team had always dreamed of the idea of a 3D Fantastic Contraption, it wasn’t until recently that it could actually become a reality thanks to the HTC Vive.
Developed by Northway Games and Radial Games, Fantastic Contraption is about building things, using your own creativity, and from the looks of their latest video uploaded to YouTube, a VR game that can be entertaining for an entire group of friends.
The premise of the game is to build weird structures or “contraptions” in order to reach specific points on an in-game map. The VR version of Fantastic Contraption was designed from the ground up to be a room-scale VR game and utilizes the complete tracking of the HTC Vive to it’s full potential.
Creator Colin Northway comments, “You have to be able to walk around and use your hands.”
Along with a monitor or connected TV to show friends in the room what the user is seeing in game, Fantastic Contraption can be a fun group experience instead of the often isolating experiences created for solo virtual reality viewing.
“You end up with a couch full of people watching, enjoying, and making suggestions. It kind of makes you a performer in this weird world that you bring other people into to. Building contraptions the size of a horse with your hand and watching them roll-off or gallop off in your living room.”
Fantastic Contraption will be at PAX on show in Vive demo rooms with no announcement of a release window yet. The consumer version of the HTC Vive is expected to launch towards the end of the year.
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