Monument Valley makers release Land’s End, a Gear VR game for Galaxy S6

The makers of the smart and visually stunning Monument Valley have released their first virtual reality game for Samsung’s Gear VR platform. Land’s End has the same stunning visuals, hypnotic soundtrack, good story, and smart game mechanics that earned its predecessor such high praise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwJ9fiH2Ksw

In the game, the player is tasked with “awakening an ancient civilization using the powers of their mind.” The player explores stunning visual landscapes that are inspired by the isolated regions of Iceland and Saudi Arabia, and neolithic sites, like Stonehenge. Land’s End features five levels and it is estimated that the whole games takes 30-60 mins to complete. The visuals and soundtrack will surly add to immersive nature that VR intends to be.

Mechanics-wise, ustwo, the UK based developer agency, touts how the game has a gaze-based, hands-free mechanic and as such users do not need to use the Gear VR’s small trackpad on the side of the device. The game involves looking and gazing at objects in order to move them around and solve puzzles. We are in the early days of VR and games like Land’s End will undoubtedly help popularize the medium and set standards for how their mechanics work.

While Monument Valley was first available on iOS before coming to Android, Land’s End is exclusive to the Samsung Gear VR and for the moment only works on the Galaxy S6. Ustwo is working on a version for the Note 4. Left out are the devices like the S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, and Galaxy Note 5 which work with the Gear VR made available for pre-order today. The game costs $7.99 and can be found in by searching for it in the Gear VR store app.

Hopefully, this game can one day come to Google Cardboard as owning a Samsung device and purchasing the $1oo accessory might be too far a stretch for most people who just want to try out VR. As the Gear VR is just a holder for your phone and a head strap, and this game does not require physical controls, it would make for a great port.