Propagation: Paradise Hotel focuses on atmospherically dense VR horror
French WanadevStudio has a knack for sweaty VR games.
In the Viking music game Ragnaröck, you have to hit the drums to propel your ship. In the wave shooter Propagation VR, you have to hold out against zombies, manually reloading your weapons. Both titles enjoy extremely positive user ratings on Steam.
With its second VR horror game, the team wants to strike a new path towards the end of 2022. Propagation: Paradise Hotel focuses on fast action as well as atmospheric survival horror in virtual reality. First pre-alpha scenes from the Steam event "AG French Direct" already show significantly more shy undead. However, they also storm out of their hiding places at lightning speed in an emergency.
You slip into the role of hotel guest Emily Diaz, who has been barricaded in the kitchen for two weeks. An unknown disease has turned other hotel guests into rabid mutants. After Emily receives a distress call from her sister, she inevitably has to venture out of hiding and embark on a rescue mission.
Subtle VR horror in Propagation: Paradise Hotel
Occasional radio messages show you the way across several floors as you explore the dilapidated luxury hotel. A story-focused campaign is meant to subtly pressure you again and again while exploring and sneaking around, for example with gruesome graphic details and a creepy soundtrack. Sudden moments of terror and faster battles are also part of the concept.
The realistic weapon behavior could increase the sense of presence, as long as it is implemented well enough. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners has already proven how much more exciting a zombie attack becomes when you have to thread cartridge after cartridge into the drum. A sequel to the VR horror classic is already in the works.
Other mechanics in Propagation: Paradise Hotel include a dynamic map with numerous puzzles, self-healing via spray, and an unspecified "modern inventory," according to Steam. It could be a backpack that you conveniently take off your shoulder, as in Saints & Sinners, to store objects in handy circular compartments.
Conversions for Quest 2 and PSVR 2 in planning?
Propagation: Paradise Hotel will be released for PC VR towards the end of 2022 and can therefore also be played with the Quest 2, which is connected to a PC wirelessly via Air Link or via cable. Additionally, conversions for all major VR systems are planned. Versions for Meta Quest 2 and PlayStation VR 2 are therefore likely.
The new story mode could entertain for much longer than its predecessor: On the new store page, WanadevStudio calls the old Propagation VR a "short experience" in comparison. The original game is still available for free. Only for the update with a co-op mode WanadevStudio currently charges around four Euros.
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