Hot on the heels of Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018), which hit the box offices last week, comes a newly announced VR rhythm game that lets you grove to the spooky beats DJ’ed by series’ characters Drac, Mavis, or Johnny. Called Hotel Transylvania Popstic, the game is said to be featured at around 500 VR arcades across North America, Europe, and China.
As first seen in a report by Hollywood Reporter, Hotel Transylvania Popstic lets you select songs from your desired character’s playlist, avoid obstacles, and hit incoming targets using a VR peripheral developed by production studio Specular Theory called a ‘Stic’.
Check out the video below for a quick taste of what Sony Pictures Virtual Reality and Specular Theory have cooked up:
Using an HTC Vive headset, the studio’s Stic peripheral appears to use a single Vive controller for tracking, projecting a virtual two-sided laser beam to hit beat-based targets. Specular Theory CMO and co-founder Ryan Pulliam says more Popstic-based titles are currently in the works, including “a whole series of games.” As a VR newcomer, or smaller kid, the idea of holding a stick seems far less daunting than using an unfamiliar controller’s many buttons.
The game is said to include easy, medium, and hard difficulty levels, making it about as family-friendly as VR can get.
“We noticed there weren’t a lot of games designed just for VR Arcades and there wasn’t a lot of games made for families — or for first-time users,” said Pulliam in a blog post. “That’s why we’re excited to feature characters from Sony Animation’s Hotel Transylvania franchise. Such a well-loved brand brings in families — and brand-new visitors. In addition, the game is simple and intuitive, which makes it easy to get started and eliminates the need for lengthy tutorials that delay gameplay and lead to long lines.”
The companies haven’t specified which VR arcades Hotel Transylvania Popstic is coming to, although arcades running the SpringboardVR out-of-home marketplace can access the game. If you’re in North America, Europe, or China, check with your local VR arcade to find out if Hotel Transylvania Popstic is on offer.
