Collaborative game flips traditional notions of teamwork on its head
Elsewhere Electric: A Unique Asymmetric VR Puzzle Game
Elsewhere Electric is an innovative cooperative VR puzzle game that challenges players to work together using different platforms and roles. One player dons a VR headset and explores a mysterious office, while the other uses a smartphone app to assist from afar.
In the VR player's role, you'll find yourself in the desert outside a power plant facility, ready to enter. Your mission is to navigate through the multi-floor abandoned environment, powering up machines, and solving puzzles by carrying and transferring a power source called "juice." The VR player interacts directly with environmental clues to advance through the game.
Meanwhile, the smartphone player uses a companion app to investigate the power plant remotely. They help by uncovering data drives scattered around floors, granting abilities such as keeping facility doors open. The smartphone player serves as a communication and support link, often staying in a virtual "van" outside the environment to relay information and help solve puzzles collaboratively with the VR player.
The core gameplay revolves around teamwork and communication. The VR player physically manipulates the environment and objects, while the smartphone player analyses puzzles, manages utilities, and unlocks new abilities. There are no explicit tutorials, making cooperation essential. Puzzle designs are inspired by challenging puzzle games, requiring creativity and synergy between players.
Elsewhere Electric runs on Meta Quest and SteamVR headsets, with the mobile companion app available for iOS and Android devices. A full playthrough takes around 10 hours, offering a deep atmospheric story and layered mystery unlocked through gameplay. The game is priced at $25 in the Meta Horizon store.
The game's atmosphere is eerie yet comforting, reminiscent of Severance and the 1970s, with a touch of Portal 2's charm. Elsewhere Electric does not have combat, but employs gadgets that make the game exciting. The game does not have a rogue-like structure, with the elevator always taking the player to the most recent floor.
The smartphone player's initial task is to open the van door for the VR player to fill up their "power glove." They also hack the elevator to send the VR player underground. Collaborative problem-solving is key, and failure often leads to repeated attempts. Unfortunately, a tutorial section is currently lacking in the game.
Elsewhere Electric is a unique addition to the "forced" co-op sub-genre, as one player uses a smartphone app while the other is fully immersed in VR. It's reminiscent of the Biped series in terms of teamwork, but in a different way. The game requires patience and teamwork, hinging on quality communication, patience, and teamwork.
In Elsewhere Electric, the smartphone player assists the VR player by using a companion app, analyzing puzzles and managing utilities, making it a cooperative endeavor that emphasizes various technology devices such as the VR headset and the smartphone app. The game also features an array of exciting gadgets that enhance the playing experience, integrating them into its unique gameplay.
