Feral Rites
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| Feral Rites | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Developer | Insomniac Games |
| Publisher | Oculus Studios |
| Platform | Oculus Rift |
| Device | Oculus Rift |
| Operating System | Windows |
| Type | Game |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Fighting |
| Input Device | Gamepad |
| Play Area | Seated |
| Game Mode | Single-player |
| Release Date | September 13, 2016 |
| Price | US$49.99 at launch; US$29.99 from September 2016; US$19.99 on the Meta store as of October 2026 |
| App Store | Oculus Store |
| Website | https://www.meta.com/experiences/pcvr/feral-rites/940852485970061/ |
Feral Rites is a third-person adventure brawler for virtual reality, developed by Insomniac Games and published by Oculus Studios. It was released on 13 September 2016 as an exclusive for the Oculus Rift and is played seated with a gamepad.[1][2] The player is a warrior who returns to a mystical island to avenge the murder of their father, the island's chieftain, and can transform into a beast during combat.[3]
It was the second of four Rift games Insomniac made for Oculus Studios, after Edge of Nowhere and before The Unspoken and Stormland.[4] The game launched at US$49.99. After complaints about the price, it was cut to US$29.99 within days of release, and Oculus gave full-price buyers six other Oculus Studios games or the option of a refund.[5] Reviews were mixed.[4][6]
Gameplay
Insomniac describes Feral Rites as a "VR adventure-brawler set on a mystical island". In the game's backstory, a beloved chieftain was murdered and society on the island fell into chaos; his infant child was raised abroad and returns as an adult to take revenge.[3] Road to VR named the villain Sombro and the player's guide Bokor, a shaman from the hero's tribe.[1] According to Insomniac, players can choose a male or female character, each with unique abilities.[3] Destructoid's review noted that the game has no multiplayer.[7]
Combat is combo-based. In a June 2016 preview, UploadVR listed a light attack, a heavy attack, a grab, a block and a dodge-roll, with combos built from attacks, jumps and grabs.[8] The central mechanic is "beast mode": in the preview, the player could turn into a hulking jaguar for stronger attacks and defense, or a panther for faster movement.[8] Road to VR's review describes the combat form as a slow man-jaguar that acts as a tank and can take only so many hits before changing back to human form, while the faster animal form cannot fight.[1] During fights, an "Execute" prompt lets the player press B to finish an enemy with a gory animation.[8][9] Destructoid reported that executions unlock after the player earns 100 combo points.[7]
The island is semi-open, with story missions and side quests across areas that range from jungle to ruined temples.[3][7] Players collect armor materials, gold, journals and talismans that add new moves, and a "spirit sense" ability shows the route to the next objective.[1] Gear and treasure can be used to customize the character.[3]
Camera and comfort
The game uses fixed camera positions placed in the world, and the view switches when the character crosses a glowing blue line. UploadVR compared this use of VR to Chronos.[8] Marcus Smith, who had been creative director on Insomniac's Resistance and Sunset Overdrive, told UploadVR that adding the blue lines was the moment the game began to click and motion sickness was reduced, and that clear transition triggers keep players from being surprised by camera jumps.[8] Road to VR rated the game 9/10 for comfort, noting that the fixed third-person view involves no artificial locomotion.[1]
Development
Oculus and Insomniac announced Feral Rites and The Unspoken on 18 April 2016; the same Oculus blog post gave a 6 June launch date for Edge of Nowhere. The post described Feral Rites as "an adventure-brawler with a savage combo-based combat system, set on a mystical island" due later that year.[10] Game Informer reported at the announcement that the game was scheduled for fall 2016.[11]
Marcus Smith presented the game to UploadVR in June 2016. He said the team wanted the world to feel open and living rather than static and pre-planned. Asked about Rift exclusivity, he said: "At the end of the day this is a business."[8]
Release
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 18 April 2016 | Announced by Oculus and Insomniac for release later in 2016[10] |
| 13 September 2016 | Released on the Oculus Store for Oculus Rift at US$49.99[1][5] |
| 17 September 2016 | Road to VR reports the price cut to US$29.99, with a US$9.99 Fall sale price[5] |
| By 3 March 2025 | Reported delisted from the Meta store along with Insomniac's other Rift games[2] |
| 8 March 2025 | Insomniac confirmed that the game was live on the store again[12] |
Price cut
The price was lowered a few days after launch. In an email to buyers quoted by Road to VR, Oculus said its teams "felt the product was of high quality" and had chosen US$49.99 "due to the depth and length of play", but that community feedback showed "this price was too high". Players who had paid the full price received six Oculus Studios games: AirMech Command, Damaged Core, Defense Grid 2: Enhanced VR Edition, Chronos, Edge of Nowhere and The Climb. They could also ask Oculus support for a full refund.[5] Writing for Motherboard, Leif Johnson reported that players and critics had complained quickly and harshly about the original price.[13] A Shacknews gameplay video published on 22 September 2016 listed the game at US$29.99.[14]
Store availability
Feral Rites and Insomniac's three other Rift games had been delisted from Meta's store by early 2025. Game Developer reported the delisting on 3 March 2025; when a journalist asked Meta about it, customer support told him to "ask Insomniac".[2] On 8 March 2025, Insomniac said that Edge of Nowhere, Stormland and Feral Rites should be live again.[12] As of October 2026, the Meta store lists the game for Rift at US$19.99.[15]
Reception
Critics praised the game's environments and beast transformations but criticized its story, pacing and price. Metacritic lists two critic reviews, too few for a Metascore.[6]
| Publication | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Road to VR | 6.5/10 | Gameplay 6, immersion 8, comfort 9[1] |
| Destructoid | 5.5/10 | Reviewed at the US$49.99 launch price[7] |
| UploadVR | 5/10 | Score given in UploadVR's 2019 roundup[4] |
In its review, Road to VR called the combat "high-energy, visceral and extremely gratifying" and described its environments as "some of the most well-made environments currently available to VR headsets", but wrote that "the storyline is predictable and dialogue feels wooden". The reviewer estimated about 10 hours to finish the story.[1] UploadVR's Joe Durbin enjoyed the transformations and the upgrade systems, but found that fights turned into repetitive button patterns, the open world felt empty, and the fixed camera could make it hard to follow the action.[9] UploadVR later summed the game up as "well below the usual standard of excellence one expects from Insomniac".[4] Destructoid's Chris Carter wrote that the game "devolves quickly into a mash-fest" and compared it to a budget brawler that was not budget priced, while praising its cave-painting-style introduction as an example of VR storytelling.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Scott Hayden (2016-09-13). "'Feral Rites' Review on Oculus Rift - A beautiful beast-mode brawler ...and that's it". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/feral-rites-review-oculus-rift/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Justin Carter (2025-03-03). "Insomniac Games' Oculus Rift VR titles quietly delisted". Game Developer. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/insomniac-games-oculus-rift-vr-titles-quietly-delisted. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Feral Rites". Insomniac Games. Insomniac Games (archived 21 August 2019). https://web.archive.org/web/20190821072930/https://insomniac.games/game/feral-rites/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Jamie Feltham (2019-11-13). "Every Insomniac VR Game Ever Reviewed". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/insomniac-vr-game-reviewed/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Paul James (2016-09-17). "Oculus Slash 'Feral Rites' Price, Gift 6 Free Games to Existing Owners". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-slash-feral-rites-price-gift-6-free-games-to-existing-owners/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Feral Rites". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/feral-rites/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Chris Carter (2016-09-14). "Review: Feral Rites". Destructoid. https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-feral-rites/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Joe Durbin (2016-06-14). "First Look At 'Feral Rites' From Insomniac: A Suprisingly Bloody Rumble In The Jungle". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/first-look-feral-right-insomniac-rumble-jungle/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Joe Durbin (2016-09-13). "'Feral Rites' Review: In the Jungles of 'Meh'". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/feral-rites-review-oculus-rift/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Introducing Feral Rites and The Unspoken From Insomniac Games - Coming Soon to Oculus". Meta Quest Blog. 2016-04-18. https://www.meta.com/blog/introducing-feral-rites-and-the-unspoken-from-insomniac-games-coming-soon-to-oculus/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ Brian Shea (2016-04-18). "First Details Emerge For Insomniac's Feral Rites". Game Informer. https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/04/18/first-details-emerge-for-insomniac-feral-rites.aspx. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Henry Stockdale (2025-03-08). "Most Of Insomniac's VR Games Have Returned To The Rift Store". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/most-of-insomniacs-vr-games-have-returned-to-the-rift-store/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ Leif Johnson (2016-09-18). "Another High-Profile VR Game Cuts Prices After Player Backlash". Motherboard (Vice). https://www.vice.com/en/article/yp3xwx/another-high-profile-vr-game-cuts-prices-after-player-backlash. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ Shack Staff (2016-09-22). "Feral Rites VR Gameplay: First 30 Minutes in the New Oculus Rift Game". Shacknews. https://www.shacknews.com/article/96908/feral-rites-vr-gameplay-first-30-minutes-in-the-new-oculus-rift-game. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ "Feral Rites on Oculus Rift". Meta Store. Meta Platforms. https://www.meta.com/experiences/pcvr/feral-rites/940852485970061/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.