Nope Challenge brings back the genre of anti-phobia games. It’s coming out next year for Meta Quest.
With the advent of affordable VR headsets around 2016, this genre became very popular. I’m thinking of VR experiences like Richie’s Plank Experience or Face Your Fears, which confronted players with their phobias or simply aimed to scare people. Be it through the suggestion of height or rather cheap shock effects. Countless YouTube videos from this period bear witness to this.
More recently, titles like Five Nights at Freddy’s have cultivated jump scares, as have many other VR horror games that are still in high demand.
Following in the footsteps of Face Your Fears, Nope Challenge brings several phobias into play, including arachnophobia (fear of spiders), acrophobia (fear of heights), and coulrophobia (fear of clowns). Examples can be seen in a first trailer, with US studio Happy Manic set to tackle many more phobias yet to be seen.
Escape to safety with the Nope button
What’s new about Nope Challenge is that you can press a panic button on your wrist to nope out and immediately escape the scary experience. Because the fear and shock factor is gradually increased.
Pressing the button will take you to a “Breather Space” where you can relax before returning to the unpleasant situation. This allows you to control the pace and intensity of the confrontation.
Judging by the trailer, the VR game is designed primarily for entertainment and not as a professional therapy app, which do exist, by the way.
Nope Challenge is currently scheduled for release in April 2024 for Meta Quest 2, 3, and Pro.
Source: Mixed News
