Bocce Time! VR
A note to Quest users:
The game is best experienced when playing through Oculus Link or Air Link. If you’re using Virtual Desktop, you may find some difficulty releasing balls or having them go where you’re aiming. There’s a fix for this that you can find in the forums here: Open Composite Fix For Quest Users
About the Game
Have some feedback or looking for people to play with?
What is Bocce?
Bocce ball is an ancient and simple game about getting your balls closest to the target. Players throw out a small ball called a pallino and then two teams take turns trying to get their balls closest to it, blocking, knocking, and blasting each others’ balls in the process. The pallino can land anywhere in bounds and every ball can impact the others, resulting in an ever shifting playing field where the target can change with every throw. It’s easy to learn, but difficult to master, and when millimeters can make the difference between defeat and victory, individual skill really shines!
Okay, tell me about Bocce Time!
In Bocce Time! you’ll head down to a peaceful park or atmospheric pier to play across 12 distinct bocce courts. You can jump into a quick match to 1v1 a random opponent online, create and join private rooms with up to 8 players, or play against AI across 3 difficulties to unlock additional ball customization options. With full cross-play, everyone’s invited to join the fun! It’s Bocce Time!
Steam User 21
Fun VR game where you can play Bocce Ball, a bit of a cousin of 'Petanque'.
Check out online multiplayer gameplay where we tried all the current tracks:
It is not difficult at all to master this, first you throw a small ball on the track beyond a boundary and then you each throw your playing balls via a certain turn and the intention is to end up as close to the small ball as possible try to bounce off your opponent's cues with your cues as well as your opponent's cues.
The game has a single and also an online multiplayer mode and this works very well, there are x number of tracks available to hold matches and each track is also different in challenge.
Steam User 10
So if you've played Walkabout, you're going to feel a little deja vous. The graphics and the music are carbon copied, you're on home ground if you don't mind swapping out the golf club for a game of throw the ball closest to the jack.
It's a basic premise that seems to work, there's numerous options to change the throwing mechanic to suit. I was able to beat the AI a couple of times with just using the default grip button release, the process itself felt quite natural. Things got a little more interesting when playing on a level with obstacles, it's a bugger when the balls start bouncing off objects making the game more varied.
Props to the developer for embracing OpenXR, it booted from my G2 seamlessly and the oculus touch controls mirrored the G2 controllers perfectly. Id take that as it works with WMR devices.
Ultimately it comes down to do you enjoy throwing mechanics in VR. Not everybody does, but if you do then there's a serviceable game here which offers up a fun time.
Steam User 11
Experienced on the Meta Quest 2
You can view my initial impressions review & gameplay here:
I would say this may be the best bocce sports title in VR. I say maybe because I was not able to test out multiplayer. I am assuming in my review that MP works fine without any issues.
The good news is that there is single player and I had fun playing that. You can play on bronze, silver, or gold difficulty. There are 6 courts to choose from. There's the standard court, then a picnic court that has all kinds of obstacles in the way, then there's a barrel court with 3 barrels to play around with, there's a tire court where you have to get your pallino (the main ball - the goal) through the tires, there's a ramp court where you have to throw your balls like in an arcade skee-ball game, and finally there's a T-court where the court is laidd out like a T. The AI will make some quips while you play.
Each of these courts brings a new challenge to the game to keep it from getting stale. Obviously, this is a game that is a lot more fun if you play online with your VR buddies. I wouldn't know about that personally though. However, I'm pretty sure that's the case.
Anyways, game has a low polygon art-style which is probably the worst thing about the game. Otherwise, it is fun to play and the ball physics are arcade fun. Game is running on the Unity Engine. On my RTX 3080, I was getting steady 90 fps. I did not experience any serious issues or bugs. You do have full locomotion, smooth & snap turing, and teleportation available, along with controller or head orientation of camera. You can play seated, but since you're throwing a lot in this game, you'll probably enjoy it more standing (and the throws are easier standing). There are options to help with throwing distance and to disable or enable spin on the ball.
Is this better than the few other bocce VR titles? Hrmm, I think so. I think the different courts give this game a longevity that the other titles don't have (assuming MP works fine). It also has some ball unlocks. I think it needs more online functionality though, like an online lobby for waiting, where you can practice some bocce, play some YT videos, get more unlocks (like Avatar unlocks). Some party items to play with.
Rate ?/10. I did not play MP, so I don't feel comfortable scoring, but I do recommend it.
Please note: I received a free Steam key through the Steam Curator Connect program. You can join my Steam Curator group, Oculus Rift Reviews, here:
Steam User 4
Great way to ruin friendships
Steam User 5
super nice casual game. i played it with my mum (700km away, she's got a quest 2) and it felt really like we were just hanging out together, very nice. also solid physics and interesting maps, i don't think this'll get boring anytime soon, just like the real bocce!
Steam User 2
Fun toy with some good maps, had it for awhile
Steam User 8
This game shows why we play vr. It is simple, fun and works online. There is not only the classic Bocce lane to play on, but there are also some other lanes with obstacles on it.
Just a perfect game to have some fun with some friends (or alone)
Here some online gameplay: