Pleasure Manner, the studio behind STRIDE: Fates (2023) and EXOcars (2024), initially introduced VR action-platformer Purple Flowers again in 2022, which was slated to convey bloody ninja-slicing motion together with some high-flying parkour. Now, the studio revealed Purple Flowers is making a significant pivot to ostensibly attraction to youthful customers.
Now known as Catana: Purple Flowers, the sport has accomplished away with the the impossibly excessive metropolis buildings and gritty aesthetic, as an alternative providing up a decidedly extra family-friendly vibe, replete with a kitty protagonist and sensible (and accident susceptible) Grandpa Kenji that will help you alongside the way in which.
Concentrating on a 2025 launch on Quest and PSVR 2, Catana: Purple Flowers allows you to tackle the function of a nimble ninja cat, letting you sprint by means of enemies, deflect bullets, swing round, and wield a katana. Between ranges, the sport additionally affords up a comfy backyard the place you possibly can sharpen your blade, play with Grandpa Kenji, “or simply be a foolish cat,” the studio says.
From the trailer, there’s nonetheless slice of bloody katana deaths, though Pleasure Manner notes this may be toggled off within the settings, changing it with a burst of flowers. Whereas motion mechanics and enemies aren’t solely a far cry from the 2022 demo (seen under), the artwork and stage design marks a transparent departure from the grittiness of the unique.
Pleasure Manner says that though its demo of Purple Flowers garnered over 500k installs following its launch on Quest’s now-defunct App Lab, “intensive participant interviews and […] beneficial suggestions” led the studio to “absolutely reimagine and evolve the idea.”
Whereas the studio hasn’t mentioned as a lot, the pivot comes amid a wider shift within the Quest participant base, principally pushed by the doorway of Quest 3S, Meta’s newest $300 combined actuality headset.
Meta famous in early 2025 {that a} wave of youthful gamers was not solely boosting free-to-play content material on the platform, but additionally paid premium content material, which Meta famous on the time included video games like I AM CAT (2024) and 5 Nights at Freddy’s: Assist Needed 2 (2024).
There’s no launch date for Catana: Purple Flowers but past “later this 12 months,” though now you can wishlist the sport on the Horizon Retailer for Quest 2 and above, and on the PlayStation Retailer for PSVR 2.
