Indie developer Downpour Interactive launched its first virtual reality (VR) title Onward back in August 2016 via Steam Early Access. Today, the studio has announced that the title will now be available on Oculus Store as well.
Onward is a multiplayer focused, tactical military shooter featuring 5v5 online battles where players have one life, no heads-up display, and no crosshairs. Featuring dynamic time of day, weather effects, and multiple environments and scenarios to play through, Onward also has an artificial locomotion system that’s been fine tuned by the Steam gaming community.
“I grew up playing tactical military shooters and loved the strategy, teamwork, and skill needed to win,” said Onward developer and Downpour Interactive Founder Dante Buckley in a statement. The high risk/high reward goals in games like Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, Counter-Strike, SOCOM, and Insurgency make these experiences a lot more meaningful and unique—you can see a lot of their influences in Onward.”
Featuring over thirty different weapons, Onward includes a number of weapon mods available in the game’s lobby, including red dot sights, flashlights, 12x scopes, and more to add a tactical advantage in various combat scenarios. The Jungle map was just added, with another map coming soon. Additionally, a recently introduced game mode called “Evac” lets new players dive in with friends and get to know the mechanics. There’s also a solo/co-op mode against AI.
To balance mechanics and deep gameplay, Buckley focused on design decisions that reinforced the real-world, including a single player life per round. “You have to think strategically and cooperate with your team to capture or defend objectives,” he says. “One-life games, especially in VR, make things very intense and competitive.”
“Even as a kid, VR was how I always envisioned playing games—I wanted to be inside the game,” Buckley recalls. “Working in this medium today is really a dream come true, and it made perfect sense. The immersion, experiences, and storytelling that can be had in VR will change the future of entertainment, and I want to be a part of that.”
As Downpour Interactive continues to grow its team and expand Onward, VRFocus will bring you all the latest news and updates.