Let’s be honest, sometimes blasting the hell out of things in a videogame is just very therapeutic; channelling the frustrations of the real world into a creative outlet. Virtual reality (VR) title Xion understands this, and understands it well. Any videogame where we get an email with a note that says “everything is destructible” gets a sage nod of approval from us.
After all, what’s the point of being the most all-powerful being in the universe if your all-powerful character is utterly powerless against a rock or tree that’s just kind of in the way.
Xion is a title inspired by the arcade-style voxel shoot ’em ups of the nineties, that sees you flying your customisable and upgradable spaceship (that you put together by hand) through an array of randomised levels before you come upon some chunky and challenging bosses at the end of each one.
Developers Zenz VR have brought the title, not long out of Early Access, to both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive via Steam and the Oculus Store. The Oculus support has just been released globally and the team have also released an update taking the title to version 1.04. Bringing with it the addition of a new tutorial and improvements to the shipbuilding element.
“VR is the final frontier and the combination of old school gameplay with a brand new medium makes it possible to create some unique and refreshing experiences.” Says CEO and Founder of Zenz VR, Niklas Persson. “At Zenz VR we are all about gameplay with the possibilities that only VR can provide.”
If you’ve not done so already, check out their release trailer below. At the time of writing Xion is available for £11.39 (GBP) on Steam, on the Oculus Store however it is presently £7.99 (GBP) – so Rift owners interested in picking the title up should probably head over there first.