Originally, developer Digital Lode and publisher Tripwire Interactive had planned on releasing stealth adventure Espire 1: VR Operative during August yet no date was ever confirmed. Today, that release window has shifted slightly, with the teams announcing a September launch date as well as pre-order bonuses.
To coincide with today’s announcement you’ll be able to pre-order Espire 1: VR Operative via Steam later today. PC customers who pre-order the videogame on Steam will receive a free Steam copy of Tripwire’s first VR title, Killing Floor: Incursion. From 30th August, North American PlayStation VR fans (no word on a European offer) who pre-order on the PlayStation Store will receive a 15% off discount.
Espire 1: VR Operative impressed when VRFocus demoed the title during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2019 in June, finding that being a sneaky robot who could perform superhuman feats of strength and agility was just as fun as you’d imagine.
The premise behind Espire 1: VR Operative is that you play an Espire agent on a top-secret mission. In this futuristic world, you don’t need to risk your own life anymore, instead dropping into an Espire model 1 robot which can be remotely controlled. This machine allows you to scale heights, and leap massive distances to stay ultra-quiet and remain unseen. Of course, should you get spotted – or prefer the gung-ho approach – then you can take a few hits in a firefight. Should you lose then you’ll respawn in a new body.
Developed as a single-player VR experience with individual story missions and scenario missions that use the story mission environments for short challenges, one of the main features employed in Espire 1: VR Operative is the “Control Theatre.” This has been designed to eliminate VR motion sickness in first-person videogames, shrinking the world to the size of a floating tablet, with the Control Theatre visible in the player’s peripheral vision.