There are three weeks to go until Insomniac Games launches its next virtual reality (VR) title for Oculus Rift and its a biggie, Stormland. If you’re not already engrossed in Asgard’s Wrath then this sci-fi epic might be what you’re waiting for, and today the studio has released the first part of a new video series, Stormland: Sypher Mission Log – Part 1.
Mixing both gameplay and cinematic scenes the video briefs you on part of Stormland’s storyline, explaining that the world is in flux, altering itself every seven days. If you’ve been closely following Stormland then you’ll know you play as a robot, a gardener of sorts who needs to save both them as well as their friends whilst trying to find out what happened to all the humans.
The trailer is the first time Insomniac Games has delved into the planet, revealing the environments are split over three strata which you have to ascend. Each just as deadly and dense as the last, there will be robotic enemies to deal with plus some deadly fauna to catch you off guard.
Alongside the new trailer, Insomniac Games’ Principal Designer Duncan Moore also spoke with Oculus Blog about the upcoming adventure, saying: “We wanted to do big things with Stormland—things that had never been done before in VR.
“One of the most memorable things was pushing for open-world climbing in VR. We both wanted to see how it would feel to take off the reins and let players climb on any surface … it was an exciting change!”
This open-world experience does have to be experienced on your own either. The studio has implemented drop in and out co-op gameplay so a mate can come along for some or all of the ride. Both players then have complete freedom to run, climb and fly across the expansive terrain, completing challenges and helping each other out when a tough enemy comes along.
Stormland is an Oculus Rift/Rift S exclusive set to launch on 14th November. But as the company announced at Oculus Connect 6 (OC6), Oculus Link will also arrive for Oculus Quest next month, allowing the standalone headset to play Stormland. In fact, the title was used to showcase the new feature during OC6. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Stormland, reporting back with further updates.