It has been a rocky road for Australian developer Digital Lode over the last few months. During the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2019 in June the studio showcased a very promising version of its stealth experience Espire 1: VR Operative with a release scheduled for September. In spectacular style that didn’t happen with the launch delayed with 24 hours notice. Now Digital Lode and publisher Tripwire Interactive have stated Espire 1: VR Operative will arrive this week.
It was a couple of days ago that both companies issued a statement after the PlayStation Blog published an article with one date, while the PlayStation Store issued another. Both of these were incorrect yet the release window wasn’t inaccurate, falling between these two dates.
For those looking to mix between stealth gameplay and full-on Rambo-style warfare Espire 1: VR Operative might be just what you’re after – unless you own Oculus Rift S and Stormland, as it might be difficult to put down. You play as an Espire agent tasked with a top-secret mission. In this futuristic world you no longer need to be James Bond risking life and limb. Instead, you remotely control an Espire model 1 robot which then affords you superhuman abilities.
You’ll be able to scurry up walls like a spider and leap huge distances in an effort to avoid guards and complete your mission. The Espire robot has abilities like seeing through walls to gauge the danger and if destroyed, you’ll then appear in a new body. But, there are challenges for each level which include not costing the company you work for loads of cash, and these robots don’t come cheap. So while shooting the place up may seem fun, the influx of enemies could prove overwhelming and costly in the long run.
Espire 1: VR Operative is scheduled to arrive on Friday, 22nd November supporting Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, Valve Index and PlayStation VR. Don’t forget you can still pre-order the videogame on Steam to getting Killing Floor: Incursion for free.
Check out VRFocus’ preview of Espire 1: VR Operative for a little hands-on info ahead of our review. As always, keep reading VRFocus for the latest updates.