Part of VRFocus’ Most Anticipated VR Games Coming In 2020 nDreams’ stealth title Phantom: Covert Ops was originally slated for a late 2019 launch. Today, as part of Facebook’s Games Developers Showcase this week nDreams has announced that Phantom: Covert Ops is now slated for a June launch for Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift.
The videogame is set to offer one of the more unique virtual reality (VR) experiences of 2020 as it takes place entirely on water, with players having to manoeuvre around in a kayak. The idea behind this was comfort, offering action-oriented seated gameplay with locomotion controlled by paddling through the water.
Looking like Call of Duty on water, the gameplay revolves around stealth, having to infiltrate a Cold War naval facility to prevent a rogue militia from launching a global attack. As some sort of elite special forces soldier, your kayak is well equipped for the task ahead with weapons and tools all within easy reach. There’s a silenced sniper rifle to take down those guards nestled away in towers or a silenced pistol to quieten those nearby enemies as you hide within the reeds.
Subtle doesn’t always work and there will be times when you need to take out objectives with something a little more destructive than bullets. So you have a nice stash of C4 available to blow stuff up when necessary as well as an assault rifle when being quiet isn’t required.
When VRFocus first previewed Phantom: Covert Ops during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2019 we thought that the videogame showed great promise and could well be nDreams’ best VR experience to date. With only one level playable with was mainly due to the intuitive locomotion system which made paddling around the waterlogged facility straight forward, slowly slipping under bridges or simply pushing away from the side. Journey for Elysium is another title which uses rowing for some sections, just not quite as well.
Phantom: Covert Ops is scheduled to arrive on 25th June 2020 exclusive to the Oculus platform. Take a look at the latest trailer below and as further details are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.