Space Bullet launched Vox Machinae back in 2018 as an Early Access title, quickly gaining a loyal following thanks to some tasty mech combat mechanics. Today, the studio has announced an official launch is on the way as well as one very unexpected piece of news, a Meta Quest 2 edition is coming!
Designed as a PC VR title, managing to squeeze Vox Machinae onto the Quest 2 is quite the achievement if you’ve seen the game in action. In fact, Quest support was never part of the v1.0 plan as Space Bullet’s Alexander Gorshkov mentions in a press release: “Coming to Quest in particular was not part of our original modest roadmap, and all notions to make such a move were considered unrealistic. Not only by us devs, but by anyone who has a sober understanding of the kind of effort that would be required to make the appropriate optimizations.”
But the team has managed it, with the Meta Quest 2 launch now due to coincide with the full PC VR rollout. This is currently slated to be taking place on 3rd March 2022 but Space Bullet has said this is only on condition that final performance adjustments and bug fixing have been properly finalised.
That’s not all. For the first time, you can actually see the story campaign in action thanks to a new trailer. Up until last month, Vox Machinae had always been a multiplayer combat experience, teaming up with mates to fight in big 16-player battles. It was earlier this month that the single player element was revealed. The campaign adds a new twist to the gameplay, with a planet-hopping narrative where giant conglomerates are vying for resources.
Of course, Vox Machinae will still be the same mech fighter on Meta Quest 2 as it is on PC headsets. You can choose from a selection of different GDR’s (Grinders as they’re called) that can be customised with lasers, missiles, cannons and more. Each of these hulking great machines operates within the laws of physics, adding new limbs increases weight and makes you slower. Losing one in battle means a reduction in offensive capabilities but your rig is lighter.
That same sense of realism extends to the control scheme. Inside each cockpit are all the physical controls necessary to manoeuvre your GDR, immersing you in the entire experience.
With only a couple of weeks to go until launch, as further Vox Machinae details are released gmw3 will keep you updated.