Espire 2: Stealth Operative (2022), the stealth action game from Digital Lode, is getting a free mixed reality mode for Quest 2, Quest Pro and Quest 3 later this year.
Digital Lode revealed footage of the mixed reality update during the UploadVR Summer Showcase, promising a series of stealth missions that “grow and adapt to the player’s personal playspace.”
“Missions are deliberately focused and optimized for all environments ranging from small areas to multiple rooms,” the studio says. “Play as Tempest, an agent who must pass a series of Mixed Reality Missions to earn their stripes and be cleared to pilot an Espire Frame.”
Each mission is said to offer a variety of objectives, and will also include enemy soldiers, bipedal mechs, electronic threats, and “more that emerge to prevent you from completing your objective.”
Espire 2’s mixed reality mode is slated to arrive for free on Quest headsets sometime later this year.
Meta Quest 3, the company’s next mixed reality standalone, is set to arrive sometime this fall, priced at $500. Besides being thinner and more powerful than Quest 2, Quest 3 promises the same color passthrough function as the company’s $1,000 Quest Pro, which could usher in a new influx of similar mixed reality modes in the coming months.
Digital Lode released an Espire 2 update today, introducing 13 new “highly-replayable short missions” missions called Espire Ops on Quest 2.
First released last November, Espire 2‘s latest patch is available now. Titled Update 1.4, this adds quality-of-life improvements like new public matchmaking parameters, reworked aim assist, and a main menu UI refresh. More prominently, Espire Ops introduces these new missions across three separate Ops modes. These occur between Espire 1 and Espire 2 and, according to the developer, “provide players with more narrative through their descriptions.” In total, this new short missions should up to about 90 minutes of extra content.
You can read the full Espire Ops description below:
Sneaking Ops: Designed for players who love stealth, these four increasingly difficult missions require the player to get to the objective without raising any alarms.
Take Down Ops: The ultimate panther challenge. In these five ops, the player is required to pacify all guards in the area silently.
Elimination Ops: For players who enjoy action, these four ops allow players to go loud and will need to clear the area no matter the cost.
Ops were previously confirmed in the Espire 2 2023 roadmap last December and so far, Digital Lode’s hitting these release targets. After initially adding co-op voice chat, bHaptics support and public matchmaking, Q2 2023 promises further co-op missions and a hardcore difficulty, while Frame skins and weapons variants will arrive at an unknown date later this year.
Espire 2is available now on Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro for $29.99. While though no specific platforms were confirmed, Digital Lode previously announced its coming to new VR platforms later this year, and the team states they will have “more to announce in 2023.”
Returning for a second year, the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase was an event jam-packed with exciting videogame announcements for the headset. With brand new surprises, sequels and updates, the event proved that Quest 2 has a cracking lineup of titles in the works.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution
The next instalment in the VR franchise, Skydance Interactive’s The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution continues the narrative from the first game, placing you in a post-apocalyptic New Orleans trying to survive the zombie outbreak. This time around there will be more zombies, a new villain to face and even fewer resources. The game is due out later this year.
Among Us VR
The multiplayer game about teamwork and the imposters trying to kill you all will be coming to Meta Quest 1 & 2 and PC VR headsets this holiday season. Rebuilt for VR by Schell Games, Among Us VR will stay true to the original’s design whilst ensuring plenty of interactive elements purely suited to VR. It will be a “stand-alone experience” due to the overhaul.
Red Matter 2
The atmospheric sci-fi puzzler from 2018 will be getting a sequel this summer Vertical Robot has revealed. Red Matter 2 is going to be bigger and feature more content than its predecessor, adding new mechanics like a jet pack to fly around with whilst injecting some action by giving you enemies to shoot at.
Beat Saber x Electronic Mixtape
The ever-popular Beat Saber will be getting a new song selection adding 10 iconic electronic hits to its track roster as well as a new in-game environment. No release date at the moment but here’s the track list:
Rudimental, “Waiting All Night” (feat. Ella Eyre)
Pendulum, “Witchcraft”
Madeon, “Icarus”
deadmau5, “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff” (feat. Rob Swire)
Marshmello, “Alone”
Zedd, “Stay the Night” (feat. Hayley Williams)
Darude, “Sandstorm”
Fatboy Slim, “The Rockafeller Skank”
Bomfunk MC’s, “Freestyler”
Martin Garrix, “Animals”
Moss: Book II
Released on PlayStation VR earlier in April, developer Polyarc will soon be bringing the puzzle adventure to Quest 2. Taking control of Quill once again in a fight against the Arcane, Moss: Book 2features even bigger threats than before, new items to fight and solve puzzles with and new characters to aid your journey.
Resident Evil 4 – The Mercenaries
The only game announcement from the show that’s available right now as a free update, the VR edition of Resident Evil 4 finally gets fan favourite mode The Mercenaries. Giving you the chance to play as several of the characters from the main campaign, the mode is all about racking up as many points as possible before the timer runs out. This VR version also comes with 20 exclusive Challenges that’ll unlock bonuses including Big Head mode and a Golden Gun skin.
Cities: VR
If you’ve been after a city building experience in VR then look no further, Fast Travel Games has remade Paradox Interactive’s Cities: Skylines for the headset. A city management simulator giving you full control over where to place structures, and how to earn and spend money whilst keeping residents have, Cities: VR is due out next week on 28th April.
Bonelab
Stress Level Zero has finally revealed that its fourth VR project is Bonelab, a sequel to Boneworks. Building off of Boneworks‘ physical interaction engine, Marrow, Bonelab is an action-adventure title set within a mysterious underground lab. With physics-driven interactions forming a core part of the gameplay experience Bonelabs will also support player built mods to further expand the content. The game is expected to arrive for Meta Quest 2 and PC VR headsets in 2022.
NFL Pro Era
An officially licensed NFL videogame for VR, NFL Pro Era is all about immersing you in American football as a quarterback. Featuring all 32 NFL teams, the simulator will put you in command of your favourite team, choosing plays and listening to the chatter inside the huddle. NFL Pro Era will be coming to Quest and PlayStation VR in Fall 2022.
Espire 2
Digital Lode’s stealth combat title returns this November, giving you new ways to sneakily kill enemies without them even knowing you were there, or not, depends how you like to play. Espire 2 will feature two new mechanical units to control, one heavier and more robust whilst the other is smaller and nimble, great for staying undetected. In addition to the main campaign, Espire 2 will also include a co-op campaign with a story set between Espire 1 & 2.
RuinsMagus
Unveiled last year, the showcase provided a brand new trailer giving a better look at the upcoming Japanese role-playing game (JRPG). Developed by CharacterBank, RuinsMagus has players investigate the abandoned ruins below the prosperous town of Grand Amnis across 26 story-driven quests, facing powerful and fearless Guardians on route. RuinsMagus is expected to launch later this year.
Crystal Atrium Environment
Not a game but a freebie for Meta Quest nonetheless, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave his quick address inside the new Crystal Atrium environment. You’ll find it under the Personalization tab of the settings menu, then change the virtual environment.
Ghostbusters VR (Working title)
Last but not least was the sneaky peek from Zuckerberg of a new game being worked on by nDreams (Fracked, Phantom: Covert Ops) and Sony Pictures Virtual Reality (SPVR), Ghostbusters VR. Set in San Francisco, Ghostbusters VR will support up to 4-player co-op as you and your friends try to rid the city of ghosts in this original adventure. No timeline for release has been given just yet.
There has been a deluge of new virtual reality (VR) titles revealed today thanks to the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase, some a surprise, others not so. One from the surprise list is Espire 2, a sequel to Digital Lode’s 2019 stealth experience. And like many of the videogames shown during the stream, Espire 2 is just for Meta Quest 2.
Espire 2 continues on from the original putting you in the shoes of Espire Agent POE. However, POE has just awoken from a seven-year coma, and dropped right back into the action but this time with all new toys to play with. In Espire 2 you have two bleeding-edge droids called “Frames” that you can switch between, each with its own special abilities. One is a tank, able to take and dish out punishment from enemies. The other is light and more nimble, great for stealth tactics and nipping through vents.
Digital Lode hasn’t purely created new Espire units to inhabit. There’s a whole new single-player campaign to test out the new kit as well as other gadgets, plus a separate co-op campaign where you and a buddy can play through a narrative bridging the gap between Espire 1 and Espire 2.
You’ll also have greater control over the battlefield with Espire Vision, seeing through walls and marking enemies. Or use voice commands to distract or interrogate the enemy. Then there’s the stealth AI system which has been rebuilt for Espire 2 to ensure a variety of gameplay options.
“We are so excited to finally share a first-ever look at Espire 2, the VR stealth-action sequel of our dreams,” said Digital Lode Founder and Game Director Michael Wentworth-Bell in a statement. “Espire 2 would not be possible without the amazing teams at Meta and the Quest 2 platform, or without our continued publishing partnership with Tripwire Presents, who have believed in our vision from the beginning and continue to guide and mentor our studio. Most importantly, this sequel wouldn’t be happening without the incredible community that has supported Espire 1 since its release two years ago. We thank you, and we hope you will enjoy what we have in store for Espire 2.”
“We are thrilled to be working with Digital Lode and Meta on Espire 2! The team at Digital Lode has embraced fan feedback from Espire 1 and is focused on implementing features that open exciting new ways to play in the sequel,” said Brian Etheridge, Publishing Director at Tripwire. “The new Espire frame offers an entirely new toolset to take on the enemy in Espire 2, while the addition of cooperative multiplayer lets players coordinate with each other to develop dynamic tactics and create awesome memories. The Digital Lode teams are, more than anything, VR super fans and that shows in everything they do!”
Espire 2 is currently slated to arrive this November exclusively for Meta Quest 2. See the videogame in action below and for continued updates on all the latest Quest 2 titles, keep reading gmw3.
Espire 2 is a VR stealth sequel coming to Quest 2 later this year.
The follow-up to Tripwire and Digital Lode’s Espire 1: VR Operative was announced at the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase today. Espire 2 will launch in November on Quest 2 for $29.99, though no other platforms have been confirmed at this time. Check out the first trailer for the game below.
Espire 2 Announced
Espire 2 is headlined by two key features. Firstly, there’s a single-player campaign that revisits the sandbox stealth from the first entry. You once again control humanoid droids, sneaking through facilities to take down a new terrorist group. Expect the same freedom granted in the first game, allowing players to either sneak by enemies or use guns and gadgets to take them out.
This time around you’ll also be able to switch between multiple frames to access different abilities. But Espire 2 will also feature a second campaign with full co-op support that bridges the story between the two titles. The developers describe this as a “quirky” campaign, which might speak to what’s possible with the game’s sandbox stealth when experienced with two people.
We thought Espire 1 was a great stealth game with a few issues. “While a larger budget, more time, and overall more resources could have elevated Espire 1: VR Operative to the status of being a landmark VR game that pushes the boundaries and redefines the genre even further, it’s still extremely good and certainly worth playing,” we said in our 2019 review.
Whilst we don’t have confirmation of other headsets, Espire 1 did launch on both PSVR and PC VR, so hopefully we’ll see versions for those headsets in the future, too. Are you going to be picking up Espire 2? Let us know in the comments below!
At today’s Meta Quest Gaming Showcase, the team behind Espire 1: VR Operative (2019) announced the spy-themed stealth shooter is getting a sequel.
Called Espire 2, publisher Tripwire Interactive and Digital Lode call it a “bigger-and-better sequel,” with launch on Quest 2 slated for November 2022.
“Your mission—should you choose to accept it—is to ultimately locate and stop the launch of an untraceable, supersonic missile, a true doomsday device,” the studios says. “Wield an array of high-tech gadgets as you go behind enemy lines and try to save the world for a second time.”
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Image courtesy Digital Lode, Tripwire Interactive
Image courtesy Digital Lode, Tripwire Interactive
Image courtesy Digital Lode, Tripwire Interactive
Image courtesy Digital Lode, Tripwire Interactive
Espire 2 is also set to feature what Digital Lode calls “an entirely separate co-op campaign, with unique missions set in familiar Espire 1 locations.”
Set in the same world as Espire 1 (check out our full review here), the game lets you ‘pilot’ a deadly Espire Model 1 Operative espionage droid, which lets you operate it remotely from the safety of the Control Theatre.
Set in the year 2036, Espire 2 marks the return of Espire Agent POE, who emerges from a seven-year coma.
“POE is thrust back into the world of dark espionage as the centerpiece of the Espire project,” the studio says. “Now, with the help of two bleeding-edge droids called “Frames”, and an all-new arsenal of weapons and tools, POE must embark on a mission to eliminate the global threat imposed by the deadly terrorist organization, OPHIS.”
