There have been plenty of new virtual reality (VR) content announcements over the past few weeks, especially when it comes to Oculus Quest. Paris-based indie studio Ikimasho will soon be launching its debut title for the headset as well as PC VR devices, a magic-based rogue-lite called Star Shaman.
Players take on the role of the spell-casting Star Shaman whose job it is to preserve and maintain biodiversity across the galaxy. This is put in jeopardy by the Architects of Entropy, beings who wish to create uniform, geometrically-perfect worlds stripped of all their natural resources.
To do this Star Shaman can wield gesture-based spells and use a magical staff, destroying enemies as they travel from planet to planet. Doing so regenerates the planets and then entire solar systems. All the galaxies are procedurally generated so each playthrough offers different challenges.
Because of the fluid, physical nature of the gameplay Ikimasho hired Just Dance choreographer Barbara Chane-Kane to help create natural movements for players. “From a game standpoint, the moves are paramount,” says Ikimasho co-founder Olivier Piasentin in a statement. “Casting your magic and dodging and shooting at your enemies will make you move as you’ve never moved before in VR.”
As players progress through Star Shaman they are rewarded in a multitude of ways, collecting moons, upgrading skills and spells, as well as mana, score multipliers, currency, lives, and new spells and powers.
“VR games have tremendous potential for empowering individuals to bring lessons learned in the virtual world back to the real world,” adds Ikimasho co-founder Yann Suquet. “Add that games are the dominant medium of the 21st Century and you’re left with an incredibly powerful medium with great responsibility.”
Currently, Star Shaman is slated for a late summer 2020 release, supporting Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive/Vive Cosmos and Valve Index. As further details on the videogame are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.