Larcenauts’ big new update, The Zarius Heist, is here and with it are the first details about the new character class, map and game mode.
Check out the trailer for the content below.
The free update adds Imperia, a new ranger class specialist. She’ll bring that most trusty of VR weapons, the bow and arrow, to the game and adds some healing elements too. Her Parasphere Field ability, for example, turns damage dealt into health for nearby allies, while Dyna Burst turns her temporarily invulnerable with rapid healing. Finally, the Animax Grenade causes area damage and spanws exploding soul wisps upon contact.
The new map, meanwhile, is called Thunderhead and is set in a remote citadel. It’s filled with ups and downs that focus on both long-range and close-quarters encounters. Paired with Thunderhead is the new Heist mode.
Overall this is a meaty update for the hero shooter, which we think is one of the best new multiplayer games this year. “These are definite thorns in the game’s side, but there’s a texture and depth to its fast-paced matches that ultimately outshines those shortcomings,” we said in our review, giving the game a ‘Great’ rating. “Larcenauts may not be as accessible as Population: One or as heavily VR-focused as Onward, but that richness makes it easily one of the platform’s most enjoyable multiplayer shooters yet.”
The Zarius Heist completes Larcenaut’s near-term roadmap and Impulse Gear hasn’t hinted at what comes next. We’ll bring you the latest on the game as we get it.
Larcenauts (2021), the VR hero shooter from Impulse Gear, is getting its big ‘Zaruis Heist’ update starting today, which brings a good slice of new content to the game on Quest and PC VR headsets.
Update (September 30th, 2021): Impulse Gear released ‘The Zarius Heist’ today, which includes a new payload-style objective mode called Heist, a new ranger-class character named Imperia, and a seemingly Stargate-inspired level called Thunderhead.
You can check out all of the new stuff in the trailer below, but here’s a quick rundown of Imperia’s gear and abilities:
– Vipera Strike (Imperia’s main weapon): An elegant and unique bow & arrow of the Dynastalker warrior class, and serious slinger of searing shaft sleeves
–Parasphere Field: A portable healing device powered by the blood of your enemies. Damage dealt to enemies fills the device, healing allies in the surrounding area when full.
–Animax Grenade: Deals damage in an area and spawns soul wisps at each enemy damaged that explode after a short time.
–Dyna Burst: Advanced Dynastalker tech enables Imperia to enter an invulnerable state. Rapid healing occurs during this period of invulnerability.
The game includes full cross-play support across Oculus devices and SteamVR headsets, and is priced at $30. Notably, the Oculus Store version supports cross-buy, so you can buy it once and play it on either the Rift or Quest platform.
Original Article (September 17th, 2021): The studio hasn’t said much for now, however the update is called ‘The Zarius Heist’, and will bring to the game a new hero, map, payload objective mode, and private lobbies.
Launched back in June, the 6v6 multiplayer shooter already includes eight playable ‘specialists’, three gameplay modes, and four levels.
The Zarius Heist is coming to all supported platforms on September 30th, which includes cross-play support for Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift (cross-buy supported), and SteamVR headsets.
Impulse Gear says additional details are coming soon which will further detail The Zarius Heist. We’re keeping our eye on the studio’s Discord [invite link] for more info in the coming weeks.
If you’ve never played, check out our full review where we gave it a respectable [7/10]. In it, we noted that Larcenauts has the breadth of mechanics that you’d hope to see in a hero shooter, although we felt it was missing an immersive hook due to minimal VR-specific interactions. We’re of course hoping to see more of those in the new character and payload mode, the latter of which sounds like it could include some very hands-on interactions.
Virtual reality (VR) hero shooter Larcenauts arrived back in June for Oculus headsets, seeing a flurry of updates rectifying issues and adding more content. Today, developer Impulse Gear has announced that the next one is right around the corner – this month in fact – further expanding the team-based, multiplayer experience.
Dubbed The Zarius Heist, the update will add an all-new Specialist, a brand-new map, a new payload objective gameplay mode and private lobbies. As for what these individual components will look like remains to be seen, Impulse Gear is keeping quiet on the specifics for the time being.
The content update will certainly be a welcome addition for those players who’ve been engrossed in Larcenauts from day one. While the character roster was reasonably diverse, the videogame only features three game modes Refuel, Uplink and team Deathmatch across four maps Relay, Excavation, Blight and Hazard Pay. So adding another to each of those should really flesh out the experience.
The studio has confirmed, however, that The Zarius Heist will be a free update for Larcenauts players and that’ll it’ll launch on 30th September 2021. Ahead of that date, Impulse Gear will be holding a Daily Deal promotion on the Oculus store this Saturday, 18th September where you can pick up Larcenauts with a ten percent discount. There’s been no mention of a discount for Steam players.
While it wasn’t at launch, Larcenauts is a cross-platform 6v6 multiplayer where you select from a cast of 8 playable Specialists, each with their own unique attributes. There’s someone for everyone such as the explosive Grenadier, the sneaky Infiltrator, and even a sentient Mushroom for nature lovers. They each have their own fully customizable weapon loadouts and unique skills that can be upgraded over time.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Larcenauts, reporting back with further updates when they’re available.
A free content update coming at the end of September will bring a new Specialist and a brand new map and a new Payload game mode to competitive VR team shooter, Larcenauts.
Developers Impulse Gear didn’t give too many details away just yet, teasing more info to come. Here’s what they had to say:
Coming at the end of September as a free content update, The Zarius Heist will bring an all-new Specialist into the fray, a brand-new map, a new payload objective mode and more. Additional details about the new character, map, private lobbies, and new game mode will be made available soon.
The new Payload objective mode will be the game’s fourth mode, joining the deathmatch, Refuel (zone control) and Uplink (capture the flag) modes that were available at launch.
The announcement coincides with a one-day promotion on the Oculus store that will run tomorrow, Saturday 18 September, and bring the price down 10% for prospective Larcernauts players looking to get in on the action before the update drops in around two weeks.
It’s been three months since Larcenauts launched and since then Impulse Gear has pushed a few updates that adds some quality of life changes that addressed some players’ concerns, such as the addition of manual reload and increased control options. The Zarius Heist will be the first content update of this size since launch, adding more than just minor changes and bug fixes.
The game is available on both Oculus Quest and PC VR platforms, with cross-play support and lobbies so that you can play with your friends and experience the lowest possible queue times, no matter where you’re playing.
Larcenauts made some significant quality of life changes to the game with its Immersion Overload update, including adding an option for manual reload and more control options for using your hands in VR.
Larcenauts: Immersive Overload Update out now! ✦ Manual Weapon Reloads ✦ Two-handed Aiming ✦ Immersive Sprint ✦ Native support for bHaptics TactSuit vests ✦ Spatialized VOIP in lobby
One of the main qualms we had with Larcenauts on release was a series of design choices (which might be viewed as ‘unfinished’) involving the user’s hands when sprinting and reloading. Here’s what we said at the time:
Impulse Gear, for example, seems strangely fond of taking control of a player’s hands as a means of imposing restrictions. So when you run with the default option, you see two hands dangling either side, stopping you from firing. When you reload, it’s a canned animation and not something you have any say in.
You can see why the idea might work on paper, to have a more precise and game-driven approach on how fast players run out of ammo and restock it … But, in practice, it just feels terrible to see your hands waving around on their own.
As Jamie went on to mention in his review, Impulse Gear went onto to implement an ‘Immersive Sprint’ option around launch late last month. However, this new Immersion Overload update addresses even more of the aforementioned issues. Manual reloads are now an option (automatic, button-press reload is also still available), as well as two-handed aiming with weapons.
Spatialized VOIP has also been added to lobbies, along with native support for the bHaptics TactSuit vests as well.
Impulse Gear’s multiplayer hero-shooter Larcenauts landed with a bump last month, with last-minute issues causing SteamVR headsets to lack support – that’s now been fixed – and gameplay elements like auto-reloading not going down well with players. Today, the studio is rolling out the Larcenauts: Immersion Overload update to rectify problems and provide a much more engaging experience.
The main update feature focuses on reloading. A lot of virtual reality (VR) shooters ground you in the gameplay by letting you manually reload and cock weapons. That’s now available in Larcenauts, with each gun having its own particular reload mechanic. Both the Style and Auto reload options will still be available for those that prefer them.
Adding to the immersive features, Larcenauts will also get two-handed pivot aiming, a mode that uses the position of both hands to aim weapons. Then there’s Immersive Sprint where you can simply aim your weapon downward to start sprinting.
Larcenauts: Immersion Overload also includes native support for bHaptics TactSuit vests for that added sense of realism when you get shot, spatialized VOIP in the lobby; localized text in English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Korean, and a brand-new cosmetic skin for Calima, the Infiltrator. Simply log in before the end of July 2021 to get the free skin.
If you’ve not played Larcenauts yet it’s a team-based, 6v6 multiplayer where pick from a crew of 8 unique Specialists like Vod, the mushroomy monster; Evander the Hunter or Thal, a robot who specializes in defence and suppression. Fully cross-play compatible between all supported headsets, Specialists feature fully customizable weapon loadouts and progression systems to grow their skills and cosmetic upgrades to customise their look.
Matches take place across three game modes Refuel, Uplink and team Deathmatch across four maps Relay, Excavation, Blight and Hazard Pay. As Impulse Gear continues to expand Larcenauts,VRFocus will keep you updated.
Impulse Gear announced that Larcenauts (2021), its 6v6 hero shooter for PC VR and Oculus Quest, is getting a few key updates today which focus on increasing immersion in the game.
The cross-play hero shooter first launched June 17th with a few things hardcore fans of the fps genre weren’t really expecting. The game’s gun-shooting experience felt like it had been heavily simplified: when larger guns are stabilized with two hands, only your dominant hand contributes to actually moving the gun. Reloading was also simplified with a console-style ‘press button to reload’ scheme, making for a pre-animated reload sequence.
Called the game’s ‘Immersion Overload’ update, the game will be receiving a few new features starting today which Impulse Gear calls “heavily requested by the Larcenauts community.” Now coming to the game is two-handed pivot-aiming, manual reload options, and immersive sprinting, the studio says.
Here’s Impulse Gear’s breakdown of the update coming today:
Manual Reloads: An immersive new reload system option that lets the player perform actions to manually reload their weapon for maximum realism. This, with Style and Automatic reload options allow players to tailor the reload mechanic to their liking.
Two-handed Pivot Aiming: Players can now select an all-new aiming mode that uses the position of both hands to aim weapons, keeping them in control and in the action.
Immersive Sprint: A new sprint mode option where players retain control of their hands while sprinting. Players can simply aim their weapon downward to start sprinting.
Cross-play Lobbies: Cross-play lobbies are now live. SteamVR and Oculus players can now join each other’s lobby by entering a player’s unique lobby code.
Spatialized VOIP in lobby: Players in the social lobby will now hear their friends VOIP spatialized.
Native support for bHaptics TactSuit vests: This third-party wearable interprets in-game actions into haptic feedback that the player can feel when wearing the bHaptics TactSuit vest.
The studio also says if you login before the end of July, you can also nab a new skin for Calima, the Infiltrator.
We gave Larcenauts a solid [7/10] in our review as it was technically well made game with strong art direction, great performance, and a sense of progression with eight characters to unlock. Its launch state however made the game feel more like a run-and-gun free-for-all than a team-based hero shooter, but it seems the studio is actively working on a number of the issues we saw early on.
Yup, 2021 is already halfway over. It’s been a busy six months for the VR industry with plenty of new releases. So let’s round up the best VR games of 2021… so far.
This list is comprised of every game we rated four stars or higher in the first six months of the year. And it’s only counting genuinely new games, not ports of older titles. So that’s why you won’t see the likes of A Township Tale and Carly and the Reaperman on here just yet.
As we move into the second half of the year, we’ll be interested to see which of these titles makes it onto our Game of the Year nominations come December.
The Best VR Games Of 2021 (So Far)
Mare – Quest
Mare emulates the rustic wonder of ICO, Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian with ease. The game casts you as a mechanical bird that glides from perch to perch, guarding a young girl as she makes her way through a crumbling set of ruins. What the gameplay lacks in depth, Mare makes up for in atmosphere, with biting winds and stunning vistas that demand to be seen inside VR. An oddball treat.
We were skeptical that IO Interactive could make VR support for Hitman 3 really work given it all relied on the PS4’s DualShock 4. And you definitely do miss out on some of the fun not having two-handed motion controls, but this is still a brilliant, expansive VR playground with plenty on offer, including the last two games in the trilogy too. Here’s hoping PC VR and PSVR 2 ports are in the game’s future.
The long-awaited follow-up to The Climb didn’t disappoint, giving us yet more heights to scale in imaginative and thrilling new ways. Visually the game left a little to be desired, which is why we’re still hoping we might see a PC VR version of the title release later down the line, too.
Hyper Dash is a great indie success story, fostering its own community for its fast-paced multiplayer VR matches. This is a nimble FPS that trusts players with a range of locomotion styles and a steep learning curve. If you’re looking for an alternative to VR’s abundance of military shooters, Hyper Dash is definitely worth a look.
Cosmodread might as well be called Dreadhalls 2, as it’s essentially a sequel to one of the earliest VR horror games. But, whereas Dreadhalls was all about escaping the unknown horrors that lie in wait, Cosmodread does give you the tools to fight back, making for an evolved experience. Rest assured, though, that it’s still every bit as scary as its predecessor, with terrifying monsters making sounds in the dark.
A wonderfully inventive bit of VR puzzling – Floor Plan 2 feels like a trip to Sesame Street. You travel between different floors in a building, each of which is essentially its own reality, and solve impossible challenges. Truthfully the puzzling can be a little too cryptic for its own good as the experience carries on, but the game is never short of funny, intriguing ideas that will put a smile on your face. If you missed out on Floor Plan 2 earlier this year, make sure to right that wrong.
Fast Travel Games took an unexpected turn for its fourth release, trading in the vibrant worlds of Apex Construct and The Curious Tale Of The Stolen Pets for the horrors of the World of Darkness universe. Wraith is a moody survival horror experience steeped in dread and offers an interesting story that explores the tabletop universe like never before.
Within your first few minutes of playing Demeo with friends it feels obvious that it’s on to something special. The tabletop game itself is a lot of fun, but it’s the social VR element that really enhances the experience. Demeo is one of the few apps that genuinely feels like it leaps the distance between friends and offers a true one to one (or one to three) social experience, and that’s hugely significant.
Snowboarding shouldn’t really work in VR. And Carve certainly doesn’t compare to actually hitting the slopes in real life, but it is about as close as you can currently get with a headset. The game’s smart controls essentially see your hands fill in for your feet, making jumps and tricks easy to pick up but difficult to master. Carve Snowboarding is proof you can do great extreme sports games in VR.
The narrative around Larcenauts is a little messed up. Some launch issues lead a lot of people to conclude that the game was really an early access release and shouldn’t be a full priced title. In truth, the game already offers a lot of content, strategic multiplayer VR battles and developer Impulse Gear has already set about fixing some of those early issues. If you were put off by the conversation around the launch of Larcenauts I implore you to give it another look – it’s a gem of a multiplayer VR game.
Yup, it’s chess in VR. But, crucially, Chess Club does enough to ensure it’s the only take on the classic board game you’ll ever actually need in VR – it’s got robust options for AI opponents and even a suite of online features including tackling friends and strangers that the game thinks will be a good fit for you. Plus with both classic and animated boards the game takes full advantage of VR whilst paying respect to the staple experience, too.
Rebellion’s new VR shooter seemed like it might never actually come out, but Sniper Elite not only made its way onto all three major VR platforms, it pulled off pretty great versions on each, too. If you’re on PC and Quest then this offers just the right balance of authenticity and accessibility across a really enjoyable campaign. PSVR owners, meanwhile, get the added bonus of the excellent PSVR Aim Controller. Wherever you play Sniper Elite VR, though, you’re in for a treat.
In the run-up to the launch of Larcenauts, Impulse Gear’s new multiplayer hero shooter, the studio had said the videogame would support Oculus headsets as well as SteamVR; without mentioning any PC VR headsets in particular. When Larcenauts arrived on Steam only Oculus Rift was supported with Valve Index and HTC Vive notably absent. In an update this weekend that compatibility has been sorted.
On launch day Impulse Gear responded to queries, saying: “Unfortunately we ran into an issue with UE4 and SteamVR compatibility so it is Oculus only for now.” Thankfully, SteamVR users didn’t have to wait too long for a fix with patch 1.04a rolling out over the weekend. This now means Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index all work for Steam users, although Windows Mixed Reality is still absent.
Thanks to the expanded headset support the studio has included cross-play lobbies so friends can play together no matter the headset. All Oculus or Steam players need to do is enter a player’s unique lobby code to join a friends lobby.
Now that’s all sorted it should be easier to enjoy Larcenauts’ team-based multiplayer with matches consisting of 12 players in teams of six. Game modes consist of capture-the-flag-style DroneHack, the territory defending Refuel and some classic team Deathmatch action across four maps Relay, Excavation; Blight, and Hazardpay. Players are able to select from eight character specialists, from Evander the sniping specialist or Thal, a robotic guardian who specializes in defense and suppression, to Chi the group medic, each suiting various gameplay styles.
Find a favourite character and you’ll be able to customise further finesse their skills with a progression system as well as unlocking new cosmetic upgrades.
As Impulse Gear continues to refine Larcenauts and add new features, VRFocus will keep you updated.
Over a week on from Larcenauts’ troubled SteamVR launch, the game finally supports the HTC Vive and Valve Index headsets.
When the game launched on Quest and PC the SteamVR version only worked with the Oculus Rift, locking other headset users out. Impulse Gear noted it was working on a fix as soon as possible. With this weekend’s 1.04a update the studio also adds cross-play lobbies, allowing users on Steam and Oculus to find each other by enter lobby codes.
No support for Windows VR headsets yet but hopefully that’s in the works too.
It’s a relief to see Larcenauts finally add support for Index and Vive, as we’re pretty fond of the game. “Larcenauts runs like a well-oiled machine, with complex and varied character classes that complement each other well for high-level play, tight map design that pushes you into new situations and strategies, and a progression system that keeps the unlocks flowing,” we said in last week’s review. “It’s a game to commit to and learn its inner-workings with smart plays to counter enemy strategies.”
These issues have seen the game get review bombed on SteamVR, too. It’s currently sitting at a ‘Mixed’ rating with other 70 reviews.
Elsewhere this update makes a few tweaks, like tuning down the damage of dual wielding machine pistols and various bug fixes.
Will you be jumping into Larcenauts with this expanded compatibility? Let us know in the comments below!
